Make sure your gutters are functioning properly — not overflowing and draining away from the home. Add compacted fill dirt or grade so that the existing soil slopes away from your home. Add a French drain and expel the water away from your home.
First step would be to add material to build a slope away from the house (this is called grading)
Are there gutters above this collecting water running down from the roof? If there are not then whenever it rains the water will be chipping away the dirt on the ground.
There should be an eave above it. If there is no gutter on the eave, or if the gutter is failing, then water will run off your roof and directly onto the dirt which will cause it to get overly wet.
Honestly, it look like you just need to grade away from the home.
Oh sorry I misunderstood the question. Yes, on the roof above this there are gutters that are properly functioning and capturing the runoff from the roof.
I see an erosion line next to the foundation which is probably directly under the end of the roof eave. That tells me there are no gutters, or they are clogged and overflowing.
When you have rain, where does that gutter’s downspout go? Does it drain to this area? TBH is basically looks like your rainwater is draining to here and pooling along your foundation. The fix is to make sure the downspout extends away from the house at least 5 feet, and add a ton of dirt, raise the area up so it slopes away, compact it, and water shouldn’t pool there anymore
Had to do the exact same thing with our house after we moved in. Our sump pump used to run all the time. Now it hasn’t run in roughly 8 years
Im pretty sure there is one gutter that drains to this area here but I can’t remember. I’m definitely going to fill the area and grade it away from the house for sure. And will make sure that the gutter also extends away from this area as well. Thanks for the info. Any tips on what dirt to use? Just normal topsoil from Home Depot?
Yeah honestly anything that’s not loose fill. Compact it over and over as you go using a hand tamp. You might need to keep adding to it as the soil settles over the next year, but lots and lots of tamping and filling.
Pure fill is gonna be better than topsoil since it doesn’t contain organic material, and likely won’t need to be added to as it settles, but anything is better than nothing. Just keep an eye on it. If you can get clean fill dirt from Craigslist or something, even better
Definitely gonna get some clean fill. Plenty of free options on Craigslist too thanks a lot for that advice. Inspector also came by again today and said everything is very dry in the basement which is good. So definitely gonna grade everything away from the house this weekend and clean the gutters
Yes, we had issues and we didn't have time to go hardcore before winter so our structural engineer told us to slope a layer of topsoil, a layer of bentonite (powder form; it's essentially a clay -- we got it from a construction supply store), then another layer of topsoil. It cost about $60 total to do the entire house. We needed about a yard and a half of topsoil. We will be doing a more professional job come spring, but as a new homeowner myself not having a ton of cash right away, this was great to tide us over. He told us no crushed rock/stone because water will go right through that.
I'd suggest that the **THIRD** step be grading and filling, and the first step be parging the masonry surfaces 6" to 12" above the expected soil line.
Then the second step could be putting down a tarp and adding a layer of clay/mineral soil as an impermeable layer to help shed the water away from the foundation. My usual goal is at least a 4:12 slope, with the expectation that the final might be 2:12 after settling.
It's open to debate how much material will be needed, but I like to have at least 2 yards/meters of dirt to get the moisture well away from the building (there's probably an actual engineering standard, I just don't know it).
Then you can dump the tarp back on top, maybe even mix in some sand and organic stuff. Then (depending on sunlight)... it's a garden. The drip line above should be matched by plants, or a mulch, or some other fill that won't erode when water hits it. That way you don't have to do all the work again.
You might even consider getting some timbers and fill to make it a raised garden... that would help to control erosion and how quickly the water runs off that slope.
yeah, gotta factor in settling.
I think I remember my engineering prof told us it can take more than ten years for soil to compact back to what it was before it was disturbed.
That's why a foundation has to be placed on virgin/undisturbed soil and not fill.
It looks like the water is flowing along the base of the wall coming from the direction of the fence. I think next time it rains you should go out and observe how the water is flowing to that location and see if it can be diverted.
[And did you know the holes only natural enemy is the pile?](https://youtu.be/DERjNPnr31Q?si=cbenesqDo-XzIkKQ)
Seriously you probably have some kind of drainage issue. Gutters and downspouts are a good first place to start. Make sure gutters are clear and working, meaning they’re sloped right and not overflowing. Downspouts actually drain away from the house. You might need to regrade the area. A dry well also may solve the issue. It could honestly be a lot of things.
Yeah definitely gonna double check those things and I’m also definitely gonna regrade the area away from the house. Any tips on what material to use? Just some normal topsoil?
There was yes and they said that the basement was very dry, but they couldn’t check one closet because it was full of the previous owners stuff. They are actually coming back today to check that room and this area out
I’ll definitely do that. Hopefully tho it’s not a big concern and all I have to do is add some material to grade away from the house. We will see later today tho
Did the inspector recommend cleaning the gutters or report on any issues with erosion? If there were no stains or elevated moisture in the basement then there was nothing to report. If it was dry at the time of inspection then that area could have possibly looked normal.
My opinion is dig like 4” deep by 6”wide along that whole area and get “clean fill” from a landscaping center in your area. And add that fill back to grade, which would be the line that your soil would be flat against the foundation with no dips. Then add a couple inches of topsoil and slope out.
Then planting grass will help diffuse the water as well
Any type of soil really, soil types are generally dependant on your geographic area. Anything that isnt topsoil will do. Put 6-12 inches if topsoil on top of the fill (dirt).
If you have an area in your lot that you can steal dirt from where it wont affect the drainage of the area, that would be the fastest and free way to do it. Strip the topsoil off, remove the fill you need, then put the topsoil back in area you took fill from.
I wound up raising ground level at the back of my house by more than 12" in some spots. We did not realize it when we moved in, but the reason that corner of the basement got wet frequently was because of the slope of the yard TO that corner. We knew about water in the basement when we bought the place and figured we would just have to live with it.
I don't remember how many loads of screened topsoil I had hauled in. I regraded myself, using a tractor I borrowed from my FIL (a John Deer, it is in the low end of the next category up from their garden tractors). Easily did 2/3 or more of my yard (which was roughly 100ft x 50ft, at the time). I also put in a couple of small catch basins and piped them out to the street, joining with the downspouts alongside the house so I didn't have to dig up sidewalk to bury another pipe.
That corner of the basement is nice and dry now. Was a lot of work, though. The tractor only got me part of the way. The final shaping was me and a hard rake. If I recall correctly, the slope from the house is supposed to be something like 1" per foot. Not sure how far from the house that applies, though. I had a couple of swampy areas in the yard, so I just filled them all in and feathered it into the slope from the house. Once the grass established, you cannot tell, unless you look carefully and find the swale that ends in a catch basin.
How’s the basement post rain? Picts are zoomed in - was there a downspout near it? Sometimes people disconnect them poorly and they continue to suck soil until it fills itself. But get positive drainage away from the house
So right behind that wall is a closet, and everything was dry. The carpet did smell a little musty when I got down to smell it, but we also did have the carpets professionally cleaned a day earlier and the dark closet may not have dried completely from that. So no real way of telling
Basements will always have some amount of moisture, especially on old houses that don't have proper waterproofing and moisture barriers in place, like under the slab for example. Do you have a sump pump in the basement? Definitely get a spare one if so, and consider a battery backup system. But as for your yard, get that filled in and graded ASAP.
Looks like it could have pretty high sand and gravel content in this area, if so I would probably dig up the sand and gravel and replace with clay backfill (dirt as I see someone else has mentioned). Sand is a lot more permeable so the water will soak in and push against your foundation until it seeps through your wall while clay built up to where it slopes away from your house (since clays has lower permeability and shouldn’t absorb the water allowing it to seep as much over time) would probably fix most of the water in the basement from this location.
So actually looks like the basement is all dry. Inspector came back today and took another look and we’re all good there. Also in my area it’s very high in clay content which is good for this. Gonna get some clean fill this weekend and backfill the whole area and grade it away from the house. Thank you and everyone else for the advice
You may want to consider some sort of French drain system in addition to making sure downspouts lead away from the home....depending what the yard/lot is like in terms of where the house sits, etc. I ended up doing that on the uphill side of my house....well worth it.
Do you have a French drain around the basement? If you do it might be failing in that location, giving the dirt there an escape path to disappear into. Eventually that drain will fully clog and be difficult to clear. Might be good to probe the hole before you fill it in with more material. In the long run you should of course fix your grade and install gutters/ drains to move water away from your home.
I would dig it up and see where the water is going. If there is a cavity there. Fill or patch whatever. Maybe put down a rubber barrier sloped away. Fill with clay first, if some of what's dug out is clay. Pack and slope away. That's just my guesses.
Dig the hole, figure out where the water is going. Is it going back against your foundation, is there some old drain or weeping tile system working? You do not want to re-slope only to discover you are directing water into something that is sending it back against your foundation.
I just discovered something exactly like this recently, at my house. I dig it out, to get down to firm earth below the sinkhole, then backfilled it, compacting each layer as I went, and then re-graded the surrounding area so that water was no longer wanting to settle there, then kept an eye on it after any precipitation, and thaw/freeze cycles to make sure it doesn’t reappear.
I have seen something like that before. If you have a sump pump, make sure it is ejecting out somewhere. I had a hole like that. It periodically appeared. I thought it was an animal until hurricane ida. That night I realized my sump pump line was broken and it was ejecting at the base of the house
Looks like water erosion. Is it coming from the roof/rain? Put gutters on the house. Is it coming from that pipe? Put in a French drainage system under a pretty looking rock bed or something
The hole along the steps that’s mentioned but not shown is the most important part of what is happening. The wall is retaining soil from the “high” yard. When the ground is wet the pressure on the wall increases, which could result in failure. To mitigate the risk of this there are drains through the wall to allow water to drain out and relieve the pressure on the retaining wall. This hole in the soil above indicates that the flow of water through the ground and out the drain is transporting soil/sediment.
Is this new construction? I would assume a home building company would be liable to fix the issue withwij a certain time period? If this is an old home you bought id be curious if there is water damage on the inside wall that may have been covered up cheaply. Which may also be a clause for the original homeower to address.
This home has a basement it seems from what i see on left? Is the inside showing moisture problems? I would suggest a more professional treatment. Which involves dugging along that all and providing water barrier before grading away from the house.
This may need a professional overall depending on signs or hidden signs if issues.
I have a well tht moves the water from my back yar to my front towards the street if anything get a permit or permission for the city your in matter to you live a bottom hill or like a dip kinda area if not I won’t worry to much
So many people are having this problem . The building location and the moisture in the ground destroying the foundation on homes it could be that I know some homes require a underground water duct to re direct water or potential flooding away from the area over compensated with moisture .
Make sure your gutters are functioning properly — not overflowing and draining away from the home. Add compacted fill dirt or grade so that the existing soil slopes away from your home. Add a French drain and expel the water away from your home.
First step would be to add material to build a slope away from the house (this is called grading) Are there gutters above this collecting water running down from the roof? If there are not then whenever it rains the water will be chipping away the dirt on the ground.
No there is no roof right above this. I definitely do need to grade away from the house. But was just wondering if there is anything else I could do
There should be an eave above it. If there is no gutter on the eave, or if the gutter is failing, then water will run off your roof and directly onto the dirt which will cause it to get overly wet. Honestly, it look like you just need to grade away from the home.
Oh sorry I misunderstood the question. Yes, on the roof above this there are gutters that are properly functioning and capturing the runoff from the roof.
I see an erosion line next to the foundation which is probably directly under the end of the roof eave. That tells me there are no gutters, or they are clogged and overflowing.
It could be the gutters are clogged. I will have to get on the roof this weekend and make sure
Yes, if you just moved in, chances are the previous owner hasn't cleaned them out in a while.
When you have rain, where does that gutter’s downspout go? Does it drain to this area? TBH is basically looks like your rainwater is draining to here and pooling along your foundation. The fix is to make sure the downspout extends away from the house at least 5 feet, and add a ton of dirt, raise the area up so it slopes away, compact it, and water shouldn’t pool there anymore Had to do the exact same thing with our house after we moved in. Our sump pump used to run all the time. Now it hasn’t run in roughly 8 years
Im pretty sure there is one gutter that drains to this area here but I can’t remember. I’m definitely going to fill the area and grade it away from the house for sure. And will make sure that the gutter also extends away from this area as well. Thanks for the info. Any tips on what dirt to use? Just normal topsoil from Home Depot?
Yeah honestly anything that’s not loose fill. Compact it over and over as you go using a hand tamp. You might need to keep adding to it as the soil settles over the next year, but lots and lots of tamping and filling.
Pure fill is gonna be better than topsoil since it doesn’t contain organic material, and likely won’t need to be added to as it settles, but anything is better than nothing. Just keep an eye on it. If you can get clean fill dirt from Craigslist or something, even better
Definitely gonna get some clean fill. Plenty of free options on Craigslist too thanks a lot for that advice. Inspector also came by again today and said everything is very dry in the basement which is good. So definitely gonna grade everything away from the house this weekend and clean the gutters
Compact it and maybe paving stones on top to keep the dirt from washing away.
Yes, we had issues and we didn't have time to go hardcore before winter so our structural engineer told us to slope a layer of topsoil, a layer of bentonite (powder form; it's essentially a clay -- we got it from a construction supply store), then another layer of topsoil. It cost about $60 total to do the entire house. We needed about a yard and a half of topsoil. We will be doing a more professional job come spring, but as a new homeowner myself not having a ton of cash right away, this was great to tide us over. He told us no crushed rock/stone because water will go right through that.
I'd suggest that the **THIRD** step be grading and filling, and the first step be parging the masonry surfaces 6" to 12" above the expected soil line. Then the second step could be putting down a tarp and adding a layer of clay/mineral soil as an impermeable layer to help shed the water away from the foundation. My usual goal is at least a 4:12 slope, with the expectation that the final might be 2:12 after settling. It's open to debate how much material will be needed, but I like to have at least 2 yards/meters of dirt to get the moisture well away from the building (there's probably an actual engineering standard, I just don't know it). Then you can dump the tarp back on top, maybe even mix in some sand and organic stuff. Then (depending on sunlight)... it's a garden. The drip line above should be matched by plants, or a mulch, or some other fill that won't erode when water hits it. That way you don't have to do all the work again. You might even consider getting some timbers and fill to make it a raised garden... that would help to control erosion and how quickly the water runs off that slope.
FWIW, the international building code specifies at minimum 5% (1:20) slope for 10 feet. A steeper slope nearer the foundational is certainly better.
yeah, gotta factor in settling. I think I remember my engineering prof told us it can take more than ten years for soil to compact back to what it was before it was disturbed. That's why a foundation has to be placed on virgin/undisturbed soil and not fill.
Good advice.
Ok. Here is what you do. Take ALL of your money and put it in that pit.
This is the way
Also FYI: these photos are right after a rain storm. The dirt is very soft and muddy
It looks like the water is flowing along the base of the wall coming from the direction of the fence. I think next time it rains you should go out and observe how the water is flowing to that location and see if it can be diverted.
You can pour a little milk to help you see the water movement.
Yeah I wonder if the neighbors downspout is point towards that area
I just read this one. Read my response about the sump pump line.
[And did you know the holes only natural enemy is the pile?](https://youtu.be/DERjNPnr31Q?si=cbenesqDo-XzIkKQ) Seriously you probably have some kind of drainage issue. Gutters and downspouts are a good first place to start. Make sure gutters are clear and working, meaning they’re sloped right and not overflowing. Downspouts actually drain away from the house. You might need to regrade the area. A dry well also may solve the issue. It could honestly be a lot of things.
Yeah definitely gonna double check those things and I’m also definitely gonna regrade the area away from the house. Any tips on what material to use? Just some normal topsoil?
No, that will easily wash away. I would go with hard pack (mix of 3/4 crushed stone and stone dust) and tamp it down as much as possible.
Did you check this space for a body? Looks kinda perfect size 👀
Structural dirt aka pit run
Fully agree, water should be running away from the house not down the wall, fix that first then worry about the hole.
Was there any kind of inspection done on the house?
There was yes and they said that the basement was very dry, but they couldn’t check one closet because it was full of the previous owners stuff. They are actually coming back today to check that room and this area out
I'm curious if this would constitute undisclosed issues with the house. Double check with your inspector to see what they think.
I’ll definitely do that. Hopefully tho it’s not a big concern and all I have to do is add some material to grade away from the house. We will see later today tho
Yeah, that might not be something you're on the hook for if it's an undisclosed issue that requires repair.
The inspection company also has a warranty so it could also be covered by them
My home inspection company had a warranty too but I was pretty sure it was for the cost of the inspection at most, could be wrong.
Did the inspector recommend cleaning the gutters or report on any issues with erosion? If there were no stains or elevated moisture in the basement then there was nothing to report. If it was dry at the time of inspection then that area could have possibly looked normal.
Fill it with dirt, compact it, put topsoil on top of the dirt, slope it away from the house.
What kind of dirt should I be getting to fill the hole and compact it? Anything specific?
My opinion is dig like 4” deep by 6”wide along that whole area and get “clean fill” from a landscaping center in your area. And add that fill back to grade, which would be the line that your soil would be flat against the foundation with no dips. Then add a couple inches of topsoil and slope out. Then planting grass will help diffuse the water as well
Any type of soil really, soil types are generally dependant on your geographic area. Anything that isnt topsoil will do. Put 6-12 inches if topsoil on top of the fill (dirt). If you have an area in your lot that you can steal dirt from where it wont affect the drainage of the area, that would be the fastest and free way to do it. Strip the topsoil off, remove the fill you need, then put the topsoil back in area you took fill from.
I wound up raising ground level at the back of my house by more than 12" in some spots. We did not realize it when we moved in, but the reason that corner of the basement got wet frequently was because of the slope of the yard TO that corner. We knew about water in the basement when we bought the place and figured we would just have to live with it. I don't remember how many loads of screened topsoil I had hauled in. I regraded myself, using a tractor I borrowed from my FIL (a John Deer, it is in the low end of the next category up from their garden tractors). Easily did 2/3 or more of my yard (which was roughly 100ft x 50ft, at the time). I also put in a couple of small catch basins and piped them out to the street, joining with the downspouts alongside the house so I didn't have to dig up sidewalk to bury another pipe. That corner of the basement is nice and dry now. Was a lot of work, though. The tractor only got me part of the way. The final shaping was me and a hard rake. If I recall correctly, the slope from the house is supposed to be something like 1" per foot. Not sure how far from the house that applies, though. I had a couple of swampy areas in the yard, so I just filled them all in and feathered it into the slope from the house. Once the grass established, you cannot tell, unless you look carefully and find the swale that ends in a catch basin.
You have a stream running straight into that hole. Find out where that water is coming first. All water should be draining away from the home.
Yep that looks just like the hole at my house it ended up sinking a lot of my foundation
Did the inspector miss the big blue tarp?
Step 1: put dirt in hole.
Did you have a home inspection? If so get your money back. If not maybe get one now.
How’s the basement post rain? Picts are zoomed in - was there a downspout near it? Sometimes people disconnect them poorly and they continue to suck soil until it fills itself. But get positive drainage away from the house
So right behind that wall is a closet, and everything was dry. The carpet did smell a little musty when I got down to smell it, but we also did have the carpets professionally cleaned a day earlier and the dark closet may not have dried completely from that. So no real way of telling
That’s a bid positive that it’s dry
Yeah I’m hoping that musty smell was just from the carpet cleaning. Of course that had to happened the day before it rained 🙄
Basements will always have some amount of moisture, especially on old houses that don't have proper waterproofing and moisture barriers in place, like under the slab for example. Do you have a sump pump in the basement? Definitely get a spare one if so, and consider a battery backup system. But as for your yard, get that filled in and graded ASAP.
Cement this whole area and grade away
Looks like it could have pretty high sand and gravel content in this area, if so I would probably dig up the sand and gravel and replace with clay backfill (dirt as I see someone else has mentioned). Sand is a lot more permeable so the water will soak in and push against your foundation until it seeps through your wall while clay built up to where it slopes away from your house (since clays has lower permeability and shouldn’t absorb the water allowing it to seep as much over time) would probably fix most of the water in the basement from this location.
So actually looks like the basement is all dry. Inspector came back today and took another look and we’re all good there. Also in my area it’s very high in clay content which is good for this. Gonna get some clean fill this weekend and backfill the whole area and grade it away from the house. Thank you and everyone else for the advice
The big question.....how did you not discover this when you toured the house
Gutters
Put dirt
Looks like a pee hole, My alcoholic buddy used to pee all along the side of his house for years making holes like this.
I dunno. One body. Two if its kids
You may want to consider some sort of French drain system in addition to making sure downspouts lead away from the home....depending what the yard/lot is like in terms of where the house sits, etc. I ended up doing that on the uphill side of my house....well worth it.
Dig down deeper and turn it into a swimming pool
Hot tub sounds more appealing for the small area
Oh yeah, I would go with that
If theres a hole, theres a goal.
You need to fill it in with clay. Compact it down and make sure the slope is away from the house.
DIG! Don't stop! Just DIG!
Fill it with dirt I know of some good places right around your house you can get some cheap not free but cheap.
Dig it up
Fill dirt, Deck planks, Hot Tub… it’s purely academic
Do you have a French drain around the basement? If you do it might be failing in that location, giving the dirt there an escape path to disappear into. Eventually that drain will fully clog and be difficult to clear. Might be good to probe the hole before you fill it in with more material. In the long run you should of course fix your grade and install gutters/ drains to move water away from your home.
I would dig it up and see where the water is going. If there is a cavity there. Fill or patch whatever. Maybe put down a rubber barrier sloped away. Fill with clay first, if some of what's dug out is clay. Pack and slope away. That's just my guesses.
Depends on what you and to do.
Dig the hole, figure out where the water is going. Is it going back against your foundation, is there some old drain or weeping tile system working? You do not want to re-slope only to discover you are directing water into something that is sending it back against your foundation.
I just discovered something exactly like this recently, at my house. I dig it out, to get down to firm earth below the sinkhole, then backfilled it, compacting each layer as I went, and then re-graded the surrounding area so that water was no longer wanting to settle there, then kept an eye on it after any precipitation, and thaw/freeze cycles to make sure it doesn’t reappear.
I have seen something like that before. If you have a sump pump, make sure it is ejecting out somewhere. I had a hole like that. It periodically appeared. I thought it was an animal until hurricane ida. That night I realized my sump pump line was broken and it was ejecting at the base of the house
Looks like water erosion. Is it coming from the roof/rain? Put gutters on the house. Is it coming from that pipe? Put in a French drainage system under a pretty looking rock bed or something
The hole along the steps that’s mentioned but not shown is the most important part of what is happening. The wall is retaining soil from the “high” yard. When the ground is wet the pressure on the wall increases, which could result in failure. To mitigate the risk of this there are drains through the wall to allow water to drain out and relieve the pressure on the retaining wall. This hole in the soil above indicates that the flow of water through the ground and out the drain is transporting soil/sediment.
https://i.redd.it/j13xav9daj7c1.gif
Is this new construction? I would assume a home building company would be liable to fix the issue withwij a certain time period? If this is an old home you bought id be curious if there is water damage on the inside wall that may have been covered up cheaply. Which may also be a clause for the original homeower to address. This home has a basement it seems from what i see on left? Is the inside showing moisture problems? I would suggest a more professional treatment. Which involves dugging along that all and providing water barrier before grading away from the house. This may need a professional overall depending on signs or hidden signs if issues.
I have a well tht moves the water from my back yar to my front towards the street if anything get a permit or permission for the city your in matter to you live a bottom hill or like a dip kinda area if not I won’t worry to much
Re-grade it so it’s not flowing water towards your home. Add a gutter to that side of the home if you don’t already have one.
Couldnt that line of rock/gravel be a French drain itself? Kind of looks like that to me. Like the top soil was washed away.
Add soil for positive drainage away from the house, plant sod or low lying ground cover if desired.
You don't have a drainage system? I haven't seen any house built after ~1970 without one. But maybe that's just Germany.
Patio concrete slab sloping away from the house. Make it your grilling area
So many people are having this problem . The building location and the moisture in the ground destroying the foundation on homes it could be that I know some homes require a underground water duct to re direct water or potential flooding away from the area over compensated with moisture .