The third, and not so final, phase was to dig up the yard closest to the house and fill it in in such a way that it would direct water away from the house. When we get heavy rains, the basement becomes damp and very aromatic, in a not so good kinda way. It takes on that basement smell, times 3 (if the rains are long and hard), and travels upstairs. Not cool!
So, my goal was to start on the outside and redirect the water from the yard, reducing the amount of moisture that collects down there. Once the basement was cleaned out, we would treat the walls and finish with a sealer. By the end of that, I’m hoping the moisture issue will be under control.
There were two suggested ways to do this. One was the dig two feet down and out in the yard, and fill it in with concrete. The second was to use a rubber barrier and leveling stones to gradate the water away from the house and toward the tree and garden. It would be finished off with patio stones for a nice decorative touch.
Not knowing which would be better, I asked my Uncle Jimmy for his advice since he’s done the work before and works for the EPA. He said both ways would work, but the concrete would be harder to correct it we didn’t go down far enough to get to the source. He suggested I check the spouts for drainage and go with rubber membrane first. If it doesn’t work, do the concrete.
It sounded good to me, so we head once again to the Home Depot. By this time, the project was beginning to cost way more than I anticipated. Instead of financially over taxing myself, phase three became phases three and a half. That decision made, we purchased the rubber membrane, the sand and stones.
The area was dug up and sectioned off to guide the stone leveling portion of this show. The first thing that went in the space was the rubber membrane. It’s the same stuff they use to line the bath and shower areas, to block moisture and water, before putting them in place. Then, the stones were added and leveled across the entire area. From what was explained to me, the string guides were placed in a tapered format that, when leveled with the rocks, created the slight slope needed to redirect the water away from the house.
From the discussion I heard from Andre and Charles Sr., the hardest ( or maybe most tedious) part was getting the leveling right. If it’s not right, the whole idea wouldn’t work. I’m happy to say, the leveling was accurate and phase three was complete.
As I said good-bye to my diligent and hard workers, I looked out at the yard and took a deep breath. The lavender filled my nasal passages and I decided to sit for a moment. I looked out at the transforming yard and had this thought: when you let go and allow things to change, something so beautiful can emerge.
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