New answers tagged landscaping
1
If, as you say, you only need to raise the level by 18", the thing to do is to separate out as much of the sod and "topsoil" as you can, then fill the area in 4 or 5 "lifts", compacting after each using a hand compactor (unless you want to rent a power compactor). Put the broken cinder blocks towards the bottom.
9
If you were pouring a slab over this -- and required decades of stability -- you might need to worry about your fill. Organic matter and other debris that will break down over time is appropriate for topsoil but not for fill.
Your project is going to be less sensitive to settling. You should compact your fill well as you place it. It looks like you have ...
4
The cinderblock chunks are not a big deal, they just speak to the source of your "dirt" "fill", "not particularly 'clean' fill" or whatever you want to call it.
But sod will break down (into "loam" - nice garden soil) and will shrink as it does. At minimum you should separate out all the sod you can identify and use it ...
4
The type of material you use for the base of a patio or slab maters.
Can you fill voids or bring up to grade (minus gravel depth) and compact with dirt/soil. Yes, with some kinds of dirt/soil, if you are compacting it properly BUT you still need the correct substrate on top of that for the patio.
Typically that is "gravel" that compacts well, I.E....
2
Are you sure you want to be using soil/dirt of any kind for this purpose? It's very difficult to compact it well enough that you don't get settling down the road.
I prefer pea gravel or compacted crushed stone to provide a stable base for your patio. Sand can also be used but it can wash out if the site is not well graded.
1
Since there is an area of direct contact between the patio and driveway, the bushes won't serve as a separator (between your "two distinct species of gravel") there. They will not, of themselves, "contain" the patio gravel, either - it can be kicked into them easily. For both of those reasons I would suggest some sort of "hardscape&...
1
It looks from the photo like this is a crushed gravel drive that hasn't been "refreshed" in a few years. I have a similar drive and I have "eights with dust" or #8 gravel delivered. You can ask the materials company what they recommend but around here (Central Indiana USA) most gravel drives use this.
Crowning is not as important on a ...
0
It's very simple and easy to location both the path and the depth of a buried pipe provided you have the right equipment. For example:
RadioDetection Locator
This type of locator coupled with a sonde that you push through the pipe using a fish tape will get you what you're looking for in short order.
Some rental shops have these for rent. Otherwise you're ...
1
get a helper to listen at the pipe opening them probe the ground with a steel rod
it should be possible to hear when the rod hits the pipe.
then play "battleship" to map out the route of the pipe.
1
Any decent plumber with modern equipment can run a line-locating snake down from where the gutter drains into. The tip/head has an RF transmitter and the plumber walks around with a detector that tones at different pitch the closer he/she gets until they are right above it. Should cost no more than like $100 max. Save yourself some trouble and call someone ...
1
Depends on the height of the retaining wall and what it’s holding back.
We like footings on undisturbed soil. In fact, depending on the soil we might compact it too.
If the soil is soft, we may require a few feet be removed and replaced with compacted gravel. This will help distribute the load over a greater area (the gravel area is usually 2 times wider ...
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