Slope towards or away on a hill?


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Old 08-21-19, 03:24 PM
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Slope towards or away on a hill?

How would you slope a patio when your house is on a hill?

The back yard slopes to the house and the front yard slopes away. (So presumably rain should roll down to the street). I also know some extra drainage systems were added to the property.

I'd like to add a patio out back. But if I slope away from the house, that would just make a V and create puddles. If I slope it towards, that just creates puddles on the foundation. It seems to make more sense to slope towards a corner of the house to get the water to go around. Right? I'm also reading about permeable pavers. I'm wondering if that is a smarter move.

Any suggestions?
 
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Old 08-21-19, 04:08 PM
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The patio MUST slope away from the house for drainage. You have to do whatever is needed to keep water away from the house. You don't want to slope it so water flows along the house and you don't want permeable pavers to let the water soak in near your home.
 
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Old 08-21-19, 04:19 PM
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I would slope it away from the house... and if grade permits and the patio is symmetrical, maybe slope 1/2 of it to the left and 1/2 of it to the right. And incorporate some drainage... something like this. Then bury some drain tile pipe that will carry that runoff around the sides of the house. Adding a patio means 100% of that water is going to be runoff, so I would definitely come up with a plan to help that water get downhill. But you HAVE to maintain slope on the grade behind the house... hopefully at least 1/2" per foot for the first 10'.

The best landscapers would pour a concrete pad that slopes the right directions, with drainage and catch basins as needed, then backfill over that with rock and fines, tamping it all down before laying your pavers. That way your pavers could be level, or close to it, while still having the proper drainage underneath.
 
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Old 08-21-19, 09:40 PM
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Thanks for the input. But I was hoping for more practical responses. I'm well aware I need to control water flow. But I'd like to reiterate that my yard slopes towards the house. Not away. So on grade patio slopes towards the house. And I have never ever seen a house with an idealized grade away from it. And I've seen and owned some really old homes with no issues. An idealized grade would mean nearly every patio near a house has a retaining wall else it would noticeably slope too much if it were on grade. I cannot remember the last raised patio I've seen outside of pictures. It's just not how homes are built and maintained.
 
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Old 08-21-19, 11:05 PM
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XSleeper knows his stuff. If you want to blow him off, go right ahead. I wouldn't but that's just me.
 
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Old 08-21-19, 11:10 PM
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And I have never ever seen a house with an idealized grade away from it.
Stop by and I'll show you one.

You need to seperate the patio from the yard. In no circumstance do you ever want your patio pitched toward the house, all that is going to do is dump large amounts of water right at the foundation wall.

So now that is resolved you have to figure out how to manage the water flow that is coming from the back which is as simple as making swales that direct the water around the patio and house to more complex french drainage systems depending on the conditions!

Either way, water has to be directed away from the foundation!
 
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Old 08-22-19, 03:35 AM
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If you refuse to regrade, it sounds like you need an elevated deck, not a patio.
 
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Old 08-24-19, 08:48 AM
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Ok. Thanks everyone. I'm not trying to blow anyone off. And I dont doubt people here are very knowledgeable. But I live on a mountain. regrading means knocking down multiple neighbors houses and cutting down a mountain. Or some other crazy thing. It's not realistic. These homes have been here for decades. I'm not saying there aren't homes out there with the proper grade. I'm just saying that from what I see it's not the norm. Maybe in your area it is and that's fine. I haven't looked at millions of homes. It's just not been my experience. Given the proper situation. Sure. I'll fix that and I did for one home in the past.

Whats frustrating is I dont need a quote from wikipedia. Which is all I'm getting. Or "get a professional cause you suck" responses. I was hoping that I would be able discuss like this like adults and I'm instead getting grandstanding comments that are condescending. Instead of trusting that I know enough about my situation and asking clarifying questions...the responses im getting are basically "no your dumb, dont do this do what I say and deal with it. I'm better than you." Which is not constructive or helpful. I acknowledge that the way I asked my question probably didn't help.

I'm not so stupid to funnel water and pool it to my foundation. My questions are about how best to channel water around my house for MY situation. Not discuss wikipedia. I have a pretty good idea of how to get it done. And I've been discussing it with my neighbors who are in a similar situation and currently have patios. So I appreciate everyone's time and input. But I'll likely look elsewhere to have this discussion.

Good luck everyone.
 

Last edited by Ryan Grapp; 08-24-19 at 09:04 AM.
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Old 08-24-19, 12:22 PM
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Dude, either provide enough information, like pictures, that explain how you're different or you're going to get the basics to start.

Then, insulting people who are here on their free time trying to help....
 

Last edited by stickshift; 08-24-19 at 01:45 PM. Reason: typo
Shadeladie voted this post useful.
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Old 08-24-19, 12:38 PM
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Don't pout...... post some pictures for us........ How-to-insert-pictures.
 
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Old 08-24-19, 04:00 PM
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Jeez, that's the best way to never get any more replies that I have ever seen.
 
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Old 08-24-19, 04:53 PM
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I was hoping that I would be able discuss like this like adults and I'm instead getting grandstanding comments that are condescending.
Whoa, you got some great comments/directions/advice, you seem to have some preconceived expectations that you didn't like/want to hear, sorry, I think the audience will agree we're just trying to help!!!
 
 

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