Timbercraft

Raised Beds & Sleeper Construction

Sleepers are one of the most useful things in a garden, and we use them for a lot more than vegetable beds. Raised planting beds at a height that saves your back, terracing and retaining on a sloped plot, edging to define a lawn or path, and solid built-in steps. Built to last in sustainably sourced timber, set on properly prepared ground so nothing shifts or bows a season later.

Raised planting and vegetable beds
Sleeper retaining and terracing
Path, lawn and driveway edging
Built-in steps and seating
Raised timber deck and walkway built through a mature garden
Timber decked walkway winding through a planted garden
Timber lean-to pergola fixed against a brick wall
Raised timber deck and walkway built through a mature garden

Raised beds, edging and retaining in timber

Raised beds make a garden easier to work and easier to look at. You get better drainage, soil you actually control, and a bed you can reach without kneeling in the wet. Sleepers do the same job at a larger scale, holding back a change in level or squaring off a garden that slopes.

We build raised beds, sleeper edging, steps and low retaining structures across Norwich and the surrounding villages, in sustainably sourced timber, set out and levelled properly on site.

Raised vegetable and planting beds

Built to a height that suits how you want to work: low for planting, or high enough to tend standing up, which makes a real difference if kneeling is a problem. Sized to the space and to a width you can reach across from both sides, because a bed you cannot reach the middle of is a bed that does not get weeded.

Sleeper edging and borders

Sleepers give a border a clean, permanent edge and stop the lawn creeping into the planting. Laid on a prepared, level base and fixed together properly so they stay in line rather than drifting apart over a few seasons.

Steps and level changes

Where a garden changes level, timber steps and low retaining runs are usually a better answer than a wall: quicker to build, cheaper, and much easier on the eye. Built into the bank and drained behind so water is not sitting against the timber.

Retaining and drainage

Anything holding back soil is holding back water too. Retaining structures need to be built to take the load and to let water out from behind, or the pressure will eventually push them out of line. That is the part of the job that decides whether it is still straight in five years.

Where we work

We are based in Brundall, just east of Norwich, and cover the city and the surrounding villages — including Poringland, Brooke, Loddon, Chedgrave and Blofield. If you are not sure whether we reach you, call Nick on 07377 222997 and he will tell you straight away. Every quote is free and comes with no obligation.

Common questions

What timber do you use for raised beds?
Sustainably sourced, pressure-treated timber. Modern timber treatments are designed for exactly this kind of ground contact use. If you want a liner between the timber and the soil for a vegetable bed we can fit one.
Can I grow vegetables in them?
Yes. Raised beds are a very good way to grow vegetables, and the control they give you over the soil is most of the reason people build them. If you would prefer the soil not to be in direct contact with treated timber, we will line the bed.
How high can a sleeper retaining wall be?
Low retaining in timber is straightforward. Once you are holding back a significant height of soil the engineering gets more serious and the drainage behind it matters a great deal. Nick will look at the levels and tell you honestly whether timber is the right answer or whether you need something else.
Do you fill the beds as well?
We build them and can arrange for them to be filled with topsoil and compost if you would like us to. Say so at the quote stage so it can be priced and delivered to arrive with the build.
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