Dirt washed away from house (Howe: landscaping, inspector, best)

[accent2010]

Dirt washed away from house. If I put more dirt there to protect foundation, will it be washed away again? Because it's in a shade, I don't think sod will grow there. What else can I do to prevent it getting worse? Many thanks in advance!

[Cd225]

From what I see in the photo, the dirt isn’t washed away. All I see is a line caused by rain off the roof. If I’m right, the best solution is probably a gutter, so the rain doesn’t make that line or splash on the brick.

[escanlan]

Originally Posted by accent2010

Dirt washed away from house. If I put more dirt there to protect foundation, will it be washed away again? Because it's in a shade, I don't think sod will grow there. What else can I do to prevent it getting worse? Many thanks in advance!

As Cd225 stated I too would expect you have no gutters along that roof eave. However you do appear to have other issues. Unless that picture is distorted it appears you have a poor grade with soils actually sloping down and to the foundation instead of down and away from the foundation. I would recommend gutters to help prevent erosion and speaking with a professional landscaper to see what might be possible with the grading issue and what ground cover/plants would best suit your conditions there.


Did you have the home inspected when you bought it? Was grading mentioned as an issue?

[accent2010]

Originally Posted by escanlan

As Cd225 stated I too would expect you have no gutters along that roof eave. However you do appear to have other issues. Unless that picture is distorted it appears you have a poor grade with soils actually sloping down and to the foundation instead of down and away from the foundation. I would recommend gutters to help prevent erosion and speaking with a professional landscaper to see what might be possible with the grading issue and what ground cover/plants would best suit your conditions there.


Did you have the home inspected when you bought it? Was grading mentioned as an issue?

Yes, you are right, the inspector did mention the grading issue. Thank you!

[tcualum]

Gutters are very important in this area because of how bad the storms can get. Grading and landscaping is important but not enough. You need both. I recommend the gutters first.