Grading a yard

Peen

I give my yard a C+ at best right now (ha, try to make the jokes now you jerks) mainly because it's bumpy and weird and there are spots where water runs towards the house as opposed to away. I would like to grade those spots to raise the level of the ground and make water flow elsewhere. I know basically how to do that but not where to get the dirt to do it; is there a better option than going to the dirt store? Moving what I already have isn't really an option, the water table's pretty high where I am and I don't have that much space to work with.

Xaquin

I'd check out a place that sells aggregate. They might not sell fill dirt, but they'll know where to get it on the cheap.

Al_wat

some kind of landscaping supply place would be my bet.

When I worked in landscaping, my boss would get this place to deliver soil/aggregate/limestone screenings/whatever supplies we needed, by the truckload.

arntstopsoil.com/

I mean, you are probably thousands of miles away from this place, but some business like that should be able to accommodate you.

davidsdurions

Double check if you have neighbors that might have a pile of dirt from a recent landscaping project. Sometimes people just keep piles of dirt for no reason other than they don't know how or where to take it.

Jasconius

you can go to a home depot-like store and buy entire palletes of dirt

its relatively cheap, like 2 dollars a bag or something, but all I can say is you'll generally need more than you think

just dont buy flower bed stuff, because that's more expensive and obviously not beneficial if you're just filling up

after you're done, pat it down super hard so it doesn't immediately erode

BlazeFire

Jasconius wrote: »

you can go to a home depot-like store and buy entire palletes of dirt

its relatively cheap, like 2 dollars a bag or something, but all I can say is you'll generally need more than you think

just dont buy flower bed stuff, because that's more expensive and obviously not beneficial if you're just filling up

after you're done, pat it down super hard so it doesn't immediately erode

I would expect a landscaping place would be even cheaper. Delivery (if you do not have a pickup trick) will cost though. Unless you're buying a lot of dirt.

zepherin

Peen wrote: »

I give my yard a C+ at best right now (ha, try to make the jokes now you jerks) mainly because it's bumpy and weird and there are spots where water runs towards the house as opposed to away. I would like to grade those spots to raise the level of the ground and make water flow elsewhere. I know basically how to do that but not where to get the dirt to do it; is there a better option than going to the dirt store? Moving what I already have isn't really an option, the water table's pretty high where I am and I don't have that much space to work with.

This is a pretty big undertaking for a DIY project, do you have the tools to do this effectively?

Peen

Hell no, I have basically 0 tools or experience beyond a shovel and a bucket full of piss and vinegar. The latter might be a figure of speech but I figured it was best to be prepared.

I mean the level of the soil in question doesn't need to come up that much, just two or three inches at most and then gradually sloping down. I figured I'd need more than it seems like I would and we thought that we'd rent a truck and get a few more shovels, but if it turns out to be a terrible idea then we might table the whole thing until we can bring in a pro.

Enc

Grading a year is 100% something you will need city/county permitting for (as how you grade your yard can cause flooding in adjoining properties). That should be your first step. Depending on wher eyou live you might have to go with a contractor with a specific license or bond to do the job.

BlazeFire

It isn't just about piling the dirt and sloping. I don't know much about it but you may want to at least consult a professional and see what they say.

Djeet

If you're trying to divert water away from your foundation I think you'll probably want to talk to a few people in foundation repair. When I was trying to address this I was recommended to put something like a french drain around the front and right side of the house to divert water around and into the back yard, as my yard was graded such that the front left was high, the back right was low so the water wanted to go back ("through" my house) which caused erosion along the front and right side of the foundation.

Al_wat

zepherin wrote: »

Peen wrote: »

I give my yard a C+ at best right now (ha, try to make the jokes now you jerks) mainly because it's bumpy and weird and there are spots where water runs towards the house as opposed to away. I would like to grade those spots to raise the level of the ground and make water flow elsewhere. I know basically how to do that but not where to get the dirt to do it; is there a better option than going to the dirt store? Moving what I already have isn't really an option, the water table's pretty high where I am and I don't have that much space to work with.

This is a pretty big undertaking for a DIY project, do you have the tools to do this effectively?

wouldn't you just need a rake, shovel and a wheelbarrow

maybe rent some kind of tamper (although, this may not really be necessary)

Al_wat

BlazeFire wrote: »

It isn't just about piling the dirt and sloping. I don't know much about it but you may want to at least consult a professional and see what they say.

it seems like it is that simple.

Getting professional advice isn't a bad idea really. Obviously it will cost some money. And they will most likely want to do the work themselves rather than just give you advice.

You should watch some youtubes of professionals doing it.

edit:

here is an example of a solution that isn't just doing grading. So consider adapting ideas like this.

https://youtu.be/7wlslzFTQP0

Kilgore Trout

Enc wrote: »

Grading a year is 100% something you will need city/county permitting for (as how you grade your yard can cause flooding in adjoining properties). That should be your first step. Depending on wher eyou live you might have to go with a contractor with a specific license or bond to do the job.

Definitely. You might not be allowed to regrade if your property is part of a drainage system. If you go ahead without municipal permits, you are opening yourself up to the possibility of fines from the city/county and possibly even legal responsibility if the regrading results in a neighbours property flooding. Check with the city first or hire a contractor to handle it for you, but don't just plow forward with dumping a bunch of aggregate in your yard.

zepherin

Al_wat wrote: »

zepherin wrote: »

Peen wrote: »

I give my yard a C+ at best right now (ha, try to make the jokes now you jerks) mainly because it's bumpy and weird and there are spots where water runs towards the house as opposed to away. I would like to grade those spots to raise the level of the ground and make water flow elsewhere. I know basically how to do that but not where to get the dirt to do it; is there a better option than going to the dirt store? Moving what I already have isn't really an option, the water table's pretty high where I am and I don't have that much space to work with.

This is a pretty big undertaking for a DIY project, do you have the tools to do this effectively?

wouldn't you just need a rake, shovel and a wheelbarrow

maybe rent some kind of tamper (although, this may not really be necessary)

So the soil around your house will be compressed, and code requires 4" of gap between your siding and ground or the top of your exposed foundation and ground, also you need to be careful back filling against your foundation. With that in mind just throwing around top soil without compressing it properly won't do anything and compressing it improperly can crack your foundation which is exactly opposite of what you are trying to do. You may want to trench and throw in a French drain. That is an easier DIY project, and will divert water away from your house.

hsu

I went with the EZ drain, a "prepackaged" french drain, available at Home Depot, to deal with a corner drainage issue in my backyard.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j1Kr_oUqdRw

Peen

I realize through another conversation that I should have been more specific about what exactly it is I'm doing; I'm not regrading the entire yard, I just need to redo some spots around the house itself. There's water running towards the house around my basement stairwell and I need to shore up the ground around my front porch. If I were regrading the whole thing I'd definitely not be trying to do it myself.

Thanks all for your help, we're going to keep poking at it.

Enc

Even that minor, you may still need a permit or you could face severe fines and even liens on your property. Better to check than write a check.

Liiya

You could dig a swale and line it with the appropriate planting to absorb water (but survive dry conditions also) around the house where the water runs to.

Xaquin

Liiya wrote: »

You could dig a swale and line it with the appropriate planting to absorb water (but survive dry conditions also) around the house where the water runs to.

It'll be rain gardens and berms as far as the eyes can see!

MichaelLC

Xaquin wrote: »

Liiya wrote: »

You could dig a swale and line it with the appropriate planting to absorb water (but survive dry conditions also) around the house where the water runs to.

It'll be rain gardens and berms as far as the eyes can see!

Needs a ha-ha as well.