BUILDING ON LEVEL GROUND: STEP-BY-STEP TIPS FOR MAKING THE MOST OF A FLAT LOT
Permits are one of those things that depends on your city—mine didn’t care unless I was tying into the storm sewer, but my buddy across town got flagged for just digging a trench. Go figure. As for depth, I went about 18 inches down, just past the roots but not crazy deep. Too shallow and you’ll get clogs, too deep and you’re basically digging your own grave. Just make sure it slopes away from the house... that’s what really matters.
Just make sure it slopes away from the house... that’s what really matters.
Yeah, slope is key—learned that the hard way after a heavy rain pooled right by my back door. I’ve always wondered, though, how folks handle drainage if the lot is totally flat and there’s nowhere obvious to send water. Do you just build up a swale or use a French drain, or is there some trick I’m missing? I tried a dry well once but it filled up quick in clay soil.
French drains can help, but in heavy clay they’re not always the magic fix—water just sits there. I’ve had better luck raising the grade right around the house, then using a shallow swale to direct runoff toward a spot where it can spread out and soak in. Sometimes we’ll even bring in a bit of sandy fill to help with percolation. Tried dry wells too, but yeah, clay doesn’t play nice. It’s kind of a balancing act on flat lots... sometimes you just have to get creative with where you send the water.
“clay doesn’t play nice. It’s kind of a balancing act on flat lots... sometimes you just have to get creative with where you send the water.”
Totally get this. I’ve had projects where we ended up using a combo—raised grade, swale, and even a rain garden at the low point. Sometimes you gotta outsmart the clay, not just fight it. Swales are underrated, honestly.
“Sometimes you gotta outsmart the clay, not just fight it. Swales are underrated, honestly.”
I keep hearing about swales, but I’m still not totally clear on how deep or wide they need to be for them to actually work on a flat lot. Did you have to bring in extra soil, or just dig out the swale and let the rain garden handle the rest? I’m worried about standing water if I don’t get the slope just right.
