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Grading around the house guruocont 05-24-2007
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Posted by guruocont on May 24, 2007, 10:21 pm
Hi,

For grading around a building according to BOCA 1996 according to my
reading the slope needs to be 1 inch per foot for a minimum of 8 feet.
This sounds pretty aggressive. I was wondering whether more recent
codes have modified this requirement for a house with a basement. I am
researching this question a house in NJ.


Regards..
G


Real Goods Solar, Inc.
Posted by DanG on May 25, 2007, 12:33 am
I don't have my code books here. I've not ever had residential
codes. BOCA would be unusual for residential. CABO sounds more
familiar. Our current code book is IBC, and I thought most areas
had adopted it.

My memory banks for commercial work remember 1/2 per foot for the
first 10 unless paved.

For any basement situation I would expect it (1/2 per foot)as an
absolute minimum, and pavement at 1/4 per foot. No planting beds,
sod only, no trees for at least 10 feet.

--
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)
dgriff237@7cox.net



> Hi,
>
> For grading around a building according to BOCA 1996 according
> to my
> reading the slope needs to be 1 inch per foot for a minimum of 8
> feet.
> This sounds pretty aggressive. I was wondering whether more
> recent
> codes have modified this requirement for a house with a
> basement. I am
> researching this question a house in NJ.
>
>
> Regards..
> G
>



Posted by tbasc@bellsouth.net on May 25, 2007, 6:43 am
> I don't have my code books here. I've not ever had residential
> codes. BOCA would be unusual for residential. CABO sounds more
> familiar. Our current code book is IBC, and I thought most areas
> had adopted it.
>
> My memory banks for commercial work remember 1/2 per foot for the
> first 10 unless paved.
>
> For any basement situation I would expect it (1/2 per foot)as an
> absolute minimum, and pavement at 1/4 per foot. No planting beds,
> sod only, no trees for at least 10 feet.
>
> --
> ______________________________
> Keep the whole world singing . . . .
> DanG (remove the sevens)
> dgriff...@7cox.net
>
>
>
> > Hi,
>
> > For grading around a building according to BOCA 1996 according
> > to my
> > reading the slope needs to be 1 inch per foot for a minimum of 8
> > feet.
> > This sounds pretty aggressive. I was wondering whether more
> > recent
> > codes have modified this requirement for a house with a
> > basement. I am
> > researching this question a house in NJ.
>
> > Regards..
> > G

International Residential Code, Chapter 4 Foundations, says in part:
Lots shall be graded so as o drain surface water away from foundaton
walls. Grade away from foundation walls shall fall a minimum of 6
inches within the first 10 feet.
Exception: where lot lines, walls, slopes or other physical barriers
prohibit 6 inches of fall within 10 feet, drains or swales shall be
provided to ensure drainage away from the structure.
T


Posted by DaveR on May 25, 2007, 11:58 am

>I don't have my code books here. I've not ever had residential
>codes. BOCA would be unusual for residential. CABO sounds more
>familiar. Our current code book is IBC, and I thought most areas
>had adopted it.
>
>My memory banks for commercial work remember 1/2 per foot for the
>first 10 unless paved.
>
>For any basement situation I would expect it (1/2 per foot)as an
>absolute minimum, and pavement at 1/4 per foot. No planting beds,
>sod only, no trees for at least 10 feet.

Why sod only? I was thinking planting bushes might suck up more water?

Posted by DanG on May 26, 2007, 11:01 am
I fight these issues every day. People want to beautify. They
dig along the foundation, put in pretty bushes and/or flower beds.
Add a decorative border of landscape timber, garden wall block, or
custom cast curb and fill up the area with wood chips. Add a
soaker hose or sprinkler head or, worst of all, heavily water the
wonderful new planting areas. It is often easier to do a raised
bed with the timbers that will raise the new surface above the
weep holes in the brick work.

Gee, I wonder why my basement leaks????

If your home is slab on grade you can get away with this as long
as the finish surface is below the weep holes in the brick work or
at least 6 inches below any siding or finish.

If your home is crawl space, you can try it but be very cautious
and monitor the situation. If you are flooding or raising the
humidity in the crawl, I would do away with the plantings.

If you have a full basement, I would avoid foundation plantings
like the plague. Modify the thought if basement has been water
PROOFED (not damp proofed) with drainage plane material and
appropriate subsurface drainage. If you have all this, you may be
hard pressed to give the bushes enough water as the water will go
subsurface rapidly.

--
______________________________
Keep the whole world singing . . . .
DanG (remove the sevens)
dgriff237@7cox.net



> wrote:
>
>>I don't have my code books here. I've not ever had residential
>>codes. BOCA would be unusual for residential. CABO sounds more
>>familiar. Our current code book is IBC, and I thought most
>>areas
>>had adopted it.
>>
>>My memory banks for commercial work remember 1/2 per foot for
>>the
>>first 10 unless paved.
>>
>>For any basement situation I would expect it (1/2 per foot)as an
>>absolute minimum, and pavement at 1/4 per foot. No planting
>>beds,
>>sod only, no trees for at least 10 feet.
>
> Why sod only? I was thinking planting bushes might suck up more
> water?



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