If you own a summer cottage, you may find that the soil on it has strayed, and it has become uneven. We will tell you how to solve this problem yourself. This publication will be supplemented with photo and video materials. We strongly recommend that you strictly follow the instructions, because an ideal surface is considered the key to a reliable home, a beautiful landscape and a generous harvest.
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Preparing the territory for leveling
Before you start leveling, you need to carry out a number of preparatory work:
- Determining the boundaries of the territory to be leveled. To do this, you need to drive in pegs at the corners of the site, and pull a rope between them. If the alignment work will be done manually, then it is better to divide the area into several sectors.
- Cleaning. Take the time to collect garbage from the entire area. These can be branches, large roots, stones. If there are weeds on the site, then you must first mow it, and dig up large roots.
- Removing unnecessary elements. This includes old trees, shrubs, all kinds of buildings or decorative elements.
Site preparation for leveling
When is it necessary to level the terrain?
It is necessary to level the territory before starting construction on it, but this is only a small part of all the work.
So, the site for construction is ready, the building materials have been purchased and the work is in full swing. When all construction work is completed, you can proceed to the improvement of the rest of the territory.
When watering, moisture will evenly flow to all plants, there will be no stagnation and, conversely, dry areas, which can have a detrimental effect on the root system of plants.
Take a look at the photo of a flat area, and you will see that the nature of the surface is also important for the placement of garden paths.
Paths and paths not only make the area well-groomed and attractive, but also allow you to move freely around the garden, even if it rains heavily. In order for the work on laying the paths to go smoothly, the site must be leveled.
Land alignment methods
There are several ways to level the surface of the territory. It all depends on the size of the site, on costs, time and effort. There are such methods:
- manually;
- using a walk-behind tractor;
- using a tractor;
- by the method of importing soil from the outside.
Manually
This method of creating a flat horizontal surface is suitable for owners of a small area. It takes a lot of time and effort, but eliminates unnecessary costs for equipment. To get the job done faster, you can hire workers or ask relatives or friends for help.
To work, you will need the following inventory:
- bayonet and shovels;
- wheelbarrow;
- rake;
- boards;
- building level.
Manual way of leveling the site
Do-it-yourself alignment of the site includes the following steps:
- Marking the area.
- Removal of 10-20 cm of the topsoil.The removed sod must be folded into bags or taken to the edge of the site so that it does not interfere. Do not leave soil in bags. Without access to oxygen, it will quickly lose its fertility.
- Leveling the territory. You can control the horizontal position using a conventional building level gauge. To do this, pegs are hammered over the entire area and the ropes are pulled under zero.
- When digging holes, you can use the removed soil. Excess soil must be removed from the site. If there is not enough fertile land, then it will have to be purchased.
- Next, you need to tamp the ground. This can be done using a hand roller, a regular wooden ladder or planks attached to the soles.
- To moisten the soil, it must be watered abundantly with water.
- Wait three weeks for the soil to settle.
- The last stage is plowing the land with a cultivator and leveling with a rake.
Motoblock
Small-sized agricultural machinery, for example, a walk-behind tractor, will help speed up and facilitate the leveling of the suburban area. It is a small hand-held tractor that can be rented. A man follows the walk-behind tractor, holding it by the control levers to control the process. The use of a walk-behind tractor has a plus: you do not have to remove the top layer of soil. Minus - large holes will have to be thrown manually.
Leveling the site with a walk-behind tractor
The work is divided into the following stages:
- Attaching the board to the universal holder of the walk-behind tractor.
- Leveling the land by plots. In this case, the small tractor will loosen the ground, and the board will level the surface.
We level the suburban area
The first step is to install the markings on the cultivated area. The most readily available tools are pegs and twine.
Then you need to remove debris, lumps, plant roots and stumps left over from felled trees.
Next, you need to decide exactly how the alignment will be done: manually or using special equipment.
The equipment will definitely be needed if the area of the territory is large and has significant irregularities. In other cases, all work can be done independently.
It is worth considering that the special equipment does only the rough work. You will still have to level the surface yourself.
A tractor or excavator shifts the fertile soil during operation and after the leveling is completed, it is necessary to treat the surface with steam or boiling water.
If the plot is processed with a hand tool, then the first layer of earth must be removed and then returned to its place.
How to level an area with a slope
If the backyard area has a slope at a large angle, then it is better to approach the solution of the problem more creatively. Terraces can be formed, the number of which depends on the area and shape. This design looks very stylish with a little imagination and design ideas. The vertical walls of the steps can be overlaid with decorative stones or climbing plants. Some summer residents let small streams-waterfalls.
Remember to create a soil support on each tier to prevent ground slipping.
Terracing of a summer cottage
Why do you need to level the site
If the unevenness of the relief at the summer cottage is insignificant and does not create problems, then they can be used in the design of the estate. Even on a plot with a considerable slope, you can build a house (there are special projects) and arrange a beautiful garden, although this will require quite large expenses. But in most cases it is imperative to level the ground.
- An even soil surface is necessary when building a house (especially with a strip foundation or using piles), as well as when arranging a gazebo, paths, blind areas around buildings.
- This moment is very important when creating a lawn, since water stagnates in the recesses, which leads to soaking of the grass and bald spots, and it will be very difficult to use a lawn mower on uneven terrain.
- For most design solutions, a flat surface is required, in such conditions it is easy and convenient to plant, and then take care of the garden, vegetable garden, various flower beds.
- The soil on the slopes is more exposed to natural and climatic factors (wind, rain, snow and others), which can lead to its erosion or landslide.
- The microclimate in different parts of the slope is different. So, above the winds dominate, the soil there quickly dries up, and below there is some stagnation of air masses, moisture accumulates and the temperature is slightly lower.
- The location of the slope in relation to parts of the world also plays an important role. A south-facing slope will be very sunny and will require additional watering, and if the slope is north, the plants will suffer from shade and moisture.
How to replenish soil fertility
When leveling, the top fertile soil layer is often removed. If the residual depth of fertile land is less than 20 cm, then it must be replenished with peat-fertile soil. To do this, you need to order the required amount of land and distribute it evenly over the territory.
When purchasing, you need to pay attention to the structure of the soil. If the land in the country is heavy, clayey or loamy, then it must be diluted with fertile soil with sand. Acidic soil can be made neutral by diluting it with ash or lime.
Video
Plot for sale near Sugoyak lake, Chelyabinsk region.
Area: 6 acres, Price 75,000 rubles. The documents are ready.
Some owners of modern summer cottages received land for building a house back in the days of perestroika. Then she was owned by the collective farm.
Most of the plots are uneven, as in those days the land was used for planting crops, most often potatoes. As a result, lumps formed in the soil, which made the areas bumpy.
If you want to know how to level a plot in the country with your own hands, as well as how much the service costs, read the article to the end. It contains all the necessary materials that will help you do all the work yourself and spend a minimum of financial resources on it.
Basic alignment methods
Now we will consider how to properly level a plot in the country with our own hands - the main methods and nuances. I will say right away that all these methods can be combined, since the combination of mechanized and manual labor in land work most often leads to the best results.
What tools may be needed for manual and mechanized leveling
For leveling the surface, a level is best suited
To work, you need not so much and a lot of tools, and not only professional, but also non-professional are suitable:
- level, laser or ordinary water tubular level;
- wooden pegs or fragments of reinforcement rods;
- nylon threads or any long cord;
- garden tools: shovels (bayonet and picking), rake, hoe, pitchfork;
- manual roller (can be made from a log and a piece of armature for the handle);
- metric tape measure.
Demolition of old buildings
Dismantling a dilapidated barn with your own hands
The first step is to demolish all unnecessary buildings, and they are sometimes strong enough and you do not always need equipment for this - in most cases you can handle it yourself, as shown in the photo above. If, for example, the laying of a new foundation is meant at the demolition site, then care must be taken that the old foundation is not an obstacle for this, that is, at the intersection, the old foundation is dug out, broken and pulled out of the trench.On the site, you should also collect all the stones that will interfere with leveling the surface. All disassembly and collected stones are taken out or taken out from the territory.
Use of special equipment
Preliminary leveling of the territory with special equipment
If there are large bumps and depressions on the site, or, for example, some huge boulder has been lying there for years, then correcting the plane of such a relief without mechanization will not be entirely correct. For example, it can take a week to manually level a large bump, while the same planer excavator will only take a few hours. And in order to remove a block weighing several tons from the site on your own, you will have to break it (this is possible with the help of heating and sharp cooling), but a powerful bulldozer will easily push it off the site with a knife, and a specialized bulldozer will even be able to split it.
How to level a piece of land with a tractor or loosening
There are several options for making the ground level:
- Level the area with a walk-behind tractor, as well as a tractor. This method will remove lumps up to 15 centimeters deep. Then you can do the alignment on your own using a rake. After loosening, the soil will spread easily and effortlessly.
- It is possible to drive the leveling of the ground using a tractor bucket. It can grasp soil up to 100 centimeters deep. This way you can set the level in advance.
- The method of delivering soil is also popular and easy. It is enough to pour soil onto uneven ground. This process is suitable for slope areas.
Let's evaluate the features and capabilities
Before planning summer cottages, you should carefully study the site from different points of view. With a certain slope of the land and the size of the housing, the project of the house can be carried out so that the entrances to it are carried out from different sides directly to the desired floor. The bathhouse and outbuildings can also be located in non-standard places.
If the house is built at the highest point in the area, the whole garden, as well as other buildings, will be visible from its windows. In addition, in such a structure it is always dry, its windows are more accessible to the sun's rays. The house in the lowland will allow you to "hide" from prying eyes, and the lush vegetation under the walls will cover it even more.
In addition, natural elevations of the terrain can be elegantly played with structures such as a waterfall, rockery or alpine slide. Small fences-partitions will also dilute the overall picture and visually soften the steep slope. The main thing is to find the right way to solve the problem, using the available opportunities to the fullest. When arranging a site that has slopes, it should be remembered that the land is drier on the hills, it is usually humid in the lowlands. This will help you choose the right plants for planting.
If the layout of structures in relief terrain provides an opportunity to obtain a certain benefit, planting plants on the slopes is not always convenient and practical. In this regard, for a competent organization of a garden and a vegetable garden, it is often required to level the ground. How to do this correctly, we will consider below.
Why steam treatment and what it is
Steam treatment is a procedure after which a summer cottage or garden plot remains flat in the future. The action of the steam allows you to kill all pests and weeds.
You can also manually process the soil with boiling water yourself. Using this procedure, you can kill germs and bacteria of harmful plants.... There are other ways to scald:
- For large areas, it is necessary to carry out the procedure using a special steam machine.
- You can kill germs by chemical treatment. In this case, such substances are used: sulfur, copper oxide and lime.
- If the land is to be further used as a greenhouse, then only sulfur balls are enough.
Plot for lawn
Lawn grass needs to grow on a level surface for a number of reasons:
Most grass varieties prefer a flat area.
An even area will contribute to uniform watering and distribution of light.
On level ground, a neatly trimmed lawn looks more attractive.
Leveling service cost
The price for the service for leveling the land plot will depend directly on the territory and region. But there are averages:
- To begin with, a specialist should go to the site to assess the complexity of future work. The service will cost from 2 to 4 thousand rubles.
- Carrying out work to remove old stumps and bushes will cost from 450 rubles for 1.
- The alignment itself will be carried out from 50 rubles per square meter.
In addition, the money will have to be spent on soil, if needed, fuel and various vehicles, as well as on the removal of stumps and bushes from the site. It will take a lot of finance. Therefore, it is better to do everything yourself. You can ask a friend for help and use rented equipment.
How to level a plot of less than 6 acres
To level the area correctly, you need to do everything strictly according to the instructions:
- The sod layer on top must be carefully removed and tilted to the side.
- Next, you need to level the soil. To do this, you need to excavate all the mounds and lumps. The rest of the land can be distributed over the area where the holes remained.
- The remaining soil must be bagged and removed. You can leave it and use it for greenhouses.
- After three weeks, the soil will be smoothed out and then you can begin to carry out manipulations with it.
If you want to plant a lawn on a piece of land in the future, then you need to plow the area at least three times.
This should be done by a cultivator. Next, you should level the ground with a rake. Only then can the seeds be sown.
Plots with an area of more than 6 acres will be difficult to level by hand. Better to rent a tractor. To finally level the ground, you need to use a rake. They will be able to remove small bumps, excess plants and stones. For perfect results, you can use a level or plank with a rake.
What can be done with fertile soil and how to recoup losses
During the leveling procedure, fertile soil is removed from the topsoil. It would be wrong to throw it away, because this land can be used in business.
It is also not worth storing it in packaging, because it will lose its properties and all useful substances due to a lack of oxygen.
From all this, it can be concluded that leveling the ground helps create a favorable seedling environment, and can be done manually. Everything directly depends on the material condition and the desire to work with your own hands. Even land with a slope can be leveled manually.
Many owners of suburban areas are dissatisfied with the appearance of their estates. Some of them in SNT are located on the former agricultural lands, which were plowed for potatoes for years. Accordingly, there were tracks from the passes of the equipment. In other plots, the owners themselves, by mistake, plowed them first. After that, there were lumps of upside-down soil, which over time turned into bumps.
How to level a land plot with and without a slope?
There are several ways that differ not so much in price as in expediency. The methods are as follows:
- Loosening and finishing leveling. Is the plowing of the land done with a walk-behind tractor or a mini-tractor with a rotary tiller? A rotary tiller is a hook-on device to a tractor or walk-behind tractor, designed for cultivation (loosening) of the earth. , and the alignment itself is a rake. The method is applicable when preparing soil for a lawn. Allows you to eliminate pits and bumps up to 15 cm in height.
- Grading or leveling existing ground. The tractor bucket can move large volumes of land and smooth out irregularities up to 1 meter in height.The work can be carried out both by eye and according to pre-set elevation marks.
- If you want to make the surface of the site not just flat, but horizontal, as a rule, you need to bring in the soil. The low edge of the site is poured up to the marks. This method requires an elevation survey with a level to determine the exact elevation difference. Based on the data obtained, the volume of dumping is calculated.
Walkways and steps
The design of the site on the slope includes paths and ladders. They are necessary for free movement, combining individual parts of the area into a composition.
Trails on slopes should be done on level ground. Curved paths will visually soften the steepness. Serpentine, on the contrary, accentuate elevation differences.
The planning of the site on the slope provides for the presence of curved or radius stairs.
We recommend reading:
- Do-it-yourself gate for summer cottages: modern models and unusual options for using gates (110 photos)
Options for arranging the courtyard of a private house - the best design ideas, preparation options and tips for creating a beautiful house plot (90 photos)
A plot of 6 acres - examples of design, effective development and examples of landscape design (135 photos)
On long marches, recreation areas are set up to sit down and take a breath. They are equipped with benches, tables. Walkways and steps should be the same width and in the same style.
When constructing stairs, safety precautions must not be forgotten. The steps should not be slippery, narrow, or too steep. For reinsurance, you can install a railing. Good lighting will also ensure safety of movement.
To whom and how much to pay for a flat plot?
There are three types of contractors in the construction market of the Moscow Region:
- Tractor drivers are private traders. You can hire a tractor to level the plot in the nearest village. The quality of work and the safety of the fence upon arrival of the equipment remains on the conscience of the driver. It is worth considering that the tractor can not drive everywhere, there are safety dimensions to the buildings. Therefore, it is important that the equipment is accompanied by a pair of auxiliary workers with shovels. The price category is medium.
- Mechanized columns or companies with a fleet of construction equipment. The first step is to offer the delivery of soil and filling the site. After all, these are the most expensive and therefore profitable jobs in which you can use the equipment to the maximum. They are able to level the ground with a tractor bucket; they rarely offer auxiliary workers. The price category is high.
- Landscaping and leveling companies. Such companies can not only carry out high-altitude surveys and, according to it, level the land in the country, but also do all the work, from cleaning to sowing the lawn. As a result, when ordering several works for the alignment itself, a discount is often given. This also happens when contacting the FARMER company. You can see the current prices here. The price category is low.
In the end, I would like to remind you about the culture of work. If your site is not a bare field, if it has a fence, trees, buildings, then pay special attention to the accuracy of the contractor. When performing work on the site, there must be a responsible foreman. This person makes sure that the walk-behind tractor does not cut the water pipe, the tractor does not hook the fence post, and when the soil was brought in, the necks of the fruit trees were not covered, which leads to their death. In the company FARMER, work is always carried out only under the guidance of an experienced foreman.
Retaining walls
How to strengthen the slope on the site? The construction of retaining walls is an excellent option not only for strengthening, but also for decorating the site.
When building walls, you need to know:
To emphasize the landscape design and make it unique, it is necessary to carefully approach the selection of materials for the construction of the walls, taking into account the general design style. Retaining structures are made of wood, beams, bricks, stones.
Unreliable, porous and corroded materials must be treated with special compounds and painted. We are talking about metal, wood, and so on.
For the reliability of a structure made of heavy materials, a solid foundation is laid under it.
