Home developers should build with care and seek the input of a professional engineer to make sure their dream home on the hill stands the test of time. Landslides are a threat in the Virgin Islands , but they can be avoided with proper planning and construction.

This was the advice given by Government building experts from the Department Public Works (DPW) and Town and Country Planning (TCP) on a recent Government Information Service Radio Report, hosted by Susanna Hennigan- Potter. 

In an effort to save money, some V.I. homebuilders do not get the professional engineering help needed to make sure a building is soundly designed and constructed. Even in the designing stage, a homebuilder should find out how much cut and fill of the hillside will be needed.

“You don’t want to build a structure and four five six months down the line you real find out the foundation is filling — essentially the dirt is moving below your house — so the requirement of the retaining walls or the gabion baskets or the vegetation prevention measures are simply measures to ensure the development can sustain itself throughout the years, even at times of adverse weather conditions,” said Steve Augustine Deputy Chief Planner from TCP.

Augustine said landowners should take their time with construction and observe how the water moves over the land during a rainstorm before building. Understanding how water naturally flows over a property can indicate ways to direct that flow safely, he said.

Two ways to reduce the potential for erosion on steep hillsides is to keep the house’s footprint small and build up or another technique is to build a long narrow structure, said Augustine. Both these methods lessen the need for a cut, which means less fill to deal with and a reduced need for retaining walls – both costly infrastructural work.

Retaining structures can be expensive, but they are often recommended, Augustine said. Gabion baskets and large rocks can do the same work as retaining walls, and look more natural, he said. Another cheaper way to stabilise soil is to keep or plant vegetation on your property, he advised.

Driveways are another place erosion can take place. Driveway erosion can be controlled by sloping it towards the hillside and by placing a series of swales to direct the water off the driveway. Swales are small channels in roadways, put in to prevent erosion by directing waterflow.

 “One of the main objectives for sloping the road and swales are to guide the water into where we want it to go, so you have some type of control rather than let it flow haphazardly on your property,” said Dr. Drexel Glasgow, with Public Works.

It is good to be careful in the construction stage, but on an existing property homeowners should still be aware of what is going on with their property and the way the water moves over it. Look for falling rocks, water that might be running towards the home and trees that are leaning or falling over as a signal that a landside could be a threat, the expert said.

Homeowners should also be aware of what their neighbours are doing, because if they change the direction of water flow off their property, it could effect theirs. If homeowners or potential homeowners have any questions or concerns about their property, both experts said help is available at their Departments. Inspectors and engineers can give you the information you need to have a safe and secure home.

“People just do not know . . . they have a dream home they want to put up so the construct by any means possible,” Glasgow said. “In the planning process seek the advice of an engineer, familiar with the techniques who can orient the home on the land in steep slope areas. An engineer has done the math, done the calculations, and as an expert in the field has the proper advice.”

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