# Filling in Sloping Backyard



## bucklahoo (Mar 13, 2011)

got a depression in my new backyard. once you walk off our deck the ground begins to slope downward and then flatten out. this leaves a puddling area that barely dries up even in the summer making it hard to cut the lawn and enjoy it.
what do i need to fill it in? 
is it as easy as filling in with clean fill or fill with topsoil on top and maintaining a slight grade away from house?
the area is about 40' long, 20' wide and the drop is somewhere between 1-2'. about how much dirt will this take?
do you replant grass or cut up existing grass?
backyard slants towards a wooded area that drops down to a ravine.


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## bucklahoo (Mar 13, 2011)

this explains a little better


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## BigD9 (Mar 10, 2011)

Nice looking property you have. If it were me, I would use a rototiller and till the low area to break up the existing dirt and grass, then fill with top soil and grade to drain. Then replant the grass. If you can't get good topsoil, you could always push the existing topsoil off to the side, then fill with whatever, and push the piled up topsoil back over the area.


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## bucklahoo (Mar 13, 2011)

what would be the purpose of the tilling? to promote better drainage down through the soil?
why not just put soil on top of existing lawn?


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## BigD9 (Mar 10, 2011)

Just my opinion. If you place dirt on top of grass, and grass dies it turns into a slimy slippery layer. This layer could result in the dirt above it slipping and sliding especially when wet. So tilling would kind of lock the top thin layer of added soils to the lower layer. You may not need to till, but I didn't know how thick the thatch was in your yard, or how tall the grass would be when you filled the area. Again, its just me. Unless I was filling a very thin layer where the grass would stick through, I would rough up the existing layer. Kind of like sanding a painted surface before applying another coat of paint. 

Good luck and enjoy life.


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## bucklahoo (Mar 13, 2011)

makes sense.


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## Shane1 (Oct 12, 2010)

Do you think there could be an underlying issue as to why the ground is allways wet there? If not then I would just put some cheap topsoil or sand in the depression, grade it, and throw some grass seed down. I just started doing the same thing to a low area of my yard.


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