Grading/Slope Advice

Dann757 · By: **Dann757** On: Mon Sep 19, 2011 5:54 pm

This ties in directly with my basement waterproofing questions. Done almost everything I can down there.

The pics show the outside of the house and addition. I'm looking into getting "farm soil" from the local stone center. I read up and the slope away from the foundation should be 6" in 10'. I heard it can be more if you want more rainwater to run off faster. All I want to do is build up to the foundation about 6" higher, and slope it out over 10'. Then put the plants back. Hard to say but I think I need at least ten cu. yards. Then I want to roll the soil or tamp it to get the water to run off. This is another cheap try rather than dig up everything down to the footings and install drains... they aint gonna go for a big dig job.

I read up on burying black plastic out from the foundation, to make an underground slope. Don't know if I want to bury any plastic.
Also would like to know about "clay" soil, if that would form a better barrier to runoff rain water. And wondering at this time of year if it's too late to put in fast sprouting contractor's grass.
I don't want to build up a slope and just have all the rainwater soak through it all and get into the basement anyway.

There is some really good reading here: http://www.builderswebsource.com/techbr ... ainage.htm

Thanks for any design thoughts.

theo · By: **theo** On: Mon Sep 19, 2011 6:13 pm

Hello Dann, There are many things to consider here, do you get water in the basement only after heavy rains, or a light rain? Is it always wet in there? It looks like the pictures show you have rainspout going around that area, is the rainwater running toward the house from the yard? The first thing i would try is to get some hardpan ( Clay soil like you mentioned ) and build up the basement wall and slope it towards the yard, i'd do the area that looks like from the picture's that has mulch on it. We also use black plastic on some occasions

Dann757 · By: **Dann757** On: Tue Sep 20, 2011 9:43 am

Thanks Theo,

Basement is usually dry. People that put up addition did nothing about drainage, don't know why the inspector neglected it. Landlords aren't too concerned with anything until it's an emergency. A landscaper built up the area between the house and garage with topsiol that might as well have been hardpan. The rain runoff used to make its way between the buildings to lower ground. Gonna keep picking away at it.

theo · By: **theo** On: Tue Sep 20, 2011 10:15 am

Try as you said at first, build it up to slope away from the basement wall, that would be the cheapest and first thing to try first.

Dann757 · By: **Dann757** On: Tue Sep 20, 2011 11:23 am

10 tons of farm soil coming on Thursday. I looked at it, the guy says it has lots of clay in it, local soil. Should be closer to hardpan. I'm going to have to get the topsoil off the areas and then put it back. Not happy about this rainy weather except it might help the plants I ripped out survive a few more days....

theo · By: **theo** On: Thu Sep 22, 2011 1:11 pm

Hey Dan, How you making out?

titleist1 · By: **titleist1** On: Thu Sep 22, 2011 1:48 pm

Dan, hope I'm not too late, but make sure you don't get the soil too high against the block at the house. You need clearance between the soil and the sheathing that is behind the siding (unless of course there is only concrete block behind the siding). I didn't look up what the clearance should be but I am thinking at least 8".

Dann757 · By: **Dann757** On: Thu Sep 22, 2011 7:26 pm

Thanks Titleist and Theo,

I am concerned with the splash clearance. Should be OK with the soffits above. I put down about 7 tons today out of that 10 ton pile. Not bad for an old man. Tried like heck to slope it away from the house. I have a roller you fill with water, poor man's compactor. Heavy rain expected tomorrow, no chance to mulch it. I got the stupid plants put back anyway. I am beat. Checked the gutters all around, the screened ones were OK; the open ones were set for disaster, gutters completely clear along the whole length except for a few leaves stopping up the downspouts! :mad:

Woodchucks had gotten in under the porch and under the footers to the basement. I kicked one out of the basement before Irene. I have seen basements take on water because of woodchuck burrows in the past! Too many chipmunks around too. It's not my place, and my stupid landlady has to put out corn for her rodent army. :cry:

I have to rent a ditch bitch next and put in a decent french drain. The one I rented last time got jammed with the gravel every minute.

After that, they can get get a damn landscape architect and a bulldozer operator.

I hope I don't watch it all wash away. :shock:

theo · By: **theo** On: Fri Sep 23, 2011 9:59 pm

Hello Dan,, How you be brother? That was one hell of a pile! Were not getting any younger. You probaly wont have to wait long for a rain to see if that helps out any.

mooseman100 · By: **mooseman100** On: Fri Sep 23, 2011 10:21 pm

sorry I missed this from the start. I do this work for customers all the time. I would bring soil up to about 2-3" from bottom of siding. The siding most likely is about 1-2" below your wood sill plate ontop of the block. Putting a waterproofing on the block prior to adding the soil will help. No need to remove topsoil first. Slope away, no need to tamp either. should solve most of the problems.

Dann757 · By: **Dann757** On: Sun Sep 25, 2011 3:00 pm

Mooseman, I really needed to hear that!

I've been wondering about how rainwater might run off a new slope. Just got 99% done today. With the recent rain again, I saw no water in the basement. I got a serious slope off the foundation now. Hard to see the grading in the pics, but there were definitely issues that had never been addressed.

Now I took the cap off the GMC and have to get some QP for the driveway next week to bring it up a little. Also have to get a couple loads of mulch. Then I'll get a french drain put in as best as I can with a ditch witch; and get a couple loads of gravel.

Thanks everybody that took an interest in this project.

freetown fred · By: **freetown fred** On: Sun Sep 25, 2011 10:35 pm

Looking good my young friend.

That french drain should be the cherry on the top of this sundae

Dann757 · By: **Dann757** On: Mon Sep 26, 2011 5:49 pm

freetown fred wrote:That french drain should be the cherry on the top of this sundae

Thank ye. A sweat sundae. :lol:

As is your fine project up your way!

When we put in the 4" pvc sewer drain here, the guy hit a boulder the size of a school bus. Had to jackhammer it for a while to get the pipe pitch just right., lucky it was trap rock and easy to bust up. This is some rocky soil around here.

theo · By: **theo** On: Tue Oct 04, 2011 9:35 am

How's it working out dan?

Dann757 · By: **Dann757** On: Tue Oct 04, 2011 9:50 am

Hey Theo,
Thanks for askin. I put 10 tons of dirt around the perimiter, a ton of QP at the driveway. Driveway needs like two passes from a bulldozer and everything could run off to lower ground. Put the plants back and seeded. The damn seed washed out and the damn deer ate it. I threw that spackle bucket at a deer yesterday. So much rain lately, but it's getting colder every night, don't know what to do about seeding. Could be a mud bath. I put a lot of root mulch around, like 2 cu./yards. I need more QP, want to put in the french drain, but the truck is due for inspection and I have to get a few things straightened out on it, I refuse to get ripped off by any exhaust shop

Annnnnnd; I still have to find time to try and put the little plow I got on my old Sears tractor....

Grading/Slope Advice

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