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Remembering the time my new patio slope sent a river into my basement
I was putting in a small flagstone patio behind my house in Springfield about five years ago, and I was so focused on getting the stones level with each other that I totally messed up the overall slope. I mean, I must have been off by just a couple of degrees. The first big rainstorm hit, and instead of draining away from the house, all the water ran right down against the foundation. I went downstairs and there was a steady trickle coming in through the corner of the basement wall. I had to grab my shovel and a bag of quick-set concrete in the pouring rain to build a small emergency trench to divert the water. It was a huge mess, and I had to pull up about a third of the stones the next weekend to re-grade the whole base with more gravel. Has anyone else had a drainage plan go sideways and had to fix it in a panic?
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jennifer8331d ago
Yeah, that's the worst... I ended up using a long level and a garden hose to test the slope before I put the pavers down the second time.
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wesleyb201d ago
My uncle taught me that hose trick years ago, it's saved me so much time. I use a clear vinyl tube now because you can see the water level easier. For a patio I did last fall, I checked the slope every four feet to be sure. That extra step makes all the difference when the rain comes.
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