Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a slope towards the house. We installed a concrete slab patio and made sure the grading was away from the house. No issues.

Could you please share who did this work for you? We are currently looking to do the same. Thanks.

We had a similar project with a slab to slope away from the house using cemented flagstone. In the end a concrete specialist had the best deal for the work because we had a large concrete pad.

http://www.creativeconcrete.com/
http://www.steadfastinc.com/
http://www.concretemastersolutions.com/
http://www.Deckscapesofva.com
http://www.deckoratorsva.com/

Don't risk it. We live in a hilly area. Our yard slopes back and its great when it rains (we had to reroute the water flow but it was no big deal). Our neighbors behind us/below have lots of problems. I'd never buy a house on the low ground or water running toward the house if possible.

Anonymous wrote:We have a slope towards the house. We installed a concrete slab patio and made sure the grading was away from the house. No issues.

Could you please share who did this work for you? We are currently looking to do the same. Thanks.

Is the house at the base of a hill? My lot slopes toward the house (in the back) but then I am 15 above street level still and then STILL only halfway down the ridge. So the water doesn't pool in the backyard against the foundation. That being said, I also have installed french drains and have never seen water in the basement (no sump either).

Anonymous wrote:Most likely it is fine/ You will smell a water problem.

SO not always (or even usually) true.

I would not buy a home with a yard that slopes down toward the home. I have seen too many with water issues. Of course you can try to address the issue with grading, pumps, etc., but do you really want to be anxious every time there is rain that you might lose power?

We have a yard that sloped towards the house but the lot is large and the grading made the flow go around the house and end up in a swail at the street.

I would not buy a house on a small lot with the slope because there just isn't space to grade. I would never buy a house with exterior basement stairs below grade.

Don't risk it unless you're getting a good discount for taking that kind of risk. I wouldn't do it. Potential cost is too high for me.

We have a sloping backyard that becomes a slushy mess with big downfalls. It all drains within day and we have never had problems in our basement for going on 10 years - even through hurricanes and derechos.

Be on the lookout for fresh paint on the floors and walls of the basement. That often covers up water problems. I'd also be more worried if it is a new build -- it hasn't been tested in adverse conditions. You should also ask the owners directly if there have been any water problems (although most seller's agents won't let you do this -- in order to protect their clients). In MoCo, water issues must be disclosed to buyers -- but even then, I don't think everyone is honest. Certainly a backyard sloping toward a home is not an ideal situation.

We have a slope towards the house. We installed a concrete slab patio and made sure the grading was away from the house. No issues.

Most likely it is fine/ You will smell a water problem.

Too little info to say; it could be an issue, and it isnt ideal at the very least.

But have your own inspection; ignore the seller's agent's inspection. Conflict of interest much?

If there is a sump or a French drain, they have probably had water problems - or threat of them - at some point. Be sure to ask the inspector to check for signs of water. Really, though - you would smell it and know. Water cannot hide that easily, especially a water problem. A sloping down yard is no big deal. Proper swails handle water and a slushy mess in the yard is fine. Good, in fact. You don't want a slushy mess in the house!

Is there possibility of water damage to the foundation? We saw several houses with backyards sloping towards the house. In one case, the backyard was a slushy mess after a morning of rain but the selling agent said they had done a home inspection and there was no water damage. They did not have any French drains.