Proper Grading Around Your Home

Why is Grading Around Your Home Important?

Grading plays a major role in where the water ends up on your property. When assessing the grading, you should consider all areas around your house, including the landscaping directly surrounding the house, paved areas, the lawn, and gardens. Your goal is to ensure that all water falling on your roof and across your property flows away from the house.

All water that falls within 10 feet of your house (from snowmelt or rain) should have a clear path away from your home without ponding, as water only runs downhill.

Soil Grading Around Your Home

Ideally, the ground should drop one inch for every one foot that you move away from the house for the first 5-to-10 feet around your home. While this is not always possible, the ground should never slope upwards as you move away from your house foundation.

To fix or improve the grading, you can add soil next to the foundation and slope it away from the house. However, you should have at least four inches of your foundation (concrete, block, or stone) visible above the soil. The soil and vegetation should not be in contact with the siding or any wood components of the home.

If the soil is near the top of the foundation, you can also remove soil a few feet away from the foundation to increase the slope. This is effective if there is enough drop in the grading to ensure that water continues to flow away from the house without ponding.

Type of Soil for Grading Around Your Home

Bagged topsoil is not the best choice, as it usually contains a compost mixture with a higher organic content and can be expensive in volume. A better option is screened topsoil sourced from a local landscape or garden center. This is typically a native silty clay loam that is easy to work with, settles into a semi-permeable state, and supports vegetation effectively.

Window Wells

Since houses settle over time, window wells often need to be raised to maintain adequate spacing between the top of the window well and the top of the grading (2” – 3” is ideal) when correcting grading issues.

You may need to install taller window wells if your existing ones cannot be raised without allowing soil and water to enter from the bottom. Leaking windows and failing window wells should be sealed or replaced to prevent further damage.

Proper grading around your home ensures effective water drainage, prevents foundation issues, and maintains the integrity of your property. Regular inspections and adjustments will help protect your home from potential water damage and soil erosion.