Creating a beautiful, functional landscape isn’t always about what you add—it’s often about how you shape what’s already there. At Tim Davies Landscaping, one of the most powerful tools we use in design is something often overlooked: changes in level.
Whether it’s a gentle slope, a raised platform, or a sunken courtyard, elevation shifts can unlock design potential and offer both aesthetic and practical benefits. When used intentionally, they can solve tricky site challenges and deliver striking visual results. Here’s how we use levels to enhance landscapes—and what we consider when designing with elevation in mind.
1. Solving Site Challenges
In many Perth suburbs, sloping blocks or uneven ground levels can make landscaping feel like a challenge. Rather than fighting the site, we work with it.
Changes in elevation can:
• Improve drainage and water flow
• Manage erosion on steeper blocks
• Create more usable space on sloped land
While retaining walls are a valuable tool in our design toolkit, we also incorporate gentle terracing, low steps, and subtle level changes to create smooth transitions between zones—helping the landscape feel cohesive, considered, and naturally integrated.
2. Defining Outdoor Zones
Level changes are one of the best ways to subtly separate areas without walls or fences. By slightly raising a dining terrace or dropping a sunken firepit area, we can create distinct ‘rooms’ within your garden while maintaining an open, connected feel. This approach works beautifully in family gardens or entertaining spaces where multifunctional zones are key. We think carefully about how people will move through the space, ensuring the transitions feel intuitive and inviting.
3. Enhancing Visual Interest
A flat garden can feel static, no matter how well-planted. Elevation shifts break up the landscape and draw the eye across different heights, textures, and focal points.We often use:
• Low planter walls and built-in seating
• Raised water features or ponds
• Stepped paving or decking
• Gentle turf mounds and recessed planting pockets
These features create rhythm and flow in the design, adding visual richness while still feeling harmonious
4. Creating Privacy & Shelter
Changes in level can also help manage views—both in and out. A sunken courtyard or spa zone, for example, can offer built-in privacy and wind protection without needing tall walls or screens. Raised garden beds or tree planting on a higher level can also help obscure unwanted sightlines and define boundaries in a softer, more organic way.
5. Designing for Accessibility
While level changes can be beautiful, they must also be functional. At TDL, we take care to ensure that all transitions suit the needs of the household—especially when designing for young children, elderly residents, or anyone with mobility challenges. This might mean:
• Limiting the height and number of steps
• Integrating ramps or gradual grade transitions
• Using slip-resistant materials and safe edge detailing
Design should never compromise safety or ease of use.
6. Material & Structural Considerations
Working with levels introduces new design and construction demands. We ensure that structural elements, like retaining, drainage, and foundation footings, are professionally engineered and integrated. Our team also considers how to best highlight these features with finishes that complement your home, such as:
• Concrete or brick retaining with architectural detailing
• Stone or timber cladding for a natural feel
• Floating steps or cantilevered platforms for a modern touch
Each element is selected to blend beauty with long-term durability.
Let’s Elevate Your Landscape
Designing with levels is one of the most effective ways to add structure, function, and character to your outdoor space. Whether you’re working with a sloped site or just want to add interest to a flat garden, the TDL team can craft a solution that elevates your landscape in every sense of the word.
If you’re planning a renovation or building from scratch, we’d love to help you explore the possibilities of multi-level garden design.
