Not everyone is lucky enough to build a country house or dacha on a flat, fairly elevated area. Many sites are far from ideal - they are located in lowlands, swampy, damaged by uneven surfaces or construction debris left over from demolished buildings. In this case, the construction of a new house should begin not with laying the foundation, but much earlier - with raising and leveling the territory. How to properly raise a plot of land in a country house or for a country house? What is the best way to sprinkle it? Find out the answers from our article.
Any work must begin with planning. Therefore, before filling the area, think everything over clearly. Where will the house be located? How will the paths be laid, flower beds, beds and lawns laid out? Will there be a garden, parking, pond? After all, technologies and materials for backfilling should be selected depending on the further use of the raised area.
As a rule, owners of land (dacha plots or for private residential development) first have two questions:
We answer. The area needs to be filled if:
Filling should ideally be carried out before construction begins. But there are times when it is necessary to raise a site with an already built house or cottage. Then the task becomes more complicated, because you need to take into account the buildings located on the territory, ready-made paths and platforms, growing trees, etc.
True, there is a plus - a lot of unnecessary soil usually remains from construction, which can be used for backfilling. This allows you to save some money. But here we will get acquainted with the simplest option and tell you how to raise the level of an area where there is nothing necessary or useful yet.
Before raising the soil at your summer cottage, you should do some preparatory work. The step-by-step development of the territory looks like this:
The most important stage here is planning. You need to thoroughly study the features of your site (similar work is carried out by specialist surveyors). Determine the groundwater level and soil type. To do this, it is enough to drill one well - from it you can “see” the entire soil profile. Important points:
In addition to the soil profile, when choosing a strategy for filling a site, it is necessary to take into account its topography. Draw a map or write down the heights and sizes of depressions and hills. You must know exactly where and how high you need to raise your site.
If the territory is very complex (swampy, with a high groundwater level, internal voids), it is better to invite a specialist to plan it. He will be able to more accurately assess all the conditions and tell you how to properly fill your site. When planning independently, it is easy to make a mistake, and this leads to large unnecessary costs.
The second important point is drainage. As a rule, in areas with high groundwater and/or peaty soils, filling alone is not enough. No matter how much sand and soil you pour in there, the moisture will not go away, and the buildings will gradually “float”. In this case, it is simply necessary to create a drainage system. It can be of two types:
Arrangement of the drainage system is a separate difficult issue. We will not consider it in detail, we will only say that it is also worth inviting a specialist to design complex drainage.
The soil (sand, crushed stone) for backfilling is selected based on several parameters:
You will also have to calculate at least the approximate amount of soil for backfilling. How to do it? On average, 100 cubic meters are needed to raise 1 hectare of land by 1 m. m of material (regular loam with sandy loam). If you need a much smaller height, use the following figures for calculations: 10 sq. m of territory can be raised by 10 cm by scattering 1 cubic meter over it. m of soil. And do not forget that after compaction and over time, the filling layer will settle by 30-60%.
A few more tips on how best to fill the area and its individual parts:
Geotextiles are sometimes used between different layers of bedding. This material does not allow different fractions of the soil to mix, “sink” and “wash away”. But geotextiles are not a cheap pleasure, and their use does not always improve the result of backfilling. In this matter, it is better to consult a specialist.
There are two types of backfill:
The type of backfill is selected at the work planning stage. We will dwell in more detail on the second option, since it is more complicated. What should be done?
This completes the process of raising the site. After completion of the work, the soil will continue to shrink for some time (up to several months). But on it you can already arrange lawns, flower beds, beds, plant trees and build a house.
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Not all owners of suburban areas are lucky with the relief. Ideally flat areas are not found today as often as we would like. The construction boom that has swept the country has baffled many regional authorities. Therefore, land for the construction of private houses outside the city began to be issued in problem areas: in lowlands, on slopes, swampy, littered. And this did not discourage developers, because the problem can be solved by filling the site. What it is, how it is carried out, what materials are used - everything is in this article.
First of all, two questions need to be resolved:
According to what principles it is determined that the site will have to be filled in in any case.
When make dumping.
The answer to the first question.
The selected area is located in the lowlands. During the rainy season and melting snow, it is constantly flooded. High groundwater level.
The territory contains not only depressions and lowlands, but also heights, which interfere with landscaping in the compartment.
If part of the site is swampy and even in the summer heat it does not dry out.
If passing through the village the road is higher. The same applies to neighboring areas.
If the soil on the territory of a summer cottage littered: household waste, used building materials, extensive contamination with fuels and lubricants, etc.
Strong slope.
The answer to the second question is that backfilling is best done before construction begins. Here the time of year does not matter. Sometimes there are problem areas where some buildings have already been erected. In this case, leveling processes are more difficult to carry out. But there is also a plus - from the construction, the soil selected for the foundation remains, which is used for backfilling. That is, there is a certain amount of savings. But in this article we will talk about areas where construction has not yet been carried out.
Before proceeding directly to leveling the territory, it is necessary to carry out a significant amount of preparatory work in stages. Here is the phased development plan:
if there are old buildings, then they demolished;
carry out clearing;
carry out layout;
if there is a need, they lay it drainage system;
and herself backfill.
From the entire list presented, an important point is planning. First of all, geodetic surveys are carried out. That is, they call surveyors who drill a well and determine the groundwater level and soil composition. It’s clear from the UGV. If it is high, then you will have to lay drainage. But what does the composition of the soil give?
Firstly, this concerns the soil - the fertile layer. It is not recommended to fall asleep. Therefore, before starting leveling work, it is removed. Therefore, it is very important to know the thickness of the soil layer.
Typically the soil is removed and dumped off-site. After backfilling, it is backfilled into place. Even when carrying out a large volume of excavation work of this type, it is more profitable than purchasing fertile land externally and bringing it to your own site. If the soil is unsuitable for further improvement, for example, it is as littered as possible, then there is no point in touching it.
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Secondly, much will depend on what kind of soil is located under the fertile layer. If it is clay, then it is probably what caused the waterlogging. After all, it is known that clay practically does not allow water to pass through it. In the surveyor's report, attention should be paid to the thickness of the clay layer. If it is insignificant, then the best option is to remove it and take it away. Then fill the area with sand or gravel-sand mixture. And fill it with soil on top. If the thickness of the clay layer is significant, then there is no point in touching it. The problem will have to be solved by constructing a drainage system.
And one more point regarding the planning of a suburban area. Here, too, you cannot do without a specialist. This concerns the terrain. That is, on the territory of the dacha there are always depressions and hills. So you need to accurately determine their depth and height accordingly. This is necessary in order to determine the thickness of the filling layer. If the differences are high enough, it is probably worth using the services of a bulldozer or grader to level the area as much as possible.
And the last thing is drainage. This engineering system is usually installed in swampy areas and at high groundwater levels. You can’t do without it, even if you fill it in a large layer. The moisture will still tend to rise. As for drainage, these are either open ditches or pipework throughout the entire area, laid below the groundwater level. Drainage is a broad topic; we will not discuss it in this article.
There are a few more points that need to be taken into account when thinking through the layout. This is the location of the main house and household buildings, car areas, paths and alleys. Will a pond be built on the territory of the summer cottage, where lawns and flower beds, a garden and a vegetable garden will be located? This is an important point, because it determines what technology will be used for filling, and what materials will be used for this.
In fact, materials are selected taking into account two criteria:
height fills;
for what object it is produced.
For example, if the thickness of the leveling layer does not exceed 40 cm, then it is ideal to fill the area with soil, meaning fertile. Today there are companies that produce soil, so purchasing such soil is not a problem. It costs a lot of money, and transportation is not cheap. But this is the only option.
Someone may be thinking about whether to cut off the fertile layer somewhere in a waste area, so to speak, a no-man's land. Remember one thing: all land belongs to the state. Any work carried out on it must have a license or permit. If there is none, then you can’t touch the ground. If you start exporting soil without permission, you will be caught, fined, forced to take the soil back, and perhaps a criminal case will be opened.
Let's return to the dumping. So, if the thickness of the leveling layer exceeds the figure indicated above, then it is better to fill it in two layers. The bottom one is made of cheap materials on which plants cannot live. The top is fertile soil.
For example, the bottom layer is filling the area with crushed stone (recycled, that is, used), broken bricks, sand and gravel mixture, excavated soil, etc. Note the excavated soil. If major construction is taking place near your suburban area, then when digging a pit, the soil is considered waste material. Its builders must dispose of it. Therefore, it costs a penny, and you can even buy it for free. And if your site is located closer than the territory where the excavated soil is disposed of, then the builders will be very happy to drop off several cars for you with their transport.
Regarding the amount of material required. The calculation is quite simple. It is based on the thickness of the applied layer. For example, to fill 1 m² with a height of 1 m, you will need 1 m³ of fill material. But keep in mind the fact that sand, soil, crushed stone or gravel will shrink by 30-60% over time under the influence of various loads. That is, sand and soil will sink more than broken bricks, gravel or crushed stone.
At the sites for green spaces Be sure to backfill with sand. Under beds, the sand layer should not be less than 30 cm, under lawns within 10-15 cm.
Under the driveways, under car areas, under paths it is better to fill crushed stone. However, it should be noted that this material is expensive. Therefore, so-called secondary crushed stone is used. This is a granular material obtained by crushing construction waste. Brick, concrete structures, asphalt, etc. are used as raw materials.
What kind of crushed stone is needed for backfilling a summer cottage plot - a question asked by many private developers. It is better to lay a fraction of 20-40 mm under driveways and platforms, and 5-20 mm under sidewalks. Take into account the fact that bedding made from large granules shrinks more, and it is not a fact that the settlement will occur evenly.
Better for heavy buildings add sand.
Experts recommend The fill should be made of the same material as the soil on the site. For example, if the soil at a construction site is loamy, then it is better to add loam. A strong bond is formed between the layers, which means that the surface of the new layer will not sag. For example, if crushed stone is poured onto loam, the stones will simply begin to “sink” into the softer material under the influence of loads.
Many people make a mistake using clay as a filler. This material is dense, it does not allow water to pass through it well, so there is a possibility of the formation of wetlands. If there is no other material, then the clay will have to be mixed with sand.
Some experts recommend between backfill layers lay geotextiles. This non-woven material does not allow materials located in different layers to mix. But geotextiles are not a cheap material. And its installation does not always lead to a high quality of the final result. In any case, you need to consult a specialist.
The video shows how the problem area was filled with geotextiles:
It should be immediately noted that there are two options for backfilling.
Surface. That is, the material for leveling the territory of a suburban area is simply delivered and leveled.
Deep. To do this, the fertile soil is removed, fill material is brought in, and the removed soil is poured on top of the latter.
The backfill option is selected at the planning stage. The first one is the simplest, so let’s talk about the second one.
Clearing the area suburban area: demolish buildings, remove large debris, dig up trees and shrubs along with their roots.
Remove the fertile layer and store it nearby outside the site. For example, the depth of fertile soil in non-black earth areas is 10-20 cm.
Lay a drainage system.
Along the perimeter of the site build a strip foundation a height that will be 5-10 cm higher than the height of the fill. The foundation structure is necessary so that the imported fill material does not “float away” during subsequent operation. The foundation can be abandoned only if the area around the site is higher.
All is ready, you can start dumping. The materials purchased for backfilling are laid out in layers of 10-15 cm, which are compacted. Before applying the top layer, you need to give it 2-3 days so that the bottom layer can settle at least a little completely.
Experts recommend immediately building on such a site don't study. It is necessary to give at least a year for the laid layers to take their final form. At the same time, it is recommended to plant plants with a branched root system, for example, winter rye, throughout the entire territory. It will help increase the density and strength of the earth. Although in areas where it is planned to organize a lawn or flower beds, a garden or a vegetable garden, landscaping work can be carried out. There is no point in waiting in this case.
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The content of the article:
Raising the level of a land plot is the filling of soil in order to eliminate problems associated with the unsuccessful location of the plot. Sometimes they are located in lowlands, wetlands or areas full of construction waste. In this case, the arrangement begins with measures to raise and level the terrain. We'll talk about how to do the job correctly in this article.
In many cases, the need to raise the soil is not always obvious the first time. To make a decision, you need to study the following points:
The work of arranging the allotment is usually carried out first, even before the construction of the house begins. If such a decision is made after many years of operation, the task becomes more complicated, because you have to take into account the location of already constructed buildings, paths, green spaces, etc. Let's consider the simplest case of raising a section, when nothing interferes with the process.
Rules for choosing soil for backfilling:
The most qualitative research will be carried out by surveyors, but the main characteristics can be determined independently:
The foundation is built as follows:
To create a new site level, perform the following operations:
In this case, the work is performed in the following sequence:
Lawns are very common in summer cottages, and at first glance they are very easy to create. In fact, creating a beautiful grass area is not such an easy task. Before raising the ground level of an area to create a lawn, examine the condition of the plot to determine the feasibility of raising it.
If there is constant flooding, you should make sure that there is no clay under the fertile layer. It will not allow water to escape, even if the groundwater is deep. If a clay layer is detected, it must be removed and covered with sand and chernozem on top. If the clay layer is very thick and cannot be removed, create a good drainage system.
If there is a road above the lawn area, it is better to raise the level with sandy soil. To prevent it from being washed away, dig concrete slabs around the perimeter of the lawn to a depth of at least 20 cm, and they should protrude 3-4 cm above the soil.
First, dig a hole 30-40 cm deep, then pour sand in a layer of 10-12 cm. It should be strongly compacted using a vibrating plate. The loose mass helps to quickly remove excess moisture. Pour the previously removed soil on top, as a result of which the level will rise by at least 5-6 cm. To plant grass, fill the area with special fertile soil into which the seeds are poured.
The total thickness of the layer under the lawn can reach 20 cm. Under the garden beds, the layer should be at least 30 cm.
There are open and closed drainage. An open system is the simplest option for draining a site. These are ditches up to 0.7 m deep and about 0.6 m wide with a slope in one direction. A layer of crushed stone and sand 10-15 cm thick is poured onto the bottom. Water seeps through the walls of the trench and flows out independently in the desired direction.
A closed system is more complex to implement. It will require factory-made drainage pipes. The trenches are made with a slope of 7 cm over a length of 1 m. It is recommended to direct the water towards the lowest place or into the pool.
Near buildings, ditches are dug along the perimeter of the buildings. They can be placed frequently in garden plots, especially if clay soils are present. The depth depends on the composition of the soil. For clays and loams, ditches are dug up to 1 m. In any case, they should be located below the freezing level of the soil characteristic of the area. It is better to dig ditches in the form of a “herringbone” - one central trench and several additional ones that connect to it. The main line carries water outside the site.
A cushion of crushed stone and sand is poured onto the bottom of the ditch. After installing the pipeline, cover it with geotextile to protect it from dirt getting inside. From above everything is covered with sand, crushed stone and fertile soil. Highways are usually decorated to provide an aesthetic appearance.
How to raise the level of a site - watch the video:
In the photo: filling the area with sand
During spring melting of snow or periods of heavy rain, many suburban areas are subject to flooding. This is expressed in the formation of puddles on the surface of the earth or the loss of bearing capacity of the soil (the earth is too soft). The need to fill up a ditch or raise a plot in a dacha may also arise due to a constant high level of groundwater, when even in the hot summer months the water level in the well is close to the surface. In any case, the abundance of water negatively affects the foundation of buildings, the root system of plants and the appearance of lawn grass.
To eliminate such problems, the ZEMLECHIST company carries out raising of the site at the dacha. We offer filling the territory with various types of soil to increase the filtering properties of the soil or generally improve the relief.
Changing the elevation marks on the site requires carrying out a high-altitude survey with a level and determining the volume of soil filling. It is very difficult to determine volumes by eye, and even more so over the phone, but to determine the preliminary cost, the ZEMLECHIST company uses its own method of average calculations. To find out the price for raising your site, just call the numbers on the website or leave a request in the form below. You can also calculate the estimate yourself using the prices from the table below.
Moving the slider to the sides, see how the level of the area has changed after adding soil. Click the right and left arrows to view different examples of work.
The choice of materials for raising a site at the dacha depends on the goals set and is carried out after an inspection of the area by an engineer. In most cases, the best solution is to pour a layer of sand, but if the area is large and the height of the site is raised, this can be expensive. Then, instead of sand, you can use sand soil or any other leveling soil - sandy loam, loam, clay - to fill the area.
Raising the area to a height of more than 10 cm with fertile soil is not recommended for two reasons. Firstly, the material of good composition is expensive, this can hit the budget. Secondly, fertile soil is usually quite loose. And for normal growth and fixation of plants, including lawn grass, the root system needs to cling to something. A layer 7–10 cm thick is sufficient for nutrition, and a layer of denser soil underneath is desirable. Sandy soil or loam is just suitable for these purposes. Thus, the area can be raised with less expensive material, and covered with fertilization on top.
1) The site is swampy; there is a lot of water in the ground all year round.
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This happens when the site is located in a lowland or the groundwater level in this area is close to the surface of the earth. In any case, filling the area will literally allow you to rise above the water. The higher the area rises, the drier it will be. In the case of wetlands, it is difficult to predict the required volume of soil, because during filling it can sink under its own weight and further compact the underlying layers.
2) The area is below the level of the road or neighboring property.
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In fact, such an area also turns out to be in a lowland, which means water from higher areas will flow onto it. Moreover, flooding may not occur all the time, namely during heavy rain or seasonal snow melting, when the influx of water is significant. By measuring the area of the site and the required average rise, the volume of soil for filling is calculated, and a reserve for compaction is added.
3) The site has a strong slope; it is necessary to raise the lower edge to the level of the upper one.
More details
The problem can be solved by importing leveling soil or sand soil in the required volume with its subsequent shrinkage during the year. At the same time, there is an important nuance: how the height difference will be strengthened. This can be a natural slope from the ground, if free space allows or the construction of a retaining wall is required. The decision must be made at the site survey stage and included in the final estimate for filling the site.
All work on the site must be completed before filling. Even before starting, it is advisable to lay the foundation of large objects, taking into account the future ground level.
The activities assume the following sequence:
In the photo: the flooded area before backfilling
In the photo: the work of equipment when raising the site
In the photo: the area after filling
Professional approach to site elevation
Raising a plot of land in a dacha requires professional measurement of heights with a level and correct calculation of backfill volumes. In complex cases (for example, multi-level areas), we perform calculations in the GeoniCS software package and build a cartogram of the movement of earth masses. It is quite difficult to determine the elevation height of the site, much less the required volume of soil, by eye. That is why you should trust an operation of such complexity only to professionals.
My grandfather was allocated a garden plot in 1980. The dacha is already 4 acres! At that time, luxury and the dream of many. When the euphoria passed, it turned out that a place for a garden was allocated in a lowland and after heavy rains or melting snow, rice could be grown on it. Kidding.
All the fruit trees got wet during the winter and almost all efforts to create a picturesque corner of nature came to naught. More than thirty years have passed, I already have children, and we decided to defeat the elements, raise a garden plot, build a new house and come here to relax in the lap of nature.
We looked through a lot of literature on raising areas and decided to do it like in Holland, fortunately they are experts at such tricks. Here's what we got...
Here in the photo is the house that my grandfather erected on the site back in the 80s. More precisely, it is an extension to an extension to the small original house. No matter how hard we tried to jack it up, nothing worked, so we made a drastic decision - to demolish it!
Because it is beautiful only on the outside, but inside there is eternal dampness, mold and the absence of the benefits of civilization.
