Erosion / rain runoff control

[Siccished]

I just purchased a house and I'm dealing with solving some erosion control issues that the previous owner didnt fix entirely. Both the house and garage are on a hillside, so i'm looking for suggestions on how to setup drainage.


Garage: I will post pics tommorrow
House: The front yard appears to have plastic sheeting covering what looks to be soil and then sand on top of the sheeting. I did not notice any drainage that would send water runoff out of this area and i'm not sure if the sheeting covers the entire dirt area. I would like to lay down some sod grass or some type of landscaping, but i want to minimize any erosion even if there is a retaining wall holding it all up.

Suggestions?

 

[Rui Duarte]

Plants often to a good job on securing grounds!

 

[Stepper]

I have a similarly sloped backyard at my house. I just spent all spring and summer fighting it and the rain. I ended up planting sod in the most severely sloped areas because I could get grass to grow quickly enough between rainfalls, the rain would wash away the seedlings. In the not as severely sloped areas, I was able to plant seed and then lay over top of it a hay/straw blanket I bought at lowes. It's a wire mess, much like fishing line with the hay impregnated into it. It worked great holding the seeds in place to germinate. It's kind of pricey though....about 25.00 for a 4x 25 foot roll.

 

[Gary S]

I agree. Grass is best to handle a spot like this. My yard is sloped too, and as much as I hate mowing grass, it seems to be the best way to keep the soil in place.

 

[sands35]

Yes you need some ground cover.

Where do you live?

Your ground looks like heavy clay content. So it won't absorb much if any water. It is likely that you will need to put down some topsoil. Having done this 3-4 times, the biggest issue is doing a soil test to get the soil PH right for grass to grow. 3 of the 4 houses I've lived in required either lime or sulfur to get the soil PH right.

What would also help is an organized way to manage house and ground runoff.

French drains around the porch to catch fall from the roof. (Grass won't do well along the drip line. Gravel cover will prevent splash back onto the house and patio - which is why some houses look like they have a dirty ring around the bottom ~1 foot.)
Underground discharges for the gutters down slope.
French drains against the red fence / wall.
French drains against the retaining wall on the street.

Priority on dealing with the roof run-off.

Stay away from the black corrugated stuff. Sooner or later it will clog and the only way to unclog it is to rip it out. Use the PVC pipe. Costs more, but you can run a snake through it to unclog it.

They can be integrated with landcaping. i.e., gravel perimeters with edging so it looks like it "belongs". A gravel ring around the perimeter will also reduce the amount of grass cover and make it easier to mow.

If you are in an area where you get freezing condition, not dealing with runoff to the retaining walls can cause it to heave.

You may need to check with your local inspector's office. In some areas, dumping runoff into a street easement is a no-no. In that case, you need a dry-well. i.e., a big hole filled with gravel.

Gutters and ground water need to be dealt with separately.

 

[JMURiz]

Plants often to a good job on securing grounds!

+1, plants seem to work the best. I know my parents' old house never had issues with runoff/erosion until their neighbors to the back cleared the wooded area in their yard to 'clean it up'.

 

[CNGsaves]

Looks like prior owner did NOT want anything growing as that's why the heavy plastic covered with sand.

Your LOCATION is critical for any GJer to give any advice on landscaping. Trying to grow lush green grass in Bullhead City, AZ will be much different than Madison, WI.

Please Update GJ Profile with Country / State / City.

 

[Siccished]

Thanks for the suggestions guys.
The house is in the San Francisco bay area so no freezing temps here.


It seems the most common drainage setup is to dig a small trench parallel or alongside the existing retaining wall and fill with both gravel and a drainage pipe. My immediate thought is to put in rooting plants, dig the trench and lay out a thick plastic erosion control sheet, lay topsoil and then grass. I'll draw a diagram shortly


The house also has a few gutters which are plumbed to mystereydrain pipes below concrete walkways. I wish I had a video to figure out where these pipes connect to so I can't see where they lead.

 

[sands35]

Put a hose down the downspouts and see if you can see or hear where it goes.

 

[shannonw]

you need ground cover!

put some landscape cloth and rocks, gravel. I wouldn't go digging until i got ground cover....

 

[Lippyp]

Terrace it with some big rocks and backfill with decent soil for planting, sort any drainage issues from the house as above.

 

[PhantomEB]

Maybe rain barrels to capture whatever water you can get to control the water runoff?

 

[Trey T]

The obvious answer is to have grass there. You need to redo the soil with 6" of topsoil. If that plastic sheathing is non-porous, then you need to remove it so that water can drain into the earth.

Sometime vegetation establishment is not enough and dranaige system must be built to accommodate high volume flow. The first simple drainage system is gutter for collecting runoff from roof. Collect and divert and rain water from the roof directly to the street (storm drain).

 

[kbs2244]

I am confused.
You have a dirt level above the top of those boards below the railing?
What is behind those boards?