Just regular soil to build up slope against house?


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Old 08-24-22, 05:36 AM
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Just regular soil to build up slope against house?

Hi all. I am grading the side of our house, and I am going to install a French drain.

I was wondering if I need to consider any specific type of fill to use to build up the slope against the side of the house.

The base is clay so I am going to be using that, but I may need to add to it to get 2” of slope over a 6ft run.
 
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Old 08-24-22, 06:22 AM
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Depends one what you're planning to do with the area. I built up the slope around my house using sand when I landscaped because there was plastic going over the area and nothing was going to be grown in it so it provided the best drainage in case any water got through the plastic.
 
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Old 08-24-22, 06:32 AM
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Not installing plastic, to be honest I didn’t know that was a thing. I was planning on just laying some loose stone on top to absorb the impact of the falling water, with soil below to encourage the water towards the drain trench.

Wasn’t planning on growing anything. Maybe hostas if they take. The priority is drainage, though.
 
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Old 08-24-22, 07:13 AM
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Years back I just put in regular topsoil to slope away from the house. I have grass growing in the that area.
 
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Old 08-24-22, 07:46 AM
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Your probably only going to have a choice among three types but only topsoil is going to work at the top layer and with such a thin (2") application.
 
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Old 08-24-22, 09:04 AM
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with soil below to encourage the water towards the drain trench.
So this may be technical but does it make sense?

I'm thinking it's not really the soil below that will be directing the water toward the drain as much as the slope/grade.

Also, 2" over 6' is only about 3/8" per foot, I think the recommendation is more like 1-2" per foot!
 
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Old 08-24-22, 09:30 AM
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You are correct, the slope will be what guides the water but I am concerned that putting soil on top of clay will undo the benefits of a slope - the clay is so dense. I guess I just need to make sure there is a clay slope beneath whatever more porous material I use.

as for the rise / run you gave - that is much more extreme than what I have read.

edit - this meant to quote marq1
 

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Old 08-24-22, 10:41 AM
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If one is good, two is better.


 
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Old 08-24-22, 05:14 PM
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"was planning on just laying some loose stone on top to absorb the impact of the falling water, with soil below to encourage the water towards the drain trench"

This doesn't work - eventually the stone sinks into the dirt and you're left with dirt on top. Weed barrier or plastic to keep the stone and dirt separated is a good idea.
 
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Old 08-24-22, 07:00 PM
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@stickshift - that's a good point. I was thinking about using landscape cloth also, but the more I think about it, the more I like your plastic idea.

I can't seem to find anything on Home Depot's website, do you have an example of this product? Is a special plastic, or just a generic thick plastic sheet?
 
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Old 08-25-22, 05:15 AM
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You can use almost any type plastic. I prefer landscape fabric as it will allow moisture in the soil below to evaporate and breathe.
 
 

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