Cheap Method To Measure Grade 

I assume he meant per foot since he was taking measurements every foot or so.

You won't find cheaper than this, that's for sure!

Water levels are awesome tools, and something I had planned on making a video about, actually. They excel at things like leveling clapboard siding around corners of a house. However, I wouldn't recommend them for this application. You would only have to points of measurement, which is not what you are after when measuring grade. The use of a string line or laser allows you to take multiple measurements along a continuum, which is what describes the grade. Two points of data is not enough to determine the grade.

This is actually a simple concept, but a lot of people have trouble visualizing it. Imagine you are a jet airplane flying straight and level across the land. You fly over a deep valley and what happens? Your distance to the ground increases from a moment earlier when you were flying over a flat field. The string line is set up as level and straight, regardless of the ground. If you measure from the level and straight string line to the ground, the measurement will be greater if the ground falls or slopes away. It's a relative measurement. If the number gets smaller, the ground is closer to the string, if the number gets bigger, the ground is farther from the string. If you set up a string line or a laser by the house, you want to see that measurement getting bigger as you move away from the house, indicating a slope downward.

It's pretty tough to say without greater detail than what you can describe over the interweb. Grading can mean heavy machinery working over a period of days or can mean something simple with hand tools. The side yard you describe is quite narrow and the neighbor's house being close brings up legal issues. In most areas it is illegal to grade so that water flows into a neighbor's yard. In your case, four feet isn't really even enough to create a grade! Without even seeing the problem myself, I suspect that your solution will have to be a drainage grate to collect water and a pipe to bring it away from this side yard and into daylight somewhere away from the house. You may want to combine this method with collection of water from your gutter downspouts if you have them. Hopefully the narrow strip itself between the two houses is higher than the surrounding yard so that you can lead a pipe with gravity out to daylight. I'd recommend finding a landscaper or contractor who might be able to install a drainage pipe system. Even if you choose not to do the work yourself and leave it to the next owner, having the quote could be helpful in your sale.

The thing is... If we cannot sell our house within 60 days, my husbands company will offer us a buyout. However, in order to fulfill that buyout, all inspection repairs must be carried out before. I took some pictures and finally managed to transfer them over to my laptop...now I cant figure out how to post/send them to you to show you what I am talking about...

shasta taft youtube doesn't allow pictures in comments. You can look up my website (end of video) and send me an email if you like.

perfect! Will do, thanks!

Hi, Shasta. I have a very similar issue to what you had. Can you tell me what solution you went with and what your experience was like? Thank you!

True. For short distances or where accuracy is paramount a line level is not appropriate. It's meant for long runs, like measuring grade, or keeping a brick or block wall level, etc.

Yes, you want the grade running down and away from the house. As you are watching this video, remember that since the string line is level a greater measurement to the ground means the grade is dropping. Obviously with 10 acres you don't need the entire property to slope away from the house. If you can have the first 20-30 feet sloping away from the house and a place for that water to go then you will be fine. Sometimes a swale is created around the house or underground drainage used when conditions are difficult.

@@enduringcharm thank you so much

Yes, you could use a string line to check that you are getting the ground level, with raking or shoveling or whatever method you plan to use. It's probably best for measuring overall grade, rather than very small bumps. Typically you would level off the ground as best you can, and then fill with gravel or sand to get perfectly level and flat. I'm no expert on pools, but for large walkways or driveways with pavers, it's common to level two pipes on opposite ends and then drag a 2x or another pipe across the top of the leveled pipes to get the sand or gravel in-between perfectly flat.

Yeah, it's no fun fixing the mistakes of previous owners, especially concrete mistakes!

I think there are a lot of better solutions which are still inexpensive. You don't mention what kind or size of holes are in your foundation or what your foundation is made of, but whatever it is there are commercial solutions available to fit the bill. Some involve proprietary mats or sheets of material that are installed against the foundation and drain down to a footing drain. Some involve coatings that are applied to a foundation surface. For rock or rubble foundations there are perimeter drain designs to remove water before it gets inside. And, of course, proper grading and removal of water from gutter downspouts is paramount. If you give me more detail about your situation I may be able to offer more specific advice, but corrugated metal roofing is not the answer.

The house sits on a concrete slab, and I recently had it leveled. But the homes in my area are on pilings because of subsidence. Underneath the houses the soil is very low, and over time, the soil erodes under the houses. After a particularly heavy rain, it's common to see dump trucks carrying loads of sand to different houses in the neighborhood because holes are created. I'm looking for a way to prevent that, but I have never heard of a proprietary mat or sheet or footing drain. Where do I get those supplies and who do I hire to do it? Do you have a video that demonstrates what type of barrier you are talking about?

Oh, okay, the commercial drainage mats I mentioned are really designed for full foundation walls (with a basement) rather than slab foundations. They drain the water down away from the walls and into a perimeter drain. It sounds like you may have some special considerations in your area. Maybe there are two issues, one being the unstable earth under your slab and the other being erosion from heavy rain or flooding. If your slab is located over unstable earth, then you really need an engineered solution, which likely means an engineering firm and heavy or specialized equipment. When you say you had your slab leveled, was it done by a process called "mud jacking" where they inject a sanded grout beneath the slab? Another example becoming more common now are helical piers, which can be used to stabilize existing foundations. Anyway, for the unstable earth problem you need an engineer to examine the loads and the capacity of the earth to handle those loads. For the erosion problem, you can call on a grading contractor or sometimes a large landscaping firm to install systems to clear rain water from around the house. This can include heavy machinery to correct grade issues, installation of drains and pipes to move water from around the house to somewhere else on the property or to the street, and gutter systems to do the same. Even in lousy soils and areas with heavy rain it is almost always possible to create systems to stop erosion and flooding, though it can get expensive. Proper grading and gutter drainage systems are frequently overlooked or done poorly in all areas of the country, but it is really critical for long term stability of the home. In any case, I think the idea of using roofing panels is, well, silly. I would reach out to some engineering or grading contractors in your area and see if they'll come by for a look. This is unlikely to be a DIY project based on your description.

Thanks for all your suggestions.

You do need to make it quite tight. If you are using stakes it needs to be a significant chunk of wood buried deep in the ground (they sell them at your home center if you don't want to make them). Alternatively, you can tie the string to a nail on a building or to the bumper of a vehicle. Once an end is secure, pull the whole roll of twine taught. You'll probably pull an additional two feet or so after the line is initially tight. Then wrap the string around the second stake several times before tying it off. Use the line level to find level, and a helper makes that a lot quicker and easier. If you need to adjust, you can unwrap the one end, move it on the stake, and re-wrap.

Use a water-filled hose level instead. No problem of line sag or trying to adjust or read a bubble level precisely.

No, no. The string needs to be level. That's why you need the bubble level hanging off the string. With the string taut and the bubble level reading in the middle you now have a reference line from which to measure. It's all relative--you will take measurements from that level reference line and you can determine ground pitch by the direction of those measurements relative to the level line.

You set up a string line as level. If the measurements are growing larger as you move along the string in one direction, that means that the slope is following that same direction and you are going downhill. If the measurements grow shorter in a given direction, that means that means you are going uphill. Remember, the measurements are relative to the level string line, not the earth.

Still sounds backwards to me because if you take a level l line from a stationary object "House" and from a level line out towards the front, sides or rear property lines and that string gees up then water will flow back towards the house if it goes down then it will flow away I know that for a fact.

I'll try one more time with different phrasing. You set up a string line which is level. Let's say the building is on your left and the property extends to your right. Remember, the string line is level! Suppose you measure down from the string to the ground right next to the building and it measures one foot. Now you walk to your right a few steps and measure down from the level string line again. This time the measurement is two feet. You walked downhill, right?

Gotcha it is falling not raising it is all about how you are looking at it. Thanks for the clarification.:-)

Yes! It was a long trip, but we got there! ;)

If you use mason's twine you can stretch it pretty taut, but obviously there is a limit to string length before it will start to dip in the middle. And, this is not meant for engineering measurements down to the nanometer. It's just a rough guide so you can see if your yard has pitch or not.

+enduringcharm Thanks, I got some yesterday. Just trying to be thorough in my understanding. Thanks for the video.

If the line is level then a rising measurement as you lead away from the building indicates a falling ground.

Depends how you look at life, sir. Yes, you'd have to walk "up" to the building, but water would flow "down and away". This video was from the perspective of water

I thought the same thing but I understand the explanation.

If you use the right type of string (masons twine), a solid anchor and you pull it tight, there really shouldn't be any significant sag. Of course, there's also a limit to how long you can run the string line. That said, this method is not designed for machinist-grade accuracy. It's good enough for grading purposes.

Putting the level in the exact middle means it doesn't matter much if there's a little sag. In the middle, the string slopes up by exactly the same angle and amount on either side of the level, as long as the bubble is centered. Putting it to either side of the middle means the string will be sloping (but really only slightly, if it's tight). Practically it won't like matter much, but theoretically the middle is always where it should hang.

Ha! Well, I don't have that video for you yet. Options include regrading with heavy machinery if needed, installing underground pipes to drain downspouts to daylight, exterior or interior perimeter drainage channels of various styles, or all of the above. Every situation is different, so you need an expert on site to evaluate the possibilities. Regrading is often used as a last resort instead of the first one, but that may be a mistake. Spending to money upfront to get the grade right can save a lot of money and grief on the back end.

@@enduringcharm Thank you for the answer. I have considered the $6000 option and spent the morning researching the $50/gal fix option. The problem that I see with dealing with the water INSIDE is that the water still saturated and came through the walls. I live in a densely built-up area and have already been told that any digging would have to be done by hand because the houses are so close together. I wonder if I could buy some top soil and change the grade enough -- the house is 100 years old and dirt has settled .... sorry to subject you to my homeowner musings ... I do love the idea of the carpenter's level, may need one of those just to delight myself with owning a clever tool. :)

Obviously I can't diagnose your problem from afar, but I can warn you that water intrusion issues are among the most MIS-diagnosed things I see in my line of work. It's very common that pros and homeowners alike fail to identify the real issue, or miss an easy fix, or miss a complicated problem on the assumption of an easy fix. I've done a LOT of repairs over the years because of poor judgement on grading, gutters and downspouts, flashing, trim details, roofing details, etc. So, my advice would be to have a few pros come through to take a look at your issue and be wary of the guy selling you a hole because all he owns is a drill. Whoever does the diagnosing or work should be able to explain it to you in clear terms that make common sense.

@@enduringcharm Great advice! I need your experienced wisdom -- want to come to central West Virginia for a job? LOL.

Are you asking the minimum grade for good drainage? I think the rule of thumb is 2 to 5 percent grade. Of course, some types of ground will flow water better than others, like pavement versus dirt, etc. Too much grade and you can get erosion. And, grade doesn't have to be linear either, you can have a quick drop off for a few feet, for example, and then have it gradually level out.

enduringcharm yo the calc on your graph showed 7/8" per inch. I am thinking that you meant 7/8" per foot, more of a gentle slope . didn't intend to hassle you, your video saved me money and I appreciate it!

Oh, I see. I did correct that with a little text bubble in the video!

This is the best!

enduringcharm Not in the video I just watched, 6/29/18. You did put text up mentioning the minimum pitch is 1/8” per foot. But you never corrected the erroneous “7/8 per inch”. Divide inches by feet, the units end up as in/ft. Explaining it for others)

+LARRY That's what every other comment says! I guess it's our common Jersey roots.

enduringcharm If you were smart, you'd use that gift to do radio voice overs. $$$

+LARRY Well, I ought to figure out SOME way to make money before my funeral expenses come due!

It’s amusing. Do I amuse you?

You do sound like joe Pesci. Most like his voice on Casio. You should use your voice for something. What are you gonna do, you gotta earn!!!

Of course, to show on camera what I'm discussing I had to cinch things up. However, I would argue that it isn't super critical to get the spirit level dead center. The line should be level anywhere along it's length if it is pulled taut. The closer you get to center the less likelihood of a measurement error due to a sagging string. Let's remember that the spirit level has two points of contact that are only a couple-few inches apart, which is far more prone to error than, say, a four foot level. And, we are talking about measuring dirt with a tape measure, not valve shims with a micrometer! So, if you have the string pulled tight and the spirit level at least a few feet away from the stake i would say that's good enough for our purposes here.

Remember, the line is level. Measuring from the level line down reveals differences from level. If your measurement near the building is less than the measurement farther from the building, then the ground is dropping away from the building.