Caring for Your Home

Main Topic Index » Topics E through L

Grading and Drainage

The final grades around your home have been inspected and approved for proper drainage of your lot.

Typically, the grade around your home should slope 1 foot in the first 10 feet, tapering to a 2 percent slope. In many cases, drainage swales do not follow property boundaries. Maintain the slopes around your home to permit the water to drain away from the home as rapidly as possible. This is essential to protect your foundation. Failure to do so can result in major structural damage and will void your warranty.

Do not remove the splash blocks or downspout extensions from under the downspouts. Keep these in place at all times, sloped so the water drains away from your home quickly.

Rototilling can significantly change drainage swales. You can minimize this by rototilling parallel to the swales rather than across them.

The area we excavated for your home's foundation was larger than the home to allow room to work. In addition, some trenching is necessary for installation of utility lines. Although we replaced and compacted the soil, it does not return to its original density. Some settling will occur, especially after prolonged or heavy rainfall. Settling can continue for several years. Inspect the perimeter of your home routinely for signs of settling and fill settled areas with dirt not mulch as needed to maintain positive drainage.

See also Landscaping.

We established the final grade to ensure adequate drainage away from the home. Maintaining this drainage is your responsibility. If you alter the drainage pattern after closing, or if changes in drainage occur due to lack of maintenance, the limited warranty is void.

Backfilled or excavated areas around the foundation and at utility trenches should not interfere with the drainage away from your home. If these areas settle during the first year, Oliver Homes will fill the areas one time and subsequently will provide you with fill dirt one time to maintain positive drainage.

You are responsible for weather-related washouts from the closing date after the final grade has been established, whichever occurs last.

Oliver Homes documents the grades that exist at the time of delivery of your home or as soon thereafter as possible. The ground must be dry and free of frost to make these determinations. Once final grades are set, Oliver Homes will inspect drainage problems reported in writing during the warranty period, compare grades to those originally established, and advise you on corrective actions you might take.

Oliver Homes does not alter drainage patterns to suit individual landscape plans. Typically, a lot receives water from and passes water on to other lots, so changes in grade often affect adjacent or nearby lots. Oliver Homes advises against making such changes. After heavy rain or snow, water may stand in swales up to 48 hours.

Winter Grading

Due to weather conditions, especially during winter and early spring, the final grade may not have been established at the time of closing. We document the status of your grading at the time of delivery. When conditions permit, grading work will continue. Confirm that we have completed your grading before beginning landscaping.