Figuring out best way to handle issues from my backyard
I am looking for ways I can deal with my situation and it not cost a lot because I am a renter with my husband and we don’t want to see a rent increase for the changes that may be needed if we get our landlord involved.
I live about 1 1/2 hours west of Houston and have been getting tons of rain on a house without gutters so the water just beats down to the ground. Around the backside on the edge of the house there is no grass and just sandy soil with the rest of the yard St. Augustine. This is causing a huge pain in my side because no matter what I do outdoor mat/towel inside my dogs and kids drag it all through my house which only makes more work for me and the backyard is just awful looking.
I am wondering if it is because of the rain run off the roof that nothing grows around the edges? Or is it the soil/sand? And also what are good options to fix it or something that will work until we decide to move again.
Thank you to all that respond!!
Replies
Move?
West of Houston should be a low enough price area to be able to buy a starter home for what your rent is now? I know that in lots of area, that is difficult due to astronomical RE prices.
Landscape Gravel...your landlord wont care and if you haul it yourself in your own truck it wont cost you much. I think you would want a fairly large size though just because of wash out from the run-off
Agreed - but make sure to put a good layer of filter cloth or similar geotextile underneath. it will also reduce washout, and reduces the amount of weeds that nest in the stones that can take root in the sandy soil below.
BTW, don't go to the big bo store or walmart and buy it by the bag. Find it by the ton from a quary or landscaper. Its physical work but not exactly brain taxing. Strip any grass/weeds with a flat shovel. Put in edging and lay down weed fabric. Then shovel until you cant shovel anymore.
Gravel would sure do it but if you see people doing treework nearby and grinding up limbs they might dump some in your yard for free to save on dump fees. Then you can spread it yourself. Of course this would need to be dressed more often than gravel.
Your soil is probably ok but nothing will tolerate that much water pounding that small area when it rains. Good luck!
Get the landlord's approval before doing anything like dumping gravel in the yard. A load of 6 to 8 cubic yards of gravel dumped on the property should be under $400 in total and then you can use a wheel barrow to distribute it where you want it. But if you dump the gravel and the landlord forces you to fix the situation it could be a lot more expensive.
Best bet is to find another house to rent and this is a good time of year to verify that there are no drainage problems.