lexy asked:


I raked in some bags of top soil and reseeded a very large section of my lawn (a walkway was moved) but the area is very soft and you sink in about 4 inches if you step there.

Is there something I can use instead of a lawn roller? I don’t have one… Thanks

Ms M asked:


I am installing an underground drainage system to handle water from my gutter downspouts. We get heavy rains here, so the system is badly needed.

A landscape company incorrectly installed psuedo french drains. (Very long story.) They surrounded and covered the the drainage pipe and immediate surrounding area with ABC, which I guess is normally used as a base for pouring concrete. (I don’t think they compacted it after they spread it. Because when you walk on it you sink. Although there is less sinking when you walk over it as time goes by. This actually cause the area to go out of level with the compaction of the soil.

Unlink the landscaping company who installed the french drains, I will be laying down about an inch of gravel below and above the pipe before I fill in the trench with dirt. So the dirt will go on top of gravel. And more gravel/landscaping rock will go onto of any fill dirt.

Was/is ABC the best material to use for this application? Or would regular fill dirt be better? If it matters, I think the soil around here is high in clay content, so I bet the fill dirt will be as well.

I’m wondering if I can just reuse their ABC when I install my pipes, or if I should haul it away and use fill dirt instead? Maybe a combo or ABC and fill dirt?

Slightly unrelated question, when would you use sand in a landscaping project, other than a top dressing for a play area?

edward s268 asked:


Recently constructed (self) 10X12 room resting on 7 wood post supports that fit into premade concrete blocks resting on ground has begun sinking on one side. The sinking on one side of the room was due to 2 recent floods that have washed out soil and dirt around the concrete block supports on the left side of the room. Again these supports are simply wood posts that go into a premade concrete block that rest on top of the ground. When building the room i knew that we would have shifting/sinking problems due to the nature of the supports and i personally voted against using them and told my Father that we should instead lay a traditional concrete block footer to rest the room on. The room has laterally moved 5 inches plus the the left and some visible “twisting” of the roof can be seen.

nova_queen_28 asked:


I moved over the winter and and am just getting round to planting my garden. I cleared the grass off the garden area last night and as I sunk my shovel into the dirt and attempted to turn it I discovered the dirt is more like super-clay.
I found alot of worms, which made me feel better about the dirt, but its awfully hard to turn and mix it around.

I’m planning to plant some flowers for now and add bulbs come fall.

Should I leave the dirt alone, just turn it as best I can, or should I try to mix in some non-clay top soil or other fertilizer?

Any suggestions, thoughts or ideas on what I can do would be greatly appreciated. I want to take advantage of the next two cool days to finish up.

THANKS in advance!

Kate A asked:


Last summer, moles devastated it. The lawn has numerous holes and bare spots and it is really soft underneath. You walk on it, and it feels like you are sinking. How do we fix this?

Also, a couple of years ago, we redid the whole lawn (roter tilled, new soil, new seed). But we did not do a good job. The lawn is not flat and is uneven with lots of bumps. How can we fix this?

I am looking for creative solutions. We do not really have the resources to redo the lawn again at this time. I just want it to be safe for the kids to run around in the summer.

Thanks!!

Chris asked:


The previous owner of my home placed an underground drainage system for the rain gutters on this home. Now along what I believe is the path of this drainage there are several sink holes forming that vary from one foot wide to nearly three feet wide. I know sink holes will continue to wash out if not stopped so what do I need to do to stop this ‘washing out’ of sub-surface soil? I have been told to dig them out down to the drainage system and place sand and gravel at the bottom and place soil on top of that, is this the best approach or should I do something else? Please help before I lose my back yard! Thank you in advance!

kat asked:


Hi, I live in Oregon and we get a lot of rain. So my question is We have a lot of clay in our soil that gets really wet, muddy and sinks way down when the horses walk into it. I am wondering what I can put over it to remedy this. I thought about gravel, but would it also just sink down into the mud? OR sand then gravel? Please help me find a solution. Thanks in advance.

Joyce S asked:


I rent a small, one bedroom cabin for $600 a month. I cannot flush the toilet, drain the sink or shower because everything backs up into the shower stall. I discovered the sewer line is draining on top of the ground (landlord has tried to cover this up with soil and leaves). It smells and I don’t feel he is entitled to rent money until he fixes the problem. I have reported him to the town but no action has taken place. Most of the time I stay elsewhere or shower at a friends. If the problem gets fixed, do I owe him all of the back rent?

The Joker asked:


PLEASE give detailed answers….

My dad bought a house in Florida and half of it is sinking. There’s a few cracks in the walls and part of the floor isn’t leveled. What can be done to the bottom so it can remain stable?

My physics teacher said that since it’s in Florida, the bottom of the soil could be forming a cave due to the dryness of water underneath.

What should my dad do? He’s willing to fix it himself since he knows how to work with this stuff, but he’s a bit worried about this and wouldn’t want to make a mistake.
my dad bought it just last year and I don’t think anyone inspected it.
and the house is barely about 30 yrs old.