If a grass lawn is as lumpy as the person has described, adding sandy loam is not going to help much. I use horticultural sand as top dressing to help build up the grass layer. But beneath such layer, you will still encounter the hardpack clay which because of it's quality will take a long time to straighten out. Lumps can be caused by stones, building refuse and wood, animal holes, etc. Also, when it rains, these become a muddy, soggy mess. In my own yard, I have a heavy clay area - such that when i walk on it when it;'s wet, I leave shoe prints. It will take a lot more than simply top dressing. If the lady is desperate, then add a good deal of good topsoil, have it leveled properly, and then lay down sod. This way, the grass is instant, the mess is kept to a miminum. Ianna

I wouldn't say it is better for the grass so much as it is much easier to control. It doesn't settle like a clay/loam/sand mix would. It doesn't form a capillary structure like a clay/loam/sand mix would. Roots penetrate easily, but can be pulled out more easily. I would not use sand in a sports area, although I've seen it used in coastal city high school stadiums. Sand is certainly easy to handle when putting it down. inglewoodyard: where did we lose you? Sometimes I ask seemingly unrelated questions trying to see if there might be a bigger picture issue than the original poster realized.

I'm always going to plug finding a local landscape designer, but especially here because we just did a similar project. Every contractor who came in was advocating 8 ft walls and craziness, and we did it with two 30" walls and actually created a stronger transition to get their kid into the wooded area to play. Search for a local pro, there's a button for that above. Even if you DIY it, it'll give you some guidance. To your questions: 1- you'll have a lot more options if you lose the pines, unless you're willing to bring the wall well in front of them. In that case, I don't know how much value you get from the process. 2- it's worth checking with your city or county. There may be specific regs in your area that deal w/ disturbance of soil within XXX feet of a waterway. It may be as simple as you being required to but up silt fence, but cheaper to know in advance. 3- that decision would be site specific (for example, prevailing winds) as well as specific to the type and construction of wall. 4- I've seen plenty of DIY walls. Some are pro quality, some are horrifying, some are in between. Once you control for the variable of relevant experience, it seems to come down to patience, attention to detail, willingness to seek advice, and willingness to see something that went wonky and tear it out and redo. If you've done a brick patio you'll have some of the basic skills for wall building under your belt. You can square up corners, you can level an area, etc. Grading just comes down to only using the biggest tool you can confidently use. I have guys who work for me who can use a bobcat to feather out a nearly perfect finished grade that only needs a bare minimum amount of raking. I'd end up taking out a car-sized chunk of hill, so I need to do it by hand (which is why I'm management). We're in VA so we usethis typical details packet as a starting reference for walls that don't require engineering. Note that if you were to use a segmental retaining wall (as in the interlocking concrete blocks by companies like Techo-Bloc and New Line), most municipalities don't have typical details as in the above. If your wall will require a permit and you use a segmental wall product, you'll need to get an engineer's stamp. You have an interesting project, and I think bringing in a design pro would be hugely helpful. Yard brings up a great point in his comment, that you have a terrific opportunity to create a blend between more structured space and the woods beyond. I'd love to see that developed, for sure.

A couple of notes: - You don’t actually want to plant as densely or as close to the walk as in Doug’s sketch or in three years you will need to do a lot of pruning and in 5 or 8 you will be ripping out plants and starting all over again with many of them. Add large pots or a birdbath or art or annuals while you wait for some of your woody plants to put on size. - Whatever you plant needs to be sized appropriately for it ultimate growth. Plant tags often give plant sizes at an unrealistic 5 years, so be sure to look up on a reputable website such as the Missouri Botanic Garden’s Plantfinder to find the actual expected size. - You have a big overhang that creates a rain shadow that will always be dry without irrigation. Be sure to plan on irrigation for anything within that rain shadow. Regardless, don’t plant anything so close that it will grow to within a foot or so of the house. - Wider steps are great to make a welcoming entry. - Notice in both sketches that the plants in front of the windows are lower with taller plants framing it or placed further down the slope to not block the windows. - Plan to have some of your plants evergreen for a winter presence and some with either colored foliage or flowers for interest. - Sod or hydro seed the lawn at the appropriate time of year for your area which may be now.