How to make level ground in the backyard?
 

Starting prep for a patio in the backyard - nothing big, maybe 10x12,
but my yard is slightly sloping and a lumpy mess.

What I have done so far is remove the grass and roots, and cleared the
area of most of the big rocks. (This turned out to be a hell of a job
-- took an afternoon of hard work with a steel rake.)

Anyway, I was thinking I still need to soften ground up to be able to
level it, so I was thinking loosen the soil, then use a 2x4 to run
across the area to level it.

Will this work? Do I need to get something to tamp it down hard or
what?

Sorry if these are stupid questions - thanks for your help.


Bluesman

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Starting prep for a patio in the backyard - nothing big, maybe 10x12,
but my yard is slightly sloping and a lumpy mess.

What I have done so far is remove the grass and roots, and cleared the
area of most of the big rocks. (This turned out to be a hell of a job
-- took an afternoon of hard work with a steel rake.)

Anyway, I was thinking I still need to soften ground up to be able to
level it, so I was thinking loosen the soil, then use a 2x4 to run
across the area to level it.

Will this work? Do I need to get something to tamp it down hard or
what?

Sorry if these are stupid questions - thanks for your help.


Bluesman


How close are you to sub grade? If you lower than the subgrade, bottom of
the slab get some sand and fill it in. It will take more than you think.

wrote:
Starting prep for a patio in the backyard - nothing big, maybe 10x12,
but my yard is slightly sloping and a lumpy mess.

What I have done so far is remove the grass and roots, and cleared the
area of most of the big rocks. (This turned out to be a hell of a job
-- took an afternoon of hard work with a steel rake.)

Anyway, I was thinking I still need to soften ground up to be able to
level it, so I was thinking loosen the soil, then use a 2x4 to run
across the area to level it.

Will this work? Do I need to get something to tamp it down hard or
what?

Sorry if these are stupid questions - thanks for your help.


Bluesman


What type of patio?

The yard does not slope a great deal, but enough to notice...maybe 6
inches every 15 feet or so? I am going to fill in the low side to make
it level with the high side -does that make sense?

I have to disturb the soil to some extent. The ground is lumps-ville.
I am in New England too, by the way.

So I should tamp it down with something after I turn the soil enough to
manipulate it. That is what I figured...I have seen those mini
steamroller things, but I thing I will end up going low tech.

It will be a brick patio. I was going to go with a ground level deck,
but the more I research, the better it seems I am with brick, espcially
at ground level.

The rocks in the soil were big enough and sticking out so that the
ground wouldn't be level with them there. Understand I am not digging
very deep here - only enough to uproot the grass, not much more.

What is sub grade?

Any other tips?

Thanks guys.


Bluesman

The yard does not slope a great deal, but enough to notice...maybe 6
inches every 15 feet or so? I am going to fill in the low side to make
it level with the high side -does that make sense?

Ideally, your yard should slope away from your house. This allows rain and
roof runoff to drain away from the house instead of ending up in your
basement/crawlspace.

However, I understand you are installing a patio.

I am not digging very deep here - only enough to uproot the grass

If you're only doing a small area, you can dig up the sod using a square
edge shovel. If you have a larger area, rent a "Sod Cutter". It makes the
job much easier. We took out a lawn a few years back to put in a new
driveway. The sod cutter worked great.

It will be a brick patio.

I'm guessing this is up next to your house? If so, I'd try to avoid digging
down, and concentrate on filling the low areas. I would remove the sod and
any loose topsoil. Then lay down a layer of gravel for your base, and level
the area using the gravel. This will work nice for leveling, and will
still allow drainage. Rent a "plate compactor" to tamp down the gravel (You
walk behind them, kind of like pushing a lawnmower), then lay down a layer
of sand and compact that too. Lay your brick, sweep sand into the cracks,
and run the compactor over the bricks. You'll probably need to sweep more
sand into the cracks.

Depending on the elevation diffence at the edge, you may have to build a
"step" of some type. Or, bring in fill dirt to bring the yard up to the
level of your new patio.

Anthony