ᐅ Depth of gravel base around the house

I have been following this forum as a reader for a long time. Since I also have an issue that concerns me deeply, I have now registered.

I live in a fully basemented end-terrace house, and on the north side (front garden), the ground level is directly up against the facade. The concrete slab and the ground are roughly at the same height.

I would like to create a 50–60 cm (20–24 inch) wide gravel bed along the house wall to protect it. How deep do I need to dig for the gravel bed to be effective? Down to the foundation slab? Or only about 50 cm (20 inches) deep? I have no idea at all. Unfortunately, I also don’t know if there is any drainage installed.

Maybe you can help me.

Best regards,
Christian

Hello home builders,

First of all, thank you for the response. To be honest, I don’t know. Everyone tells me there needs to be a gravel layer (drip strip) installed along the facade. However, no one explains how or why. After extensive research on Google, I am somewhat more informed but still far from fully understanding.

The architect’s reply is still pending. Hopefully, I can base my implementation plans on that.

Best regards,
Christian

Hello, Christian

We discussed this with our structural builder. He explained that gravel is useful to protect the wall from heavy rain. How you do it doesn’t make a difference. You can make it 30 or 70 cm (12 or 28 inches) wide. You can fill it to any depth you want.
We will fill to the width of the light wells. I don’t know the exact depth yet, but I’m thinking around 30 cm (12 inches).
This is not professional advice, just our thoughts.