primitive buys house in Iowa

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/11584131

Oh my.

roody (10,038 posts)   Wed Jun 8, 2016, 03:33 PM

I just bought a house in Iowa.
 
My inspector said to change the grade of the yard so that water flows away from the house, not towards it. Does it make sense to put more dirt next to the house and plant grass and clover on it, or should I remove dirt and grass further from the house?

Warpy (87,859 posts)    Wed Jun 8, 2016, 04:17 PM

1. Retaining walls and French drains are your best friends.
 
Anything is better than a cellar full of water and a mildewed house.

A French drain or weeping tile (also blind drain, rubble drain, rock drain, drain tile, perimeter drain, land drain, French ditch, sub-surface drain, sub-soil drain or agricultural drain) is a trench filled with gravel or rock or containing a perforated pipe that redirects surface water and groundwater away from an area. A French drain can have perforated hollow pipes along the bottom to quickly vent water that seeps down through the upper gravel or rock.

French drains are primarily used to prevent ground and surface water from penetrating or damaging building foundations. Alternatively, French drains may be used to distribute water, such as a septic drain field at the outlet of a typical septic tank sewage treatment system. French drains are also used behind retaining walls to relieve ground water pressure.

Okay, thanks.

<<<wondered how French drains differed from Japanese drains or Senegalese drains.

catnhatnh (8,874 posts)    Wed Jun 8, 2016, 10:08 PM

2. Cut and Fill
 
You take fill from the furthest point from the house and transfer it next to the house....done right you have a diagonal that touches the existing level at the midpoint with no need to buy fill or truck away excess...

rusty quoin (3,065 posts)    Thu Jun 9, 2016, 12:22 AM

5. There is actually a lot to the answer.
 
I'll start with downspouts from the gutters. You can buy those accordion extenders which can shoot a lot of water past where the grade brings water back to your foundation.

That thing about bringing dirt to the house..it really is a judgement and code call.

Lots of questions come to mind. Are you doing the work yourself, how severe is the problem, do you need mechanized equipment, do you see signs in crawl space or basement of major problem.

I had a home in Ohio with soil of pure clay, and the foundation on the downside of a hill faced saturated soil freezing in the winter pushing in the foundation block.

I'm betting it's a small issue though, so grade away from the house, dirt close to house...I forget...maybe 5-6 inches from wood or shingles...make a slope to the point the water does not come back...things like that.

LiberalEsto (22,833 posts)    Mon Jun 20, 2016, 05:04 PM

7. Word of caution about those accordion downspout extenders
 
Mosquitoes can breed in them, particularly those nasty Asian tiger mosquitoes that can breed in a half teaspoonful of water. We got rid of ours. 

[thundley4]

I forget...maybe 5-6 inches from wood or shingles.

Oh great. The DUmmie is going to bulldoze dirt all the way to the roof.   

[SVPete]

I'm inferring from having an inspector that "roody" bought an existing house. If so and if its situation is such that grading or French drains are necessary, how much water and mold damage does the house have?

One factor that only got partial mention is applicable codes and Enviro-Laws. The latter could be so arcane as to preclude fixing the problem by making compliance with the regs impossible or very expensive.

[Ralph Wiggum]

Any clue what part of Iowa?

[DUmpsterDiver]

Bare naked DUmmynance on display here.   8 bongs.

[thundley4]

I'm inferring from having an inspector that "roody" bought an existing house. If so and if its situation is such that grading or French drains are necessary, how much water and mold damage does the house have?

One factor that only got partial mention is applicable codes and Enviro-Laws. The latter could be so arcane as to preclude fixing the problem by making compliance with the regs impossible or very expensive.

Who knows, but under Obama's EPA, the basement or crawlspace might be a protected wetlands by now.

[Karin]

I had a home in Ohio with soil of pure clay, and the foundation on the downside of a hill faced saturated soil freezing in the winter pushing in the foundation block.

Sounds like a disaster.  Who would build or buy this situation? 

[fatboy]

Lots of questions come to mind. Are you doing the work yourself, how severe is the problem, do you need mechanized equipment, do you see signs in crawl space or basement of major problem.

Dummy rusty quoin seems to forget that he/she/it is conversing with a fellow dunce that doesn't do the "work" thing.