This last weekend was a mixed bag o' tricks. We worked on a variety of smaller, misc projects...mostly outside stuff. The biggest player that has my attention right now is handling rain run-off around the gar/apt foundation. Installing the gutters last fall was a huge improvement, but we are still getting splashing from the driven rain hitting the soil. I don't want to continually subject the bottom rows of the new siding to this splashing exposure, so we are incorporating gutter flow control with foundation perimeter control. We started with the uphill side of the structure and cut a trench for the entire 44' length, using the laser to maintain a gentle slope.
- A heavy guage landscape fabric is laid in, along with perforated 4" drain line. The holes in the perf pipe are set to each side so the bottom of the pipe will be a gutter. - The gutter at the corner where the soil main exits is a bit awkward, but we manage - The gutter downspout at the other end is a straighter shot and gets a similar entry into the drain. River rock is shoveled in to cover it all up and help hold the pipe stable and in place. - The exit end disappears underground into a solid drain pipe and pops out about 15 feet away from the foundation, draining out into the yard. - - The backside of the structure is a bit simpler since there are no gutters entering. We start it at that same soil pipe and run it down to the corner. We have to work around the utility stuff. - The perf holes on this pipe are set so that one row is very near the bottom of the trench. There will be no gutter feeding into this portion of the pipe, so we only want to collect whatever run-off will collect into the trench and give it an easy route down a very gentle slope. - This is about as far as we got during this trip. This last drain run will turn around the corner and continue along the foundation, also collecting the other 2 gutter downspouts at that side. It will also run out underground and empty further out into the yard. - I gotta get a tractor with an FEL...
