Grading - how level with concrete collar for grass seed?

[Stilly]

We are currently in construction for our inground vinyl pool, and for now have decided to hold off on installing a patio outside of the 3-ft concrete deck surrounding the pool. We don't have a lot of impervious area left according to the township, so we would like to see which areas of the yard we would enjoy using as a patio before we commit to anything, and will most likely build it next year.

We hit quite a bit of stone during the dig so this is not really soil that I want to use for grading because of the amount of clay and rock in it. PB said that he will grade with topsoil that I order if this is the route that I want to take, and will haul away the rock-ridden soil that I don't want. Since we plan on seeding with grass, I figure that I will have a really hard time trying to grow anything with the amount of rocks that we have to deal with, and I would need a layer of topsoil for the grass seed anyway. I think doing it this way will save me some money when I have my landscaper seed the yard (or sod, haven't decided yet), since it will already have a good layer of topsoil.

I am going to be calling around to see what sort of prices I can get for topsoil. But, how thick does it need to be? The concrete decking is about 4" thick - how far up do I need to grade for seeding with grass? Should I plan on 4" of topsoil and whatever is under that (clay & rocky) can stay? Or do I only need to go about halfway up on the concrete decking, so 2" thick? I have no idea how much topsoil a newly seeded lawn would need. Any help would be appreciated!

 

[aeromorris05]

I just finished the process you're going though. Ultimately we decided to go the sod route. The hassle of trying to grow grass around the perimeter of the pool just wasn't worth it to us. Every time it rained red clay mud would stain the outside 18" of the deck. I highly recommend buying sod strips to cover the 3ft closest to the pool even if you decide to seed. I'm budget conscience sometimes to a fault, so we ordered 4 pallets of sod directly from a local sod farm. They cut the grass upon request and I borrowed my fathers heavy duty pickup truck and trailer and saved myself $150 in delivery costs. The farm loaded it up with a fork-lift for free. It took 3 trips but we got it all back to the house and unloaded it ourselves. Just over 2000sqft of Tiffway 419 Bermuda for $450 plus fuel! If you're trying do decide how deep a layer of topsoil to go with, 3" should be sufficient. I'd say even 2" is fine. The sod if of decent quality should come with a 1" thick layer of soil attached. I'm not gonna lie. It's a lot of work but sweat is free. It got me out of doing P90x that week.

Our PB graded the yard and upon our evaluation we requested that they grade it again and add a few extra yards of topsoil. We're dealing with a yard that originally had a slope so our situation is a bit different. We had him add enough dirt to change the grade of the yard. I recommend a gentle grade away from the pool. When laying the sod I was sure to keep the edge of the grass 1-2 inches away from the deck. That way when I hose down the deck the water washes off and doesn't just rebound against the dirt encroaching on the deck. You might even consider taking a weed-eater or edger and cutting a drainage trench around the deck.

 

[Stilly]

Thank you for getting back to me. We have a slope too, so there is quite a bit of grading that we are doing to level areas around the pool, and then slope away. They are willing to grade with the remaining soil that we have, or bring extra dirt in from another dig to fill our areas, but I worry that will just be someone else's rock-ridden dirt and that I will have a hard time growing anything on it. I'm thinking that having a truckload of screened topsoil come in might be my best bet.

I like your idea about leaving 1" gap between the deck and the sod - I just worry that it might create a trip hazard for my elderly mother who is looking forward to using the pool! I also like your idea about laying sod around the perimeter of the deck and then seeding the rest. I don't have all that much to seed, so I might just end up doing the sod everywhere. I just don't know how high I need to plan on having it against the deck, with trying to figure for settling, etc. We have a sod farm not too far from here, I think I will give them a call and see what I am looking at for pricing there.