I recently encountered a water issue in my basement, so I am lengthening my current downspout and making sure there is a slope away from my foundation. This makes me wonder how it's possible for people to have nice landscaping like bushes near their house and foundation without introducing water problems. If I add clay heavy soil to grade my yard around the foundation, won't a plant "cut a hole" so to speak in this impermeable soil? If I water the plants then I will be introducing water near my foundation as well. Perhaps the irrigation for the plants would be peanuts compared to trapped rainfall against my foundation due to a negative grade.
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having waterproof basement walls and floor is a large part of the battle. these features are hard to retrofit.– JasenCommented Jul 3 at 3:38
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1"Perhaps the irrigation for the plants would be peanuts compared to trapped rainfall against my foundation due to a negative grade." - there it is.– whatsisnameCommented Jul 3 at 6:25
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@whatsisname Sometimes it's good to hear things said back to you. Thanks for taking the time to comment on my question.– qq4Commented Jul 3 at 12:59
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1 Answer
The number one solution to protecting the foundation is drainage. It may be enough for the drainage to be at the top of the soil, sloping away from the house. If not, consider something like a french drain that drains water from below the level of the house.
I wouldn't worry about bushes piercing the soil. First, soil generally isn't exactly waterproof, water-resistant at most. Second, drainage occurs below the soil top as well as at the top of the soil. If water is getting trapped against the foundation and the soil is graded away, you have bigger problems and need a bigger solution. In that case, the drainage below the soil is insufficient. You'll have to dig down, preferably below the level of the slab and fix the drainage there (french drain, etc.).
Perhaps the irrigation for the plants would be peanuts compared to trapped rainfall against my foundation due to a negative grade.
Unless you are leaving a hose running day and night (and perhaps even then), this water will be considerably less than what you get from a good rainfall. Drain-into-the-basement water tends to be on the level of filling in a swimming pool, not a few buckets worth of water, even if only a small amount enters the basement. The water usually has other options than just the basement. It's only when the other options are overwhelmed that it flows into the basement.
Your yard should have sufficient drainage away from the house to keep the water from being trapped next to the foundation. The top of the soil issue is that if you grade down toward the house, (some of) the water may run to the house before sinking into the soil. Then you have a bunch of water next to the house that may have trouble draining away.
Below the top, the water may be sitting on top of a layer of clay. That may drain toward the house. When that happens, it is often simplest to add a french drain near the house, preferably below the level of the slab, to drain the water away.
