How do you flatten ground and use cement tile around burn pit?

We have an area near our covered patio that is all grass up to the tractor tire rim burn pit. Husband framed it with a purchased circlep 15 inch fence, nice but the green grass is an inch or better taller than the cement patio and water flows onto patio. I fear we need to dig up and try to even dig down? What needs to be done for drainage and allow rain water to go into ground, or down the other side of. Run pit toward slope of hill? I am handicapped. It can try to get photos. I just don’t want wTer running tod house and French doors. This years rain has caused water to run into the house for the first time in 30 years

  4 answers
  • K. Rupp K. Rupp on May 13, 2019

    Even with a slight slope, if the water is running towards your house you have a problem. It might mean digging up your yard and raking that dirt to slope downwards away from the house. OR...with a large problem, needing to re-grade your property. You can re-grade your yard using a bobcat. But if this is the first time in 30 years you are getting water towards the house, chances are all you might need is to do some checks or inserting some drainage system in the dirt. I would first check all gutters to make sure water isn't coming off the roof and pooling in different areas that could flow back towards the house as well. Once the gutters have been cleaned and checked and you still have a problem, I would check any doorways (like a basement stairwell) and look for clogged drains that could cause water from seeping in under the doors. Always check those drains before hurricane season. Then I would start looking at your yard and seeing where the water is flowing and pooling with a heavy rain. If you already have seen that, then figuring out the best placement for adding some drainage perforated pipes so that the water has some assistence flowing away from the house. This might be the type of drain pipe that you will need to insert into the dirt around the house or areas you are getting too much water to force the flow away from the house.:


    https://www.homedepot.com/p/4-in-x-10-ft-Corex-Drain-Pipe-Perforated-4040010/100211970?MERCH=REC-_-PIPHorizontal2_rr-_-100211705-_-100211970-_-N


    The above link seems to have some videos next to the product. Watch them if you can! Good luck!

    • Christine Vincent Christine Vincent on May 13, 2019

      Thank you so much. Gutters all go into ground and out to slope. I think we do need some major equipment to dig down some and maybe the drain tile. We talked to someone at our building center and he recommended the drain tile as well. We live seven miles from Mississippi River but unreal rain and flooding here have been a challenge. I think husband may rent equipment and appreciated all you generous help. Thank you so much. Hopefully we can entertain by mid summer!

      christine

  • Alice Alice on May 13, 2019

    I found a video that shows how to build one maybe this will help...


    https://youtu.be/-NF5QlSqSu4

  • Lifestyles Homes Lifestyles Homes on May 13, 2019

    Won’t a tractor tire burn too? Tire fires are notoriously toxic, even if they just melt a bit.


    I don’t know what a 15” circlep fence is, sorry. Galvanized Metal also has off-gassing if too hot. It’s zinc.

    • Christine Vincent Christine Vincent on May 13, 2019

      It is the inner tire rim. All steel and held up for years. The fencing is metal and looks like pine trees. Stunning in fire. But sloping ground will be pricey I fear.

  • Photos would help. Regrading the area sounds like your best bet along with installing a drain system. Ground around any structure should slope away from it, not towards the structure.