Grading to divert water from house
Hi everyone,
I am closing on this property next week, I noted the inspection report stated that it needs grading, please see screenshot below. Has anyone done grading and if so, does this look like a difficult job? I noted that there are pavements there, looks like I may need to remove the pavements before grading? Any advice is appreciated, thank you!
Hey @Trace P., congrats on the closing! I'm not a contractor by any means but I've been through multiple jobs like this. By the looks of the pictures, it might be a good time to upgrade that walkway and get the grading done properly while you're at it. The most expensive part will be the concrete. I'd reach out to some local contractors that do landscaping and concrete work so you can get it all done in one job.
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#3 All Forums Contributor
- Contractor/Investor/Consultant
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Doesn't look all that bad to me, but I'm not there. You can't raise the level of the earth against the house so that means you have to lower it away from the house. That can get really expensive....
Thank you, @Dan Guenther and @Bruce Woodruff for your advice! I hope I don't get any surprises. Yes I plan to get a landscaping contractor to look at it, however I can only do so after owning the house, so was hoping to get some opinions before closing.
#2 Contractors Contributor
- Severna Park, MD
Looks like the house to the right is higher . Looks to me that the sidewalk needs to come out and the regraded to the rear .
It won't be a cheap date. If you're still within your inspection period, get a contractor out there now to get you some estimates. If not, arrange for an exterior walk with a contractor for "planning purposes only." Consider:
"Labor usually costs about $50 per hour, and permits typically run between $100 and $500. Smaller jobs, like those around pools, patios, or a single side of a home's foundation, may run from $500 to $3,000. However, grading around an entire home is closer to the $3,000 to $5,000 range." (Source: This Old House)
Article: note how a level can tell you a whole lot quickly (and for nothing):
https://www.usinspect.com/blog...
Hope this helps...
Thank you for the feedback @Matthew Paul and @Patricia Steiner. Yes I actually am factoring $5K to do regrading into my capital investment on this.
If it were mine, I'd consider handling that degraded porch edge. plus adding a handrail or two.
If it were mine, and I had to do this, I'd cost out concrete to the foundation with caulk in the joints, because if you zero the concrete to the foundation and it moves--ouch, and if you don't caulk its endless ants and weeds in there. It also gives the pest control a hard surface at the foundation especially important with all those garbage cans (roaches) right up alongside the house.
Here a mockup for you, one with grey foundation and cleaned rocks, and the other white and rocks uncleaned.
That's slip resistant broom finished concrete with smooth edges.
Good Luck!
Quote from @Scott Mac:
If it were mine, I'd consider handling that degraded porch edge. plus adding a handrail or two.
If it were mine, and I had to do this, I'd cost out concrete to the foundation with caulk in the joints, because if you zero the concrete to the foundation and it moves--ouch, and if you don't caulk its endless ants and weeds in there. It also gives the pest control a hard surface at the foundation especially important with all those garbage cans (roaches) right up alongside the house.
Here a mockup for you, one with grey foundation and cleaned rocks, and the other white and rocks uncleaned.
That's slip resistant broom finished concrete with smooth edges.
Good Luck!
WOW!! You did that illustration so beautifully that I thought it was another house! Thank you so much, that actually is a good idea!!! Will definitely explore that!!