Yard grading involves contouring the soil on your property to direct water toward a specific direction. Homeowners use this process to carry water away from their homes, which can play a key role in safeguarding the foundation.
But how does yard grading affect your home’s foundation exactly, and what can happen if your landscaping is improperly graded? Here’s everything you need to know to use land grading to protect your foundation.
What Proper Grading Does to Help Protect Your Foundation
Proper grading protects your house’s foundation walls by directing rainwater away from the house. This can prevent water from pooling around your foundation.
Good yard grading also makes basement flooding less likely. Since excess water runs off the slope and away from the house, it won’t pour into the basement through a gap or leak.
How does yard grading affect your home’s foundation in the long term? Proper grading helps stop land erosion from becoming a problem. This is a desirable effect since an exposed foundation wall erodes at a faster rate. By maintaining adequate soil grading, you can extend the lifetime of your foundation.
5 Signs You May Have Improper Landscape Grading
Soil erosion is a long and gradual process, so you might not notice it right away. Even before there’s significant foundation exposure, though, watching for these five signs can tell you when it’s time to shore up your yard grading:
1. Pooling Water
Once the grading around your house starts to erode, you can lose the intended runoff effect. That means water will flow toward your home rather than away. As more water flows in this direction, the soil can erode at a faster rate.
Before long, you may find pooling water around your home. This type of soil flooding will worsen over time. Even after weeks without new rainfall, the soil might still retain water. You can identify this problem when the soil feels damp and soft.
2. Mosquito Presence
On its own, standing water poses a problem for your foundation. It can erode concrete and mortar, leading to foundation instability. Long before the erosion becomes noticeable, though, the pooling water around your house can also attract unwanted guests.
Still or stagnant water attracts mosquitoes. These pests will linger around the water, and the female mosquito lays her eggs on the water’s surface. Once those eggs hatch, the larvae feed on microbes in the water. A larger presence of mosquitoes suggests soil erosion and flooding in unwanted areas.
3. Basement Moisture
Even if you don’t see flooding around the outside of your house, you might have a problem. Poor yard grading makes it possible for the soil close to your home to absorb more water. As the soil becomes overly saturated, that moisture can seep into your basement.
Look for signs of a basement moisture problem. Damp walls and pooling water are the most obvious, but you can also watch for efflorescence. This is the chalky, white residue that evaporated water leaves behind. A moldy odor might also indicate moisture in your basement.
4. Dying Landscaping
Many homeowners plant flowers, shrubbery, and a variety of outdoor plants around the perimeter of their homes. In addition to boosting curb appeal, this type of landscaping can help you effectively monitor the soil grading on your property.
When you notice that more of the stems or roots are showing, you’ll know there’s soil erosion.
In addition, the heavy soil saturation that results from eroded grading will harm your landscaping. If your plants or flowers seem wilted or lose their foliage, check for excess moisture. Restoring the yard grading will usually save your plants if you catch the problem in time.
5. Cracked Foundation Walls
The type of soil on your property can affect the rate at which your yard grading erodes. That’s because thicker or heavier soil will absorb water at a slower rate than loose and thin soil. Any type of soil will absorb water, and that eventually leads to more moisture seeping into your basement.
How does yard grading affect your home’s foundation after heavy rainfall? As the soil absorbs more water, it will expand and push against your foundation. This hydrostatic pressure causes cracks to develop in your foundation.
Since proper grading runs water away from the house, you can face a smaller risk of hydrostatic pressure with proper yard grading.
The Impact of Poor Grading on Your Foundation
The benefits of correct grading for both your home and landscaping are wide-ranging. But how does yard grading affect your home’s foundation when it’s done improperly or has degraded over time?
Eroded or low grading lets water pool closer to your foundation. In a short time, the water leads to soil erosion. You’ll eventually see large puddles of water around your foundation. The water might gain access to your basement through window gaps or other access points.
Poor grading also erodes concrete and mortar, causing significant foundation damage. At the same time, hydrostatic pressure directly damages foundation walls. If your home has a slab foundation, heavy soil moisture can cause heaving or sinking.
No matter which type of foundation supports your home, you may need concrete leveling, crack repairs, or other types of foundation repair.
Correcting Problems With Your Yard Grading
In many cases, a small DIY project can help you resolve a yard grading problem. Try these tips to help you restore proper grading and prevent many issues that result from soil erosion and insufficient grading.
Use Stakes and a String as Your Guide
It can be easier to track your progress and measure your grading with a method involving stakes and a string. Post one stake near your foundation. Push a second stake into the soil at the bottom of the slope about 10’ apart.
By tying one end of a string to each stake, you can adjust the pitch of the slope. This will also make it easier to estimate the amount of soil you’ll need to add.
Avoid Sandy or Soft Soil
When buying soil for the project, avoid using sand or soft soil. While you want soil that you can pack or tamp easily, soil that’s loose or thin will absorb moisture at a faster rate. Use a mixture of clay and thick soil to promote better runoff.
Create a Gradual or Moderate Slope
Avoid building a steep slope since a sharper pitch promotes erosion. Instead, form a gradual slope that will lead to a more moderate rate of runoff.
Use Crushed Rocks for Drainage
You can enhance drainage and give your curb appeal a boost by adding crushed rocks on top of the grading. This creates a more attractive look around your home. In addition, rainwater will slowly seep through the gaps in the rocks, letting the soil absorb some moisture without becoming saturated.
Know When to Hire the Pros
This isn’t always a DIY project. While you can add a moderate pitch or enhance the grading in a small area, a larger project requires special expertise and equipment. For example, you might need excessive amounts of soil to add grading on all sides of your home.
If the project feels too large, don’t be afraid to call a foundation expert.
FAQs
While working on yard grading isn’t complicated, you’ll want to make sure you handle the job equipped with the right knowledge. A few answers to common questions can help.
Turn to the Pros at Crossroads Foundation Repair to Resolve Problems With Your Home’s Foundation
So, how does yard grading affect your home’s foundation? From damaged walls to eroded soil, poor grading can cause a number of issues that require significant time and expense to repair. Prevention with proper grading is key.
Crossroads Foundation Repair offers the solutions you need to protect and repair your home’s foundation. Whether you need waterproofing, basement wall repair, or concrete leveling, our services can help you safeguard your home for the long term.
Request your free evaluation today!
