I need to get more of a slope away from my house to reduce basement flooding. Any advice? I was hoping to incorporate flower boxes on one side of the house, a slope on another, and the other side is the driveway. I'm unsure how to solve that problem, as a lot of the standing water occurs there.

Without seeing first hand your conditions not to sure many recommendations could be made. I'll try. OK, you can either add dirt and grade it out away from the house. If that's not possible, you can go the other route and remove dirt to create a slope away. A couple things that might help. Check your down spouts. Are they discharging into these low areas? Consider getting some of that black flexible piping and routing the water further away. Also, do you have a walk out basement? It that's the case, might take some digging but try and find your laterals. Clean those out and keep the ends open, that will help the ground water adjacent to your basement from getting into the house. And, I guess lastly, try some of the guys here on larryville, I'd be willing to bet most would come out, take a look, and make suggestions. (With the hope of getting your business)

Isn't there a fellow on swapmeet selling rainbarrels? Depending on how your set-up is, maybe those would help and then you could use the water on the lawn or new flower boxes.

I hear what you are saying on the basement flooding, Beek. We've got the same problem. To help with it, I was going to get a truckload of dirt & grade out away from the house in the problem areas.

The grading out I get, but one side of the house is a patio and the other is the driveway. I'd like to put flower boxes on the patio, rain barrels sound like a great solution for the rain spouts, but I still don't know how to grade out on the drive. I'm pretty capable if I just have a good idea to go on. Can I pour concrete onto my existin concrete drive? Are there steps I need to take to secure such a thing? Is there an alternative?

Thanks for all the feedback, guys.

I don't know about concrete on the existing drive. I've always thought you had to tear up the section & completely replace it.

Are there spouts located by the driveway that are causing the problem or is it just seepage in the area?

Beek -

I agree with one of the other responders it would be good to have someone come and take a look at the problem. It maybe that a sort of swell needs to be created to channel the water in a certain direction. if water coming from down spouts is just sitting they can be buried and run out to daylight or channelled into the swell so there is no more standing water. If the water is a problem around the patio, our company has equipment to bore underneath the patio (not disturb the existing landscape) and pull the pipe underneath so it can be run away from the house. If you are interested give us a call we would be happy to come take a look and give a bid (no charge).

Hope this helps

Just a idea to go along with the others...what about a sump pump?
Maybe if the bringing in of dirt does't do the trick.
I had one in my last house and it was wonderful (there was a natural spring under the house)...until it went out, had a storm and then the basement had 7 inches of water. Luckly, our insurance paid for new carpet. Good luck!

I've got a sump pump, standing water isn't really the issue. Water getting in in the first place is the problem. I understand paying a professional to do the job for me, but then I wouldn't learn how to do it for myself. I don't expect to get all the info I need from this forum, but every little bit helps. My parents lecture me enough, and I always do my homework before beginning a project. If I was going to just hire someone I'd have posted in the swapmeet or job market section. What I really need is some anecdotal advice from personal experience.

On the drive, there are plenty of drain spouts and the water from the roof isn't doing any damage. The rain and snow that doesn't land on the roof pools on our flat drive, which is fine, except where it collects close to house where it has opportunity to seep in through existing cracks. If I do or do not need to tear up an entire chunk instead of pouring right on top of it, that's the kind of feedback I need.

Thanks again, guys.

Would a sealant work for the existing cracks? If there are not that many, I'd try that route, otherwise I'd say you are going to end up tearing up that portion of the driveway and replacing it.

Let us know what you end up doing. I'm curious to see how it worked out.

We're looking at possibly replacing a portion of our driveway (up by the garage) to help with our water problems. We've lost a lot of soil around the foundation last year and I know that is the main problem but part of the driveway issue is that right by the garage a "washout" type hole has developed that looks like it goes right underneath the driveway.

I think our best solution is to tear up that part of the driveway, pack a bunch of dirt down and replace that portion with new concrete. I will also have to invest in some way of diverting the water spout which is right there. I'd really like a rainbarrel if I can figure out how to hide it.

Don't hide it, instead let everyone say WOW he has a rain barrel!

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Right, I mentioned the dirt slope on the appropriate sides of the house already. The real problem is the drive... I don't think dirt will stay there if it rains. I like Gern's idea of using a sealant, maybe if I tar the cracks? It won't look beautiful, but it will keep a lot of ground water out of the basement.

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Good call, cheryl. At ninety bucks a barrel those things are way too expensive to hide.