How do I protect my foundation from outside .Can gravel help?
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Your suggestion: gravel, has a drawback... once in place it's near imposible to dig into (with a hand shovel), so gardening there is near impossible!
I presume you mean protect from water. I would recommend intercepting any surface water at a distance from the house, and diverting it.
Also, if possible, slope the ground away from the foundation to direct surface water away. And how are those roof gutters? they're part of the solution.
Other suggestions would be site-specific-- and you should seek a local pro for such info. The local soils and climate affect solutions greatly.
Key to this is "water flows down", so Any obvious elevation is a good start.
That said, some soils Hold water, some absorb it and some reject it until they're saturated.
Do A survey... how much is your neighbor's house elevated? And how close is it to your house? It could be directing runoff To You!
In such case, consider a trench-like landscape... to collect water and direct it in a desirable direction... to pavement or drain.
You can also add underground pipes, but I find many are undersized and will silt up over time and solve Nothing in the long run. Drainage managed on the surface can be watched and managed easier, unless it's overwhelming.
If your neighbors property is above yours, and you need to grade yours away from your house, you will want to create a swale between the two house to channel water away. This will work only if you can get it to run downhill. If you can't create a swale look into installing a drywell. Most municipalities do not allow you to drain surface water into their system.
Seth has a point... draining substantial amounts into a common storm drain can overwhelm a critical facility. A drainage sump can also work like a drywell... collecting into a "pond" and holding excess to drain slowly later.
Also, consider what happens in winter... will you spill over pavement and make an icy spot?
Remember to replant grass as needed. Cover with hay to minimize erosion as it gets established. Best of luck with it all.