DIY land leveling: features, expert advice

Making the terrain for building a solid private house perfectly smooth is quite difficult. In this regard, those who want to properly level the territory on the site should study the methods and specifics of the whole process. This affects the high quality of the work and the result as a whole. Alignment of the relief is divided into 2 components: preparatory and main (that is, the leveling itself).

Territory preparation

1. Division of the territory into zones: for the house, utility block, lawn, garden and other structures. In this case take into account the location of the site and specific features of its relief (in relation to the north, south, west and east), the degree of soil fertility, groundwater.
2. Drainage equipment (with weak seepage of groundwater). The location of the pipes and the laying price must be foreseen before the start of work.
3. Immediate elimination of the northern slope (if any). This needs to be done, because such a slope cannot quickly warm up in the spring (which makes it difficult to grow crops).
4. Getting rid of bumps and climbs on the territory of the site (maximum height difference of elevations - 0.5 meters).

Evaluation of the feasibility of work

To understand whether it is possible to level the territory and whether it is necessary at all, you need to look at the site from different angles. Sometimes you can use any simple homemade decorative compositions from plantsto hide the imperfections of the relief. In places with slopes of more than five degrees, you can make terraces of various widths and shapes. The plot should be leveled if there is a lack of free territory in order to build a house and other summer cottages, as well as when there is a need for a beautiful lawn on the plot.

Determination of soil mass balance

To understand how much soil you need to move, you need to determine the balance of the existing soil (its mass). At the same time, cubic meters or kg can be used as units. This procedure will also help to figure out the necessary expenses. It may happen that it is not possible to level the plot in the country. The volume of soil depends on its density, but the following measure is usually used: 1 decimeter in a cube is equal to 1 kilogram.

Alignment

The unevenness of the site may not seem like a global problem. However, when planting plants and building a house, all defects will become a terrible hindrance. The uniformity of the territory affects such aspects as the foundation, the presence of a lawn, as well as the uneven concentration of the weight of the building. In order for everything to be in order, leveling should be thought over initially.

DIY site alignment

A land plot in the range from four to six hundred parts can be leveled on its own (using a rake). If the number of acres is in the range from six to twelve, then without special equipment (cultivator) leveling will take a long time. On the territory of twelve hundred parts it is better to use a mini-bulldozer, tractor.

Essential tools and fixture design

For personal equalization, the summer resident needs the following items:

• bayonet shovel;
• garden rake;
• hoe;
• fan rake;
• wheelbarrow;
• wooden bars (boards, the length of which is more than two meters);
• level;
• hammer;
• cord;
• shovel;
• pegs from a bar (2.5x2.5 cm);
• roulette.

For leveling the soil, a wooden staircase is excellent, which is pulled with ropes throughout the territory. To compact the soil, use a roller made of a small barrel of iron and pipes of various diameters.

How to make a device for compacting soil in the area:

• in the middle of the barrel lid and at the bottom you need to cut holes;
• drive the tube into the bottom so that the edge of the tube slightly protrudes;
• seal the contact area of ​​the parts;
• pour enough crushed stone into the barrel and pour water or cement mortar there;
• you need to put the lid on the tube, seal the dock;
• the lid must be welded to the container;
• with a welding machine and a hacksaw from reinforcement, it is necessary to make a frame and a handle.

Procedure for alignment of a site

With small irregularities, you need to dig up that layer of earth that is located on top, while removing the root systems of plants. It is necessary to distribute the soil very equally (mark with pegs marked at a point ten centimeters relative to the end face from above). The first peg should be marked at a distance of three centimeters from the ground. The remaining pegs are driven in two meters from each other (with a building level you need to check how smoothly they are installed).

With a significant uneven terrain, you first need to remove the turf. If a drainage system is needed, then it is necessary to remove all fertile soil and fill the surface with broken brick and gravel (thickness - ten centimeters). If you need a drainage system with pipes, then you need to build trenches under the fertile layer with a bottom of compacted gravel and sand. There you need to lay polymer pipes with perforation and a filter.

Now you can begin to level the loose soil. Having marked everything, it is necessary to distribute the land across the territory so as to achieve evenness. Next, remove the pegs and proceed to leveling with a rake, cultivator or ladder.

Now we compact the soil with a homemade roller from a barrel. An alternative option is to water the plot for fourteen days for the natural subsidence of the land. The formed depressions need to be covered with earth. You can evenly push the soil by moving wide planks across the territory.

Level the site with soil delivery

Using this method will be justified if there are many holes in the territory and a small slope, as well as a fence (or other emphasis for the delivered soil). It is necessary to treat the leveling of such soil carefully and perform the work painstakingly, because spring runoff will damage the installed fence. Basically, in such a case, ready-made peat-type soil is used, as well as sheet soil (this is necessary if you buy a small amount of soil imported).

Non-standard situations

When the site is located at a large angle, it is possible to form a territory in the form of several tiers.In this case, zoning must be carried out both standardly - by squares and by levels. Tiers level separately. At the same time, parallelism must be maintained between them. Between the tiers you need to leave as much space as will correspond to the vertical distance between the lower and upper point of the site. The number of tiers also depends on this indicator.

You can figure it out: with a slope height of eighty centimeters, it is quite possible to make 2 tiers. At the same time, they will be located at a distance of forty centimeters. Three tiers in this case can be placed twenty-five centimeters from each other.

Land leveling for construction

The foundation of the pile or tape type is usually placed in flat areas, while the load is uniform. The foundation of the monolithic type is designed for a serious load, so there is no need for a perfectly even relief.

Align a piece of land under the lawn

If the territory needs to be leveled for further planting of the lawn, then it must be treated three times with a cultivator, and then leveled with a rake. The layer located on top is made sand for the best. grass growth. That layer, which is located below, has a greater water-holding ability, therefore, due to the sprouted seeds, a deep root system is formed. You can level the sand with a bar.

Cost and terms of work

Prices for services on average are as follows:

Work stage	Price of the provided service
Consultation with professionals directly on the site	from 3 thousand p.
Removing stumps and unnecessary landings	500 p. / Pcs.
Leveling with special equipment	from 35 p. / unit of area
Cultivator rental	1,5 thousand rubles / day

The term of work is from 1 month.

Finally

The leveling process consists in zoning, evaluating the feasibility of leveling measures, determining the soil mass balance, choosing a way to carry out work, and calculating costs. The alignment methods are different: manual method, the use of special tools and equipment, delivery of new high-quality soil for a good harvest.

It is these aspects and stages of work that will lead you to the desired result, that is, to an even relief on your site. The main thing is that you should not forget that you need to carefully consider all the nuances. This is important, because the goals can be different - someone needs a flat area for planting a lawn, and someone needs to build a private house.