Rough grading

Aimee – posted 25 March 2004 12:29

Hi!We are closing on a brand new home we fell in love with. The Home inspector came back and said we need to have the rough grading of the yard done again. He says he sees some “settling” in the middle. What does this mean and can we do it ourselves? (My husband and I are both scientists that wish we could be more handy). What are the effcts of leaving it th way it is? can we build a patio so soon or do we have to wait?Thanks,Aimee

tommy – posted 25 March 2004 13:40

Often there is a lot of grading that goes on before a home is built….the ground is disturbed and moved around which leaves areas of differing density. Softer areas can somtimes drop (settle) and leave drainage problems -where by water moves toward the house instead of away from it. Many landscapers have small tractors which they use to re-shape yards such as yours. It sounds like you have too much dirt to considering doing by hand.

Aimee – posted 25 March 2004 16:19

Thanks Tommy! I think we are going to have the seller (the builder) do the rough grading, since the yard is big. The whole plot is about 11,800 sq ft and although I can be very useful in a lab, I am a klutz with big implements and yard stuff. Thanks for the input,aimee

Dchall_San_Antonio – posted 04 April 2004 12:59

I’ve never heard of an inspector caring about the yard – UNLESS there was a potential problem with watering backing up toward the house instead of flowing away. That’s the only issue I can see an inspector getting involved in. If he said you need to regrade, it cannot be done by hand but it is done quickly and easily by a tractor with a box blade. It should take a morning, max. Trust a professional “finish grader” to do the work. Any landscaping company knows all the good ones.