In short: The hill behind the Living Springs Log House is steep but stable, and experts say it’s in good shape. The biggest source of water near the patio is the roof, not the hill. This article covers simple, low-cost steps to take now. A second article covers building a retaining wall later.

These are suggestions, not professional advice. See the full note at the end.

Many Ozark homes are tucked against a hillside. It’s part of the charm: the house nestles into the land, and a concrete patio out back makes a sheltered place to sit. But every heavy rain tells the other side of the story. Soil can wash off the slope, mud can creep onto the patio, and water can collect right where you don’t want it, against the back of the house.

Not every hillside needs a retaining wall right away. Often the best first steps are simple and inexpensive: manage the water, cover bare soil, and let deep-rooted plants do the work.

The Real Problem Is Water, Not Dirt

Erosion is water moving soil. A wall that only holds back dirt, without dealing with the water, will eventually fail. Wet soil is heavy, and water trapped behind a wall pushes on it with tremendous force (engineers call this hydrostatic pressure). This is the number one reason retaining walls bulge, lean, and collapse.

A concrete patio adds to the challenge. Concrete doesn’t absorb rain, so every drop that lands on it, plus everything running off the slope, has to go somewhere. If the patio tilts even slightly toward the house, that water heads straight for your foundation.

So the first rule is simple: plan the drainage before you plan the wall.

A Real Example: The Hillside Behind the Living Springs Log House

Patricia Mikkelson has lived here for nine years. She wants future owners to understand this hill, know what the experts have said about it, and start thinking now about how to care for it over the long term.

What the Hill Is Like Today

• The hill is very steep. It is hard to walk straight up it; Patricia has to grab onto trees to climb it.
• The hill shows no signs of moving or starting to fall down.
• There is no apparent spring or seep coming out of the slope.
• Trees and native plants hold most of the soil in place.
• A path runs along the top of the hill, with a ditch beside it. Together they slow the water down before it reaches the steep part.
• One section of the slope stays bare. Plants don’t seem to take hold there, which makes it the spot most likely to lose soil in a hard rain.
• The hillside belongs to this property up to a certain point. A wall here would not affect any neighbors.

What the Experts Said

• A conservation specialist from the Madison County Extension office visited and said the hill is in good shape, with the trees and native plants holding the soil. The specialist also said a retaining wall would be a good idea.
• Two retaining wall experts looked at the slope separately. Both agreed a wall would be good, and both were firm that it should not be built on the patio.
• Any wall would sit back from the house, not close to the foundation.

Where the Water Comes From

• One roof downspout empties right next to the foundation.
• The rain gutter is too small for heavy Ozark rains, so it overflows onto the patio.

What to Do Now

Step One: Manage the Water

• Fix the gutter. A larger gutter handles heavy downpours much better. Six-inch gutters with bigger downspouts carry far more water than the common five-inch size.
• Move the downspout water away from the house. A downspout extension or a buried pipe can carry roof water well away from the foundation and the patio.
• Keep the path and ditch clear. Clearing leaves and debris from the ditch each fall keeps it working.
• Check the patio’s slope. Water on the patio should run away from the house. If it doesn’t, plan to fix that.
• Leave a path for water between the hill and the patio. A gravel strip or shallow channel at the foot of the slope, sloped to carry water around the side of the house, keeps runoff off the concrete.

Step Two: Heal the Bare Section

• Cover the bare soil. Biodegradable erosion-control netting made of coir or jute holds the soil while seeds and young plants get started. A layer of mulch underneath helps too.
• Lay logs across the slope. Logs or branches laid level across the bare section and staked in place catch soil and leaves. Over time they break down into rich soil, and plants take hold behind them.
• Plant deep roots. Native grasses like little bluestem and switchgrass, and plants such as coralberry, purple coneflower, and black-eyed Susan, send roots deep into the slope. Ferns and native sedges do well in the shady spots under the trees. The Madison County Extension office can suggest what will grow best on this exact slope.
• Don’t walk straight up the hill. Climbing straight up the same line wears away the leaf cover and loosens the soil, and the bare track becomes a channel for rain. A path that zigzags gently across the slope, or a few simple stone or log steps, lets people reach the top without opening a new gully.

Step Three: Add Permaculture Ideas

• Catch the roof water instead of losing it. Rain barrels or a small tank at the downspout can hold water for the gardens. The overflow can be piped to a rain garden, a shallow planted basin set well away from the house where water soaks in slowly.
• Add short swales on contour. A few shallow ditches dug level across the slope spread water out so it soaks in instead of rushing downhill.
• Let plants feed the soil. Cutting back plants and leaving the trimmings on the slope as mulch builds the soil year after year and keeps it covered.

Keep an Eye on It

Walk the hill after a few heavy rains each year. Call for expert advice if you notice any of these:

• Cracks in the ground, bulges, or soil that has slumped downhill
• Trees starting to lean downhill
• Ground that stays wet for days after a rain, which may mean a new seep
• New cracks or settling in the patio slab, or dampness in the basement or garage

Why This Matters for the Long Term

Today the hill is stable, and nothing urgent needs to be done. The concern is the long term. Over many years, heavy rains, a bare patch of soil, and roof water landing near the house can add up. A new owner who understands the hill from the start can take care of the small things first, plan ahead, and build a wall or terraces when they’re ready. Read Building a Retaining Wall on a Steep Hillside, When the Time Comes.

A Few Insights

• The hill turned out to be in better shape than the worry about it. The bigger source of water near the patio is the roof, and that is a much easier fix than a wall.
• Every expert who looked at the slope agreed on the same two things: a wall would be good someday, and it does not belong on the patio.
• The gentlest solutions, like leaving the leaves, laying logs across the slope, and planting deep-rooted natives, are also the least expensive.

---

A note on these suggestions: The repairs and improvements described here are our best understanding from research and our own experience living on the property. We are not contractors, engineers, or licensed inspectors, and these may not be the best or only solutions. Before starting any repair or project, please consult a qualified professional, such as a contractor, drainage specialist, or home inspector, who can look at the site in person.

How we wrote this together: This article was written collaboratively by Patricia Mikkelson, a resident of the Living Springs Log House, and Claude.ai, Anthropic’s AI assistant. Patricia brought what she has seen on this hillside over nine years, along with what the Madison County Extension specialist and two retaining wall experts told her. Claude researched drainage and native plants and helped put it all in order.

To see more of the Living Springs Log House and its land, visit www.livingspringsloghouse.com