Issued: August 2009 Contact: Jeff & Kylie Cork Freecall Phone: 1800 645 520 Email: [email protected] Web: www.corkconsultancy.com.au FACT SHEET COMMON SENSE GUIDELINES FOR LANDSCAPING AND GARDENS It is quite impractical to try to prevent gardening activities from increasing the moisture content around the foundations of your home. The only practical course is to keep such activities away from the immediate vicinity of the building and so minimise their effects. CAUTION: Care should be taken if placing filling against the house. Always ensure weep holes are not covered and that existing Termites Management Systems are not compromised. Paths, Patios and Drive ways A sound plane for a reactive clay site is to provide a consistent moisture regime around the building by installing paths and patios against the house. Locate lawns up against paths and patios. Gardens beds, the most heavily watered parts of a garden, should be kept well away from the house. If gardens must be placed in close proximity to the house, they should be sealed with plastic and contain only a few small plants. Take care not to trap water against the building if using garden edging. Paths should be laid hard agains t bri ckwork or footings wi th a fall a wa y from the house to a stormwa ter discha rge point. Avoi d placing large expanses of concrete on one side of the house and hea vil y wa tered ga rden beds on the other. The wa ter sa tura ted cla y in ga rdens will expand and swell while the soil under the concrete ma y not move. Structural da mage can result from this unco-ordinated movement. Concrete pa vements should be constructed in a wa y tha t will not i mpede surfa ce wa ter, fl owing awa y from the building or cause wa ter to pool adja cent to the footings causing cla y founda tions to swell. On hi ghl y and extremel y reacti ve soil types detail is requi red to prevent pa vement from moving a wa y from the building. Movement i n paths could ca use s tress on pipes and inspection openings and/or brea kages in pipes. Resul ting leakages ma y cause movement and da mage as a result of cla y soils under the house swelling. Lawns If placing lawn a reas agains t the house, ensure tha t filling buil t up a gainst the wall is gra ded awa y and will not allow pooling of wa ter to occur. The filling should be i mpervi ous cla y soil and not sandy l oam. REMEMBER: Do not cover weep holes . For more information please contact Cork Construction & Consultancy on 1800 645 520 or visit www.corkconsultancy.com.au