ᐅ Partially level the sloped plot; should the topsoil be removed first?
Created on: 19 Apr 2020 12:03
K
kinderpingui
Hello,
I hope this is the right topic area.
We have a sloped plot where the basement level will partially be built into the hill. The soil excavated for this will be removed and then partially reused in the garden behind the house to level the terrain.
Now I am wondering if the supposedly better topsoil in the garden area should first be removed, since it will be covered by the supposedly poorer soil from the excavation, so that the topsoil can be placed again as the uppermost layer later on.
To illustrate this, I have included a cross-section drawing.
The current ground level is shown with red dashed lines. I have simply drawn the planned ground level in black as an example.
My question arises because the shell construction company is only responsible for the foundation work, not for landscaping. They will therefore excavate the soil into the garden, and we will take care of it ourselves afterwards… For them, it does not really matter whether they cover the apparently good topsoil with poorer soil, if this is not clarified in advance. I want to discuss this with the builder tomorrow but don’t want to be completely unprepared. Besides further research on my part, I would be interested in your opinions.
Thanks very much in advance.
Good luck, Kinderpingui
I hope this is the right topic area.
We have a sloped plot where the basement level will partially be built into the hill. The soil excavated for this will be removed and then partially reused in the garden behind the house to level the terrain.
Now I am wondering if the supposedly better topsoil in the garden area should first be removed, since it will be covered by the supposedly poorer soil from the excavation, so that the topsoil can be placed again as the uppermost layer later on.
To illustrate this, I have included a cross-section drawing.
The current ground level is shown with red dashed lines. I have simply drawn the planned ground level in black as an example.
My question arises because the shell construction company is only responsible for the foundation work, not for landscaping. They will therefore excavate the soil into the garden, and we will take care of it ourselves afterwards… For them, it does not really matter whether they cover the apparently good topsoil with poorer soil, if this is not clarified in advance. I want to discuss this with the builder tomorrow but don’t want to be completely unprepared. Besides further research on my part, I would be interested in your opinions.
Thanks very much in advance.
Good luck, Kinderpingui
K
kinderpingui19 Apr 2020 19:27Vicky Pedia schrieb:
Basically, people say you "save the topsoil." However, it doesn’t look very good in the photos. Thank you very much. Do you mean the soil that was brought onto the plot, the already existing vegetated soil, or even both?
K
kinderpingui19 Apr 2020 19:30Crossy schrieb:
From your drawing, it looks like not much backfilling will be needed at the rear. The excavation contractor will also dig out the working space of about 3 m (10 feet) height at the back and slope it. Most of the topsoil will probably be removed during this process (which will then be stored on the side), and you can use that later for backfilling. Thank you very much as well. However, I’m not quite sure what you mean. Could you perhaps try to explain it a little differently? Thanks.
Vicky Pedia19 Apr 2020 19:53kinderpingui schrieb:
Thank you. Are you referring to the soil that was brought onto the plot, the existing vegetated soil there, or both?The existing soil with grass and usually topsoil. However, the soil in the pictures looks to me like low quality. Four years ago, I worked on a whole development site with similar soil. It was actually more expensive there to keep the relatively poor soil than to bring in new soil. In my area, topsoil costs almost nothing due to large construction sites nearby. Of course, it might be different where you are, wherever that may be.B
Bauherr am L24 Apr 2020 13:36Hey @kinderpingui
Our situation is quite similar or even identical regarding the sloped site. We initially had the excavated soil piled up behind the house by the general contractor, with the topsoil placed in a separate heap. However, there is probably still some topsoil mixed in beneath the clay (which makes up most of our excavation). Well, that’s basically lost now.
We are a bit further along and have now leveled the clay mound into a relatively flat area (similar to the slope you want). However, I’m currently worried about the slope. The clay wasn’t compacted or anything. It seems stable now (dry and hot weather), but what will it look like when the rainy season starts again?
The specific question is how to stabilize the slope without costly retaining walls or unattractive gabions, but rather with smart planting. Do you have any ideas on this?
Best regards!
Our situation is quite similar or even identical regarding the sloped site. We initially had the excavated soil piled up behind the house by the general contractor, with the topsoil placed in a separate heap. However, there is probably still some topsoil mixed in beneath the clay (which makes up most of our excavation). Well, that’s basically lost now.
We are a bit further along and have now leveled the clay mound into a relatively flat area (similar to the slope you want). However, I’m currently worried about the slope. The clay wasn’t compacted or anything. It seems stable now (dry and hot weather), but what will it look like when the rainy season starts again?
The specific question is how to stabilize the slope without costly retaining walls or unattractive gabions, but rather with smart planting. Do you have any ideas on this?
Best regards!
K
kinderpingui24 Apr 2020 14:14Hello,
I can now provide feedback on the matter. After an inspection of the soil by an experienced road construction professional, he agreed with @Vicky Pedia that the topsoil is not suitable as fertile soil and that we should simply cover it up. Since we will have to slope a lot on our site anyway, our level area will be limited, so the costs for obtaining fertile soil will remain manageable.
Basically, we plan to compact the soil during the fill process.
Due to our zoning plan, and after consulting with our builder, a slope as I sketched in the original thread is not possible. Unfortunately, we will have to use gentler slopes and include 1-2 berms with a minimum height of 50 cm (20 inches).
On our site, only slopes with gradients alternating between 1:2 and 1:3 are allowed. After consulting a site manager specialized in road construction, it should be stable enough without vegetation to prevent the slope from slipping. However, to avoid rill erosion caused by rainfall, he still recommends planting vegetation. Given the "gentle" incline, even grass would be sufficient for this purpose. We have not yet decided exactly how we will implement this.
A friend of mine, who has a similar slope, is considering planting ivy because it develops strong roots and grows quickly, but mostly shallow.
I can now provide feedback on the matter. After an inspection of the soil by an experienced road construction professional, he agreed with @Vicky Pedia that the topsoil is not suitable as fertile soil and that we should simply cover it up. Since we will have to slope a lot on our site anyway, our level area will be limited, so the costs for obtaining fertile soil will remain manageable.
Basically, we plan to compact the soil during the fill process.
Due to our zoning plan, and after consulting with our builder, a slope as I sketched in the original thread is not possible. Unfortunately, we will have to use gentler slopes and include 1-2 berms with a minimum height of 50 cm (20 inches).
On our site, only slopes with gradients alternating between 1:2 and 1:3 are allowed. After consulting a site manager specialized in road construction, it should be stable enough without vegetation to prevent the slope from slipping. However, to avoid rill erosion caused by rainfall, he still recommends planting vegetation. Given the "gentle" incline, even grass would be sufficient for this purpose. We have not yet decided exactly how we will implement this.
A friend of mine, who has a similar slope, is considering planting ivy because it develops strong roots and grows quickly, but mostly shallow.
Considering how long you have already been here, I am surprised that you are asking a question like a newcomer. I know the forum search works poorly, but you should have come across the thread by @sichtbeton82 often enough to recognize parts of the story relevant to your plot.
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