How To Level A Yard to Prevent Water Damage

How to grade a yard. The earth should slope away from your house by two or three inches every ten feet. A lawn's maximum slope should be twelve inches per four feet. You should prepare to create a low retaining wall or cover the slope with attractive grass if the drop is over 12 inches. Small earthmoving equipment can be rented or purchased for minor grading issues. Yard grading is useful if you have standing water in your yard.

Proper grading may keep water away from your property, preventing floods and other foundation difficulties. In my situation, the slope of the yard towards the house was a worry. I wanted to fix this as soon as possible. We almost buried the basement window! But happily, it's fixable.

We bought a window well and wrapped it in a half-moon form. In spite of the fact that it is currently at ground level, the well works as a retaining wall. And, because it's a half moon, there's still room for sunshine! Yard grading sounds daunting and difficult, but it isn't.

The first step is to walk around your property and assess the slope of your yard. This will help you build a grade line and determine how much grading is required. Also, if you like gadgets, check out this cool laser distance meter. If water is draining toward your house from your yard, put a heavy quantity of earth against your foundation to reverse the grade. If you don't need so much earth, get some topsoil from the hardware store.

Topsoil is commonly sold in 40 lb. bags for under $2.00. "A little puncture in my basement foundation let water out like a faucet. Drylock's Fastplug is a powder. It fills holes when mixed with water.

even with a rapid water inflow. You should always have some on hand if you have water troubles. Mark the highest and lowest spots in your yard using spray paint. Measure the ground at your lowest point all the way up the string to find your slope.

Create window wells for basement windows to allow light in. Never soil your windows. Keep in mind that the ground around your house should be higher than the slope measurement you took before. Draw dirt away from the house from the high points to the low points. After grading your yard and stamping the soil uniformly, you can plant new grass.