Capped !

Are motor cycles male or female? That opens up interesting question. They like to have men on their backs, and they go around to places and go shopping. So... ?

Don't forget the block wall bracing before backfilling...I have a BIL that didn't do it!

I'm not quite sure what you mean about bracing ... This cellar is only about half below grade , there is rebar between row 3 and 4 , row 6 and 7 , and there are vertical rebars every 4 feet with that column filled with concrete . I backfilled about 3 weeks ago , recent rain/sleet/snow event has settled that fill so I need to push more dirt (clay mostly) to get the runoff profile I want . Not that it will see any runoff after the kitchen is on top of it , but you never know and I want any water that finds it's way under there to run away from the walls .

Not sure where you're located but around here backfilling with clay will destroy/collapse a block wall in 15 years or less.

On Sat, 27 Feb 2016 07:38:38 -0700, ray wrote in

Is that because of the expansion/contraction of clay as it absorbs water & dries out?

THe short answer is yes . Shouldn't be a problem here because the cellar walls are all recessed under the house except the downhill end wall , and they are only partly below grade . This is the same stuff that came out of the hole .

OK , that's kinda what I thought . If my walls were that long and buried that far I'd be worried .

Around here bazckfill with sand/gravel and cap with clay is pretty common. The clay cap helps shed water, keeping it away from the foundation.