ᐅ Keep soil away from the house using paving slabs or similar materials.

Hello everyone,

I already made a post on this topic elsewhere, but with a different question. I still haven’t found a satisfactory solution, so please forgive me for asking again for opinions on an idea...

Here’s the situation: Our house is already built and fully plastered. For the upcoming garden/landscaping work, it looks like the ground level will be raised in some areas, which means parts of the facade that currently don’t touch the soil will end up in contact with it and therefore haven’t been treated accordingly yet.

There are different ways to waterproof the facade afterwards, but none of them really convince me. So I’m currently wondering if there is a way to prevent the wall from actually coming into contact with the soil at all.

One option would surely be to install L-shaped blocks (crib wall blocks / retaining blocks) with some distance to the wall. But that’s neither cheap nor easy. Also, the load-bearing capacity of these blocks isn’t really needed here, since the house itself can easily support the small amount of soil.

Therefore, I’m thinking about fixing panels on a substructure to the wall (so wall, then a post about 10cm (4 inches) deep, and then the panel) that would keep the wall away from soil and moisture. Wood would obviously be a poor choice, as it would rot.

Do you have any opinions or other suggestions related to this question?

I’d really appreciate your input, this topic is really on my mind ;-)

Best regards

DerToni

Styrodur boards + bitumen coating + dimple membrane? Isn’t that enough?

Considering that this topic concerns you so much and you have already started three different threads about it, you are providing (warning [IRONY ON:]) a really lot of information and pictures. [IRONY OFF]

Exactly one small, meaningless picture in another thread, and now we’re supposed to guess or try to put ourselves into your poorly described situation?

I’ll try anyway:
In our case, the waterproofing of the perimeter insulation as well as the base of the wall was carried out by the roofer, with a small part done by ourselves (but following the instructions mentioned above). Since you don’t have a base coat but rather a “regular” plaster, you absolutely need to seek professional advice. Depending on the construction method and wall structure, you could cause huge damage if handled incorrectly.

Ask your roofer, alternatively a landscaper (or the general contractor / building contractor?), or provide extensive, meaningful pictures that actually help to understand the situation so you can expect reasonably competent answers.

Warning: amateur opinion!
This might be possible. However, please consult with your plasterer for clarification.
There are drainage stones / filter stones (e.g., concrete filter blocks from Knobel) that you can place as a base in front of the wall. Possibly add a dimple membrane in front of that. Ideally, you should also install a drainage system below the stones. Whether you need to install something between the stones and your wall should be clarified with a professional.
Just a possible idea.

We simply placed lawn edging stones about 30 to 40cm (12 to 16 inches) apart and filled the space between the house wall and the edging with gravel.

Steffi, your plan also included base plaster, base waterproofing, and splash protection. However, the original poster has a very different issue. There has been a later backfill against the house where none was planned, and the house was finished with a standard facade plaster without any special waterproofing.