How Can I Deal with Soil Washout by Myself?

There are certainly some things that you can do to manage the health of your soil and prevent washout as a homeowner. Once the damage has progressed beyond a certain point, however, it will be necessary to involve a professional who knows what they are doing. 

Managing Soil Washout 

If you have noticed that soil seems to be eroding at the most exposed areas of your property, there may still be time to prevent the issue from snowballing. As a homeowner, the main thing you can do to prevent soil erosion from getting worse is to take care of your yard. This may require a little research if you are not a gardener, but it can be incredibly helpful and very cost-efficient. In fact, learning how to care for your yard could even protect your home. 

This can entail many different things, but the most common ways to increase the health of the soil around your property is to fertilize it and plant a mix of flora that will create a complex system of roots. This will bind the soil together and prevent it from blowing or washing away. It will also add texture to the topsoil, which will prevent erosion even in extreme weather. Doing this can also prevent perimeter saturation by increasing the soil’s capacity to absorb moisture. This will protect your foundation in the long run too. 

Don’t Try DIY Concrete Lifting 

Once erosion has progressed to the point of causing damage, however, it is time to involve a professional. There is really nothing you can do to safely lift sunken concrete as a non-professional. For a start, it is highly unlikely that you will have access to the tools and products that you need to lift and resurface damaged concrete. Furthermore, many of the concrete repair tools on the market require specialist training to ensure a good result. 

If you try to use something like the PolyRenewal™ system alone, for example, you could end up causing more damage to the concrete than was already there. In fact, you could cause injury to yourself as well. This polyurethane foam is a two-part system that must be mixed in proper proportions to ensure that it expands with the correct force and sets properly. If you make a mistake, it could over- or under-expand. This will not only cause damage to your driveway or patio. It will also be incredibly hard to remove.