Building any structure that is intended to last longer than a decade must be built on a foundation of concrete. Creating a foundation requires digging out a piece of property. The process of grading is making sure that every square foot of the foundation’s soil base is tamped and even, down to the degree. This process cannot begin unless the property has been cleared and grubbed. The clearing is the most difficult part of the process especially if the property has trees on it. Bushes, weeds, plants, vines, rocks, detritus, garbage and unwanted structures must all be removed. Right down to the grass.
The purpose of this “grubbing” process is to remove any organic material that could still be alive under your foundation. If there is a living plant under the foundation it will continue to grow even without sunlight and through nature’s natural tenacity a strong plant like a weed may eventually break through the foundation you built. This is not just a visual issue, it is a drainage issue as well. When grading the ground in perpetration for foundation draining needs to be taken into account. If the property meets a hill in the back that leads to a ravine or a storm drain then that is where you want water rolling off your property and you can grade it in such a way that it will. The process involves essentially carving the hill so that every one-inch drop for every foot of ground is away from your foundation. This should be done from the foundation to five to ten feet from your home with a one-inch decrease in elevation per foot to ensure your foundation does not get dredged with water when it rains, especially when it rains hard.
Once everything is removed you will need to dig out the area both of the foundation and around it. Once it is dug out you will want to make it a little bigger and replace some of the topsoils with fresh soil from a bag. Make sure there is no dust or piles of dirt anywhere. When grading the dugout, the space that will be filled with concrete to form the actual foundation of the house, the ground must be thoroughly tamped down before any pouring can occur. If the soil mixes too much with the concrete it will dramatically reduce its structural integrity and will cause drainage problems like leaks and cracking and eventual deterioration to the point that the house’s structural integrity will fail. When doing the tamping make sure to bring a level and set it down as you tamp to make sure you tamp the ground evenly. The bubble should remain at the top of the sensor no matter where you drag it across the base of the dugout. This can be difficult and for that reason, it is always a good idea to at least hire a professional to do an overview of the property and warn you of any serious issues in regards to the project you want to put forth. Whether it is a driveway, a new garden shed or an empty lot on which you will build your castle. Clearing, grubbing and grading are a necessity.