New construction- how to manage slope/grade?
We are building a new home. We just found out that the basement was poured wrong. There is no frost wall along the back wall which means that other than the door, the wall will have to be covered in dirt (roughly 3'). We are very upset. How would you grade the land to make the backyard most usable? Its about 3/4 acre. Right now we have roughed in two doors but we will close one hole, and only put in 1 sliding door.
Comments (16)
Rachel (Zone 7A + wind)
8 years ago
sarahbr2
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoRelated Discussions
New Construction Land Grade Rules And Water Ponding Issues
Comments (2)A project is supposed to meet the grades of the adjacent properties at the property line. If the builder owns the land adjacent to yours and is willing to adjust the grade of that lot along your property line, that is OK. When it comes time for him to develop that, he will have to meet the grade that exists on the property line at that time. Sometimes grading easements are granted (or sold) by a land owner to allow an adjacent landowner some relief for grading across a property line. No one is obligated to grant such an easement. Water is also not supposed to drain off of a site at a greater speed or volume onto another property after development than it did prior to development. This can be hard to prove. This situation illustrates the importance of having a professional site plan that shows grading and drainage prior to construction. People will avoid the expense and trust their eye or that their builder is going to build something that works. It does not mean that the builder is dumb or is a shady character. It is just not that easy to guess. If an engineer or a well trained professional starts out with a good topographic survey, they can calculate all the grading and drainage to accommodate such things as basement windows, walkouts, and about anything else to KNOW the results before the site is developed. Obviously this was not done, or there were changes (such as adding bigger basement windows) after the plans were drawn. You can look at this as an excessive cost, but I think you'd agree that it would have more than paid for itself in this case. Builders build houses. Not many are trained site planners. You can continue with looking to the builder (who has other interests) for solutions, or you could bring in a civil engineer or a landscape architect (only one who is particularly experienced with grading and drainage calculations) to correctly fix the problem. In many cases this can be done with added aesthetic value rather than just taking care of the water issue. It is really not something that can be solved by an internet discussion. The best you can get here is advice on who to contact rather than specific directions on how to fix it. I hope this helps and I hope others read this and understand the importance of a good site plan prior to construction. Hopefully, some others will not let themselves get in this predicament....See MoreMowing hill grades and slopes with my Ride On
Comments (16)"The safest thing to mow with on slopes over 20° is a 4-wheel tractor with 4-wheel braking capability.Always mow up and down a slope that's over 20° if possible.I've been very happy with my Kubota GR2000(pics below).It'll do 30° slopes no problem.Anything steeper,buy a designated slope mower,Ventrac,etc." Yes and no. 4WD driven by an experienced driver: wonderful. 4WD driven by a novice: get ready to die. The problem is a 4WD tractor will drive on slopes at angles you have no business trying to drive on. A 2WD tractor will lose traction much easier especially if you don't have a diff lock....See MoreContact with Construction Manager/Expeditor
Comments (10)I am not insisting on daily updated, there have just been things go wrong this last week and wanted assurance (shingles blowing off during a windstorm and we are expecting 3 days of rain, inspection issues, I ordered the kitchen cabinets and needed details on where they should be put in the house when they arrive) I am not calling him every day saying "SO Mike, what's happening today?" I have honest, legitimate topics. I should note that the first two months of the build we had about ZERO contact with the construction manager, so that is where our concern came into play. So basically a once a week update is all I want and we don't get it unless I make a point to contact him and even then he seems bothered or put out by it. I understand he knows what is happening, however, we are brand new to the process and would just like to be somewhat up to day, after all this is the biggest investment we have ever made. But yeah, I was feeling like a pest this week, and just wanted to confirm it. :) I should also note, we are currently about a month behind schedule (to be expected in winter, I know) but a couple weeks of that is just because contractors haven't been showing up when scheduled to, so that is another small concern) Thanks! This post was edited by kaljr82 on Fri, Jan 25, 13 at 10:45...See More10% grade sloped backyard - ideas?
Comments (5)We still need wider photos. What is the gravel to the left in the last photo? Is it over dirt or is it a French drain? Where is the neighbor’s water coming from? What is below your yard? You have to show not only your yard but also the surrounding yards that influence yours and that yours influences. I also respectfully suggest that “remains soaking wet” on a house where you just closed is a bit of a leap. I have areas of the yard that are currently soaking wet that within a few weeks won’t be, including an old farm pond area that can be mowed by summertime because it is totally dry but is currently quite literally under water with ducks paddling. So I would likely be a bit patient here. Watch how moisture changes across the course of a year or at least a summer. See how the builder’s grading works so that if he left issues, he is responsible, especially with regard to the neighbors’ outflow. Do some research about your area’s regulations about sump pump and roof drain discharge. Does it need to remain on your property? Does front vs. back yard matter? Can it be directly discharged into storm sewers? Different areas have different regulations, and you should research your municipality to find out the rules you need to comply with, not just rely on what the builder did. IME some are ethical and some cut corners. Look at how you want to use the yard and see how that changes once you live there. As a small example, in my yard a fire pit would be a waste of space because the evening mosquitoes are horrendous for most of the part of the year it would be used. So there may be aspects of the yard (neighbors, traffic noise, wildlife, sun direction and heat, etc.) that will alter your current wishes once you have been in the house a few months. IME waiting to make major outdoor changes until you actually know how your family will use this particular space is often helpful in order to spend your outdoor budget in the most effective way. Consider setting up a small seating area and a few large pots of flowers to get you through this summer. I do understand about wanting to get the yard finished (as someone who had to wait 3 years to start yard work due to issues like foundations and roofing needing replacement), but I do think that in this case, patience might be the better choice....See MoreRachel (Zone 7A + wind)
8 years agosarahbr2
8 years agoThanks everyone. We are just as shocked. We had no reason to think our plan wasn't being followed. The basement is a disaster (and sadly can't be fixed). We specified 10' ceilings (so one day when finished, they would be 9'), we found the ceiling is 8'11" (we're told this is because they only had 9' forms, but no one told us that before or during the work, only after when we brought a tape measure in and complained), the small concrete walls were only supposed to be 18" high on our plan (so the windows would be very tall)- we just found out they are 36" (also they were specified as 6" thick and were poured as 10" thick which cost us extra money!). The door was suppose to be roughly centered on the wall, it was put in the corner (we were told this had to do with drainage). The corner where both the doors are roughed in does have a frost wall so that one section is ok, but the plan showed the entire grade for the back wall to be level with the door, which meant a frost wall all along the back and side. We only just realized yesterday that this was not the case. We are so stressed out and frustrated and we have no idea what to do now. The project is construction management so it is tricky. It seems like the project manager might have told the workers to do it this way without first consulting us (and of course we would have said no!)
I do think we need to bring in a landscape architect- sadly this wasn't in the budget so not sure how we will manage it but at this point I am assuming we have no other option. I posted on the landscape forum hoping someone might have just a rough idea on a way to make this yard work but they also said to get a professional (which I figured we would do anyways, but I was hoping there was a chance someone might have some idea that would at least give us some comfort until we talk to a professional).
Ilovered- thanks :) I always second guess the house/floorplan etc. so I am happy to hear you like it (well, at least what the plan was- we'll see how the actual thing turns out). I got a lot of help from gardenweb
lookintomyeyes83- not sure if that foam would work- from the picture the cement is still under dirt. I will try to google it and see if there's a chance. We're in NY so the winters are pretty cold and wet.
Here was the plan showing the frost wall (at least that's what I think the dotted lines are since they specify 3'6"), also the planned grade is on there too
Here is the foundation work
Apparently that large hole was where they put the frost wall (only under the door areas). We are meeting with the manager Sunday but we have no idea how to even approach this with him. He plays dumb when we try to explain things.
houses14
8 years ago
cpartist
8 years ago
ILoveRed