Under-the-deck 'landscape' question....


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Old 05-27-08, 10:23 AM
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Under-the-deck 'landscape' question....

I have a small (about 8' by 20') wood deck coming off the side of my house, leading from the back door to the grass. Under the deck is the remnants of the old concrete staircase which led from the ground to the back door, plus a concrete slab that's about 3' by 4'. Until this past weekend all of this was buried under years of old leaves and other lawn detritus but now that's all gone.

Because it's under the deck and gets very little sunlight, it usually stays damp under there and my basement (which is adjacent to this area) had a spot of efflourescence which probably was the result of this dampness. (The land does have a gentle slope away from the house.) So I was thinking about laying down some herbicide, then laying a sheet of heavy plastic over it, then covering it with about 2-3" of gravel (white marble, or maybe river stones).

Is this a feasible plan? Do I need the plastic sheeting? Part of me says it's a good idea since it'll help move rainwater away from the house, but part of me says it's a bad idea since it'll trap moisture underground. Not sure which part is right.
 
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Old 05-27-08, 01:37 PM
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Under-the-deck 'landscape' question....

Covering the ground with heavy poly and rock is a good idea.

Don't worry about trapping moisture under the poly in the ground since there is always a lot there. Just make sure the poly diverts the surface water (rain, snow, etc.) away from the house.
 
 

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