Replies

1. 
   calvin | Jan 31, 2024 10:34am | #1

   A little more info please?
   Are you asking about building a drive to ge to the job site?

1. 
   Meatos | Jan 31, 2024 11:40am | #2

   I am referring to just general application on top of a hill where I will be building my pier and beam house. I have removed a lot of trees and stumps and have bulldozed and leveled the hilltop. I am concerned about erosion and runoff from rainwater on the hilltop surrounding the house.

   It is roughly a 100 foot diameter area I am worried about.

1. 
   calvin | Jan 31, 2024 12:41pm | #3

   Well, when I built 35 years ago I hired an excavator I had worked with before. An also farmer but he could pick your teeth with that backhoe.

   We built into the hillside and the 500 ft drive came back into the woods at a slight downgrade. Our soil is mostly a bit of loam over some tenacious non draining clay. If you dug a hole, filled it with water and covered it……it’d still be full a week later.

   I assumed he’d start with big rock, top it off with what we call here 57’s. (Maybe stands for 5’s and 7’s, I don’t recall rock grades. Mostly 3/4”.)
   He told me to do it right, he was using 57’s and regrade before finish then use small berm.

   We had the drive and probably a 40x60 area with the house dug in off the downhill side. When it was dry, the stone moved a bit till packed in, when wet it didn’t sink in much. He told me that large stone would get swallowed up and be a bitch to drive and walk on. A year and a half of nights and weekends later he came back and final graded, skid loadered the small berm with fines.

   I think I had him here 2 more times in 25 years to back drag grade it and add a bit more smallberm with fines. Nothing in the last 10.
   The 57’s did what I was told (make a good base to work off) and the small berm, perfect finish for us.

   So, if you were building next door to me in NW Ohio, I’d suggest this method.

   Probably means more your soil condition to figure this out.

1. 
   Meatos | Jan 31, 2024 05:04pm | #4

   Thank for the breakdown on how you had it done Calvin. This information helps a lot. I am actually building in TN so I have similar soil conditions in the hill that I am on.

1. 
   calvin | Jan 31, 2024 07:29pm | #6

   Daughter and family are in Nashville. Get down there several times a year. They have some serious rock there, where are you?

   You’ve got a weird State government. Have the career of a legislator, you could take an 11 month vacation.

2. 
   unclemike42 | Jan 31, 2024 06:06pm | #5

   Call or stop by a local supplier and have a chat.

   I trust you will place the footings on undisturbed soil of suitable properties for the loads.