Best way to grade for drainage around house?

Bahuffma

Ok, so I posted on here a few weeks ago regarding installing a drain along one side of my house in order to take care of a moisture problem in our unfinished basement.

The issue is that after a hard rain we have some moisture coming through the concrete blocks (wall is below grade). The moisture is all coming in pretty much in the middle of the wall.

On the outside there really is no grade sloping away from the house. It is pretty much flat for about 20 feet, then a paved drive, then a retaining wall and steep slope beyond that.

Rather than trenching down 10 ft to install a drain at the base of the foundation block wall (which would be$$; plus the house was built in 2002, so i would guess there would be a foundation drain already??), i figured that I should at least try to grade the yard first to see if that will solve the problem. What is the best way to do this?

The soil at along the house is very sandy (water will just pour through it; which i'm sure is contributing to the problem). Could I just place some clayey soil on top and slope away from the house? Or should I dig down at all first? Any tips would be appreciated!! I will post some pics when I get home this evening.
Thanks

Ron6519

What you do will depend on your situation. If the siding is currently 6" off the ground, you can't build it up 6". Why not post some photos of the area in question, so we can get a sense of the conditions you're working with.

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Ron
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
B. Franklin 1759

havalife

Are you kidding?? You have sandy soil at the house and you don't know what to do???
Start with at least a 5% slope off the house for at least 5' , create a swale for drainage this would be a start

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Bahuffma

Come on now...I realize that the sandy soil is contributing to the issue. One of my questions was..should i remove any of this soil or simply add more on top (creating a grade). Attached are some pics.
Again the moisture that I am seeing inside is concetrated in the center of the wall. No moisture appears to be coming through near the bottom or the top few feet.

Attached Thumbnails

   

Bahuffma

Here are a few inside pics..

Attached Thumbnails

     

Ron6519

The sandy soil will help with drainage not hinder it. Any water that gets next to the house, will drain down through that soil.
The damp spot in the center of the wall is odd. The blocks are hollow, any exterior dampness should just work it's way down to the floor.
Regrading will be a challange because you don't have a lot of space between the ground and the siding. The drivway surface seems to be higher then the siding line.
How much water comes off that hill and around that truck cap?
Is the ground along that wall saturated with water? Is there flowing water in the area?
The picture shows a tub drain, but I don't see a bath window outside. Is this the same side of the house that's in the picture?

__________________
Ron
"They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety."
B. Franklin 1759

Bahuffma

Yeah, I really have no idea why the wall is only moist in the middle?? Yes, this wall is on the same side as the outside pictures. There is about 6 inches from the ground to the bottom of the siding. Also, the ground along the wall is typically only wet after a rain. There is alot of water that comes of the hill, but it runs down the pavement and past the truck cap (never really gets in yard by wall). In the three months we have lived here, I have only noticed the moisture coming through after really intense rains.

AndyGump

Trench down and see if your builder water proofed the wall, Probably not, or did a poor job.

Andy.