Terraces are a great addition to a home and garden setting, often acting as transition from the indoors to the outdoors. They make wonderful rooms that can be enjoyed throughout the year.
You can construct a terrace at ground level, above ground level, or below ground level, depending on the look you seek to achieve. Different flooring means can be used as well.
Flooring can be as simple as poured cement that has been leveled with a straight board. Be sure to maintain a drainage grade or include shallow drainage paths. This will keep water from building up on your floor.
Flagstone also makes a nice terrace floor. This can be done by applying sand or gravel to the subsoil, then digging the flagstones into the subsoil. The spaces between the stones can be planted with a grass or plants to create a pleasing effect.
You can use hollow clay building tiles as well. Split the tiles and lay them as until on the terrace floor, with their rough edges into the soil. “Exposed Aggregate” also makes good flooring, as it is free from glare and features a rough finish. This can be made of a mixture of equal parts of cement, sharp sand, and crushed rock pebbles.
Redwood and cypress blocks add a decorative touch to your garden floor, and although less durable than stone or brick, they will have an attractive look. Place the bricks on a bed of sand, which has been spread over a layer of compacted cinder or gravel.
Un-mortared brick can also be used for terrace flooring. Place them on 2-4 inches of tamped down sand, and place loose sand in the crevices. Use an angle iron to drive into the corners to keep the floor in place. You should create a pattern that matches your landscape.
A sunken terrace is a pleasing look, especially if you are seeking a respite from the humid days and hot nights, as it will provide some coolness. This terrace requires a retaining wall to be built to keep soil from eroding into the terrace, as well as maintaining the garden around the terrace. Dig the subsoil to a depth of about 5-8 inches deeper than where you want the terrace to sit. This should be filled with sand, and the top treatment can be whatever you choose.
A raised terrace has a slightly misleading name, as it is not truly raised, but on house level, slightly raised at the outer edge. This terrace also needs a retaining wall. The main issue with a raised terrace is make sure it is level. , once this is done, the retaining wall can be built. Construction then follows the same procedure as any other terrace. Provide drainage through a central drain or adding an underground piping through the retaining wall.
