How to Grade Your Yard Away From Your Home's Foundation
Basement leaks are often caused by improper grading around the house that allows water to pool around the foundation. Correcting this problem may lessen or even eliminate the flooding.
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Instructions
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Assess the severity of the problem. Are there a few easily filled depressions, or does the area around the house require major regrading?
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Order a delivery of fill dirt (unless you have some available on your property) and fill in the small depressions if these are your only problems. You can probably find your fill at a local construction site or at a local nursery or landscaping supply house. Allow the dirt to settle, and check back in a few days (after a rain). If the area is still depressed, add more fill.
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Consult with an excavation contractor or a landscaper with grading experience if your yard requires more extensive work. The job may require the operation of heavy equipment or the installation of foundation drains and other projects beyond the ability of most home owners.
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Discuss options with the contractor. Make sure you discuss the impact of the work on your property, such as tree removal or damage to shrubs and other landscaping. Be aware that this kind of work will probably cause considerable damage; allow room in your budget for seeding, sod and plantings.
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Execute a contract with the contractor.
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Tips & Warnings
A poorly graded yard may be only one cause of a flooding basement. Consider consulting with a waterproofing contractor to assess any other problem areas before proceeding with any extensive regrading.
It's inadvisable for anyone inexperienced in operating heavy equipment to attempt to grade around a foundation with a rented bulldozer. You can seriously damage your foundation by using improper techniques.
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Comments
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Just bought a house built on a slab. It has been raining for 3 days and as I was removing carpet I noticed that there was water in 3 of my heating vents along my backyard wall. the ground is badly graded and I was wondering if grading the water away would do the trick or should I call someone?
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reelly
Mar 12, 2010
checked: Grade should be greater than 5% -
reelly
Mar 12, 2010
this is a pathetic how to. Granted there are many factors that can be at play. sprinkling fill dirt on top of organic material isn't going to change the way that the water travels. If you want to change the grade you need to remove the top few inches of material and then re-grade and prepare the soil for whatever ground cover your using. This will probably require light compaction. If you can get away with just removing material that could be a good option. If your foundation is in a position where it isn't possible to build up or remove soil to establish a reasonable grade (like 2% or more over about four feet) you will need to look into other drainage options that utilize a channel to control water.
