Do you mean regrading? Ugh- not really a job for you on your own unless you own a bobcat.

AndyC, Please note my recent question concerning replacing roof gutters with ground level gutters. Did your landscape people address this?

A couple of years ago we had to fix a water problem in our basement, the run off was coming from the driveway. My husband, father , and brother got out there and dug down to the bottom of the foundation and out about 3-4ft and the whole length of the house. Covered the foundation wall with tar then thick plastic, backfilled with sand and we poured a concrete sidewalk and drive. My dad swears it will never come back. So far it hasn't. I know it sounds like alot, but my foundation would have been completely ruined if we hadn't done it.

Forgot to mention that we had to angle the dirveway and put in a curb so that the water ran to the back yard and watered the trees. Where there's a will there's a way.

Regrading your lawn to help the water flow away from the house is not a very big job so long as your not currently experiencing leaks. It is also a very good idea. As an ex-owner of a landscaping company for 10 years, i can honestly say you can do this yourself.

Simply add normal topsoil around the house so that it is elevated a few inches higher than the rest of the property. If you currently have plants around the side of the house, leave them there. Simply add some top soil to the current beds. Plants actually help the water to be absorbed.

Now, if your basement is leaking, have a foundation specialist look at it. I rarely saw grading fix leak to a basement. It usually is only a temporary solution…