What is the simplest/least expensive way to level off that back corner? I feel like it’s just by hand with a shovel, but maybe I’m missing an easier technique.
The goal is to have the playhouse set back into the corner and add the water table next to it, on a small flat mulched or gravel area, then plant a kid friendly garden on the slope to the main area of the yard, with stepping stones through it.
Suggestions and tips appreciated!
by moriganrising
15 Comments
I can’t tell exactly how many tons of topsoil, but you want a tri-axle to back up and dump right there. I’d start at 10 tons.
If you level it, your fence is gonna be all jacked up. Make sure whatever you do, you factor in that aggravation.
Dirt
Make sure that slope wasn’t purposely put like that for a drainage swale or that you don’t create water drainage in your yard issues. Good luck!
That looks like a drainage swale running diagonal across your yard from the corner of the patio. I’d give it a rainy season to see how the water flows before adjusting grades.
I think if you try to only level that area and the put load on it like the play house or kids running around on it over time it’ll start to go with the flow of the slope.
Likely the best solution would be to level the whole thing. If that’s not an option you may consider leveling from 10’ out of the fence from both sides until they meet. Then building in supports into the ground that keep the dirt or whatever you use from sliding. This will likely result in you digging into the ground to create a reinforcement and then attaching boards up to make a retaining wall for the product you use. It looks like the middle of the photo area is sort of a swale so you’d have to factor that in as well with the area you built on.
May be worth seeing if anyone offers free quotes for this in your area. Could give you an idea of price of materials and labor, and you may find it’s better to let someone else do it.
Edit to add: if you only need such a small space can’t you just buy a 5×5 sand box, slap some dirt or whatever you want in it and the put it on your poured patio? Looks like it would fit and would be the simplistic solution. Not to mention if there’s rainy days they wouldn’t have to walk through 30 feet of mud to go play and then track it all over.
You could start a few feet away from your fence and start digging down till you can make a flat spot large enough for the play thing. Maybe make a little rock patio type thing.
The cheapest way is with a shovel. The second cheapest way would be to hire some day workers from outside of a Home Depot.
This really isn’t a project that needs to be over-engineered. Dig out a couple inches from the high side and throw it onto the low side. Give yourself a nice deep shovel edge all the way around it. Toss down some weed fabric to reduce silting, and fill the area with gravel. The shovel edge you cut in will significantly reduce stone migration into the lawn.
While the cheapest way is with a shovel, you may want to call a local rental company and see how much a walk behind skid steer costs to have delivered for a day. A little dingo with a bucket would make light work of leveling that out. You could save some money by have a supply yard deliver a yard or 2 of stone, and just run it back with the machine. It could take a day project and knock it down to 2 hours. The learning curve to run a walk behind is very low, and at the end of the day your back won’t hurt
If you do lop it down a little and the gap under the fence looks weird, maybe get a couple storage-type boxes/benches the kids can keep their yard toys in. Or planter boxes they could grow vegetables in.
Dynamite
Raised flower bed w/ paver retainer
Terrace it
Would level and slope to end of property, but would probably look to sink some dry wells in. Looks like a drainage ditch as mentioned above.
This has so many opportunities without leveling the ground, and the playhouse would sit higher.
Build a retaining wall close to the fence