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My wife and I recently bought a house in the middle of town. We've noticed that heavy rains result in a few large puddles in low spots in our yard. After scoping it out, I decided that bringing in some dirt and soil is the best way to fix the problem.
However, upon closer analysis tonight, I found some gravel out there. I started digging more and soon came across 6-10 inches of gravel just underneath the topsoil in the low spots! This gravel section is about 20'X20'.
What would be the best course of action? Should I dump 5 inches of dirt on top of the gravel and re-seed? Or is it best to rent a skidsteer and take out all the gravel? I really want a nice looking lawn, but this recent gravel discovery has got me wondering where to go from here.
I'd be less worried about "a nice lawn" than WHY there is ten inches of gravel covering 400 sq ft of your lawn -- Septic tank? Oil tank? Site was a gas station? Previous parking pad? Former garage foundation?
Find out what was there before from neighbors , the town, specialized firms that do underground tank removal, etc. If there was a fuel tank you might have an EPA type nightmare to deal with...
I'd be less worried about "a nice lawn" than WHY there is ten inches of gravel covering 400 sq ft of your lawn -- Septic tank? Oil tank? Site was a gas station? Previous parking pad? Former garage foundation?
Find out what was there before from neighbors , the town, specialized firms that do underground tank removal, etc. If there was a fuel tank you might have an EPA type nightmare to deal with...[/quote]
If I found myself in this situation, I would keep my mouth shut and just deal with it myself. Fill it with sand and cover it up.
My first thought was septic as well. What kind of waste removal system do you have in your home? If you have sewer is there a chance that at some point in time the house was septic and they did not remove the leech field after they hooked up to the sewer?
Another thought I had is this is it possible that this spot has always had drainage issues and at some point a previous owner installed the gravel to help with drainage?
Also is this actual gravel or is it bits of broken up concrete and rocks? Could be possible that either during the construction of the home or some time during it's history a builder back filled the area with old construction debris?
I'd be less worried about "a nice lawn" than WHY there is ten inches of gravel covering 400 sq ft of your lawn -- Septic tank? Oil tank? Site was a gas station? Previous parking pad? Former garage foundation?
Find out what was there before from neighbors , the town, specialized firms that do underground tank removal, etc. If there was a fuel tank you might have an EPA type nightmare to deal with...
This what I was thinking. Sounds like something was dug up.
I'd definitely leave the gravel there! That gravel is there for a reason. Since it's puddling, I suspect there is a water problem in your yard, especially since the gravel is located in the low spots. Why do I think that? With that much gravel, the water should be draining. Since it's not draining, you'll have bigger problems if you remove the gravel. If anything, it sounds like you might need to grade this area for better drainage or dig a trench to add some french drain pipes to move the water off your property better.
Or you could plant a weeping willow tree. That's what I would do. I'd bring in top soil to put over the gravel and regrade the area. Then I'd plant a weeping willow tree right in the middle of it all. Weeping willows suck up a lot of water and help curb soil errosion.
It may be that your house simply had a swampy front lawn. There are two ways to deal with that. Re-grade to make the water run elsewhere (not always possible); or put in a blanket of gravel topped by sand then dirt. The water will drain into the gravel bed and the lawn will grow on top of the gravel and you will not have a swamp. I am considering doing that in the back yard. The entire island where we live is made of thick heavy clay and when it gets wet, tires, feet, paws and hooves sink out of site.
Another possibility is that they wanted to put something heavy on the lawn like parked cars, or they wanted to be able to drive on it. You can use turf-block for this, or you can put in a thick blanket of gravel. I am considering doing that for a driveway in our front yard. Cut the crive, fill it with a couple of feet of gravel topped by 6-8 inches of soil. Viola, a hidden driveway that you can park or drive on, but still play Frisbee of football in the front yard, and still have a nice looking lawn instead of an ugly driveway. I am not sure what this will cost however.
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