[travs69]

Hi.. In the back of my yard I have a hill that is about 70 feet long and drops about 6 feet in height along that 70 feet. Is there a pratical way to flatten out more of this land and leave the majority of the height change at the end without building a retaining wall. In other words could I make the first 60 feet only drop 1 foot and then make the last 10 feet drop the next 5 feet in height? Is this advisable.. are there any guidlines as to how much of an angle is acceptable? I know that in doing this the greatest challenge will be getting new growth onto the fresh soil.. any suggestions there? Thanks for all the help....


Travis

[start2finish]

if I understand you correcrtly the end would have a 2:1 slope. this should be acceptable. You would need to address erosion especially since you will have fill to hold back.

[travs69]

Well the 2:1 was an example because I didn't really know what was acceptable but I would be fine with that.. I plan on fencing (wood, self built) as soon as possible on the level (well the more level of the two) part of the yard. Should I wait to get grass growing and is grass enough to stop erosion. And since I'm asking a million question any grass suggestions for my area (mid-west St. Louis area) that will handle my dogs (Lab and beagle if you care ) and will help the erosion problem? People keep telling me Zoysia is the way to go but it seems that a lot of people hate that grass.

[TrickyDick]

Make sure you get a good layer of topsoil, at least four inches preferably more, on that flat part after its excavated. Excavation contractors sometimes like to take away topsoil and leave you with nothing but subsoil or construction debris or whatevers under there when they leave and there's no kind of grass that will grown in that.

[Bill Schwab]

You have alot of dirt to export if you are taking a 6' drop over a 70' rake. Check your city/county codes and find out what constitutes pulling a grading permit. If one is required it is very likely you will have to hire a civil engineer to survey the land and set gradiants in a plan so you can have it reviewed and permitted. Not doing so can and probably will create some pretty severe penaltes in the event someone's home gets flooded, the first thign they will do is examine the impact that your grading had on the drainage plan submitteed when your home was built. If you get it permitted, and inspected, you then have an insurable property, where if you do not, you just created a way for your insurance company to wiggle away from paying a claim.

[travs69]

I don't know if this matters or not.. but I will actually be importing in a lot of dirt. My current run is 70 feet long by 50 feet wide and drops a total of 6 foot from the front to the end (pretty gradually but drops about 2.5 feet in the last 5 feet). What I am wanting to do is raise the ground so I only drop about 1 foot in the first 60 feet (instead of ~3) and make my last 10 feet drop 5 foot. Out block is set up so that everyones yards slope downward towards the middle of the block where it all slopes towards a creek (we're rural if you can't tell ) My yard would still be slopped in that direction but the slope would just be a lot gentler for the first 60 feet but more aggressive in the last 10.

[Bill Schwab]

So it sounds to me as though you are in a subdivision in an incorporated area. Unless you want to risk getting your job red tagged with the possibility of a property lein, you best check the local building codes. Filling a lot typically has more precautions than cutting and hauling out. You will need soil compaction, and they might make you cut a key into the toe of the lot.

[jwholden]

In a nearby town someone CLEARCUT a one acre forest on a lake. All but about 5 trees were gone of an oak forest. They got the skidder stuck in the lake. There are cease and desist orders all around that property, including the 10' tall pile of logs.

In my town, you need a permit to bring in or remove over 200 yards of topsoil. More like you have to jump through a ton of hoops to prove you have special needs.

If the creek is close, check with wetlands commision and the local codes.

[travs69]

Okay.. Guess it's time to figure out who to talk to.. we are unincorporated so I guess it would be somebody in the township we live in.

[ckcland]

In my area, you need a permit from the township if you disturb over 5000 sq ft of yard, and also if you change grade over/under 6". Definately check codes in your twp.

[start2finish]

here a erosion control permit is required if you disturb more than an acre. Unless it is agricultural use.