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I'm new to landscaping, and I need some opinions on this. I'll try to describe it as clearly as possible, it's based on a leaky basement problem. I'm in Canada, so we've got snow and ice to deal with.
My backyard is probably 40'x60', and pretty much flat right up to the house. The basement windows are only about 3inches above the ground, and are set into the concrete foundation, (the house is 50yrs old).
When it rains alot in the spring and in a mid winter thaw, and much of the yard is frozen, I think what is happening is the water runs toward the warm house foundation, down underneath the basement floor, and if it rains long enough, the pressure from the water forces it through cracks in the floor and causes flooding.
I put in a sump pump last spring which helped a bit but at the worst of the spring rain, the sump hole still couldn't relieve the pressure and some water still came through the floor cracks. When digging the sump pit, there was only about 4inches of gravel, the rest was clay.
So if the rest of the house is surrounded by clay, how do I direct the runoff away from the house? Is it just a matter of digging a trench along the foundation and running gravel and a drainage pipe to the edge of my yard? Luckily I have a sloped yard on one side and can drain everything there.
Thanks.
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