Some of the most common reasons a homeowner might want to reduce the slope of a yard include the organization of a new yard and preventing excessive water runoff. Not only does storm runoff usually not make it to landscape plants’ roots, but it ends up filling municipal storm sewers or runs into waterways. This runoff brings with it sediment, chemicals and other pollutants. The perfect grade drops 6 inches above 10 feet. While the procedure for reducing the slope isn’t difficult, it does require the assistance of an assistant.
Put the 2-by-4, on its side, on the soil beside the home, pointing toward the space in which you want water to drain.
Place the carpenter’s level on top of the 2-by-4, in the center.
Lift the end of the board farthest in the home while your assistant watches the Navy’s level and tells you when it registers level.
Use a measuring tape to find out the distance between the surface of the board and the ground’s surface. Raise or lower the board before the distance measures 6 inches.
Hold the board while your assistant drives a wooden stake into the dirt at the end of the board. Use a pencil to mark the area where the surface of the board meets the wager. Eliminate the plank, and place it aside.
Add soil close to the foundation, spreading it with a grading rake, toward the bet until you have 6 inches of distance between the pencil mark on the bet as well as the surface of the dirt. You may want to repeatedly add dirt, raking it in a gentle downward slope till you achieve the proper distance between the dirt and the pencil mark on the wager.
Continue the procedure every 3 feet around your home.