Re-Grading Lawn - Need Advice

[epalmer]

All,

I have been lurking around on the forum since we bought our first house last year. I was blessed to find a house "in town" like she wanted with a 40x30 garage for me to play in. But for now, the garage projects are taking a back seat to some re-grading of the front yard and I am hoping a get a couple opinions before the this weekend when my friend shows up with a Bobcat to help out.

I am struggling with how to approach grading the side part of the yard. We will be removing the sidewalk from up to the steps, but leaving the stone steps for now. We will also be removing the rest of the stone that leads up to the steps.

From there I am a little lost. We don't have the funds for a retaining wall or anything other than grass at this time and I don't want to push water toward the house as you can see the sidewalk was sinking due to drainage problems already.

In short - how would you grade this to limit water problems and make it not look horrible. A link to photos is below:

https://goo.gl/photos/qArTTcaHdua8rh7e8

Thanks in advance!

Eric

 

[LB-1911]

You need a swale - is there a storm drain adjacent those two utility poles at the intersection?

Do you have a plot plan w/ easements and setbacks?

Calling in a locate of utilities prior to moving dirt would be wise.

 

[epalmer]

LB-

Utilities are notified and marked, nothing is in that area of the yard. There is also no stormwater drain. The borough indicated that landscaping/regrading was acceptable in this location.

EP

 

[rvieceli]

Nice property by the way...

Obviously you need some way to direct and divert the water from coming into your yard off the alley. You get the benefit of all the run off from your neighbor and the alley.

I think you have two choices. the first would be some of ditch on you side of the alley that directs the water to the street. If you decide to go that route I'd talk to the city and see if they would help put it in. they likely have the equipment that would make it easy.

the other option would be building up a berm on your side that would once again keep the water out and headed towards the street. If it were me I'd take those rocks you pulled from the bottom and make a row along the top and then back fill against them on the side toward the house. The rock s would help keep the soil from washing out. Do some kind of planting to ancho the soil on the house side and maybe throw some creek rock on the other.

Good luck

 

[jives]

The 3 car garage in the alley is yours? Nice.

There are many options, depending, of course, on money. Creating a swale or curb or berm along the edge of the alley to prevent water rushing down on your property would be good. A swale, as suggested by LB, would be simple in the short term unless it was a paved swale. Alternately, a ditch with perforated drain pipe and filled with gravel would also work at the top of the hill alongside the alley. Hard to tell where you could get the drain pipe to drain to the street, but it you did it right it could dump out onto the sidewalk. Not a good plan, though, if you live in an area that freezes.

You could put the drain pipe/gravel in the ditch you just made by removing the rocks. Again, where to drain to is perhaps a problem, but the photos don't give a good idea of grade.

Whichever way you go, plant stout groundcover to prevent erosion.

The next option would be the easiest. Remove the concrete walk as it seems you are intending. Grade the whole bank and areas where the walk was to flow toward the street and across the front yard. A single sloping grade with grass. Whatever water does not soak in will flow out toward the road. Also, easy to mow.

 

[epalmer]

Thanks everyone - I am going to look over things tonight and make a choice! Thanks again for taking the time to look. Maybe I will get some pics of of the garage as I finish up this project!

EP

 

[sands35]

If you get snow and the alley is plowed, that will change what you do. A concrete lined ditch would probably be best. If you want to do perf pipe and gravel, then make sure the gravel is below the grade of the blacktop.

 

[epalmer]

If I still have a low spot, do you think a drywell could help to disperse the water?

EP