Landscaping Contractor in Shady Spring, WV

Newer Homes on Sloped Lots in Shady Spring

Ritter Drive carries US 19 and WV 3 southeast from Beckley, through Daniels. At Shady Spring, WV 3 turns east as Hinton Road, and US 19 heads south as Flat Top Road. Grandview Road (WV 307) leaves Ritter Drive north of town and runs past Little Beaver State Park toward I-64.

Homes here are newer than Beckley's. Census survey estimates put the median year built at 1997, against 1960 in Beckley. About four in ten went up in 2000 or later. The 2020 Census counted 3,169 people and 1,418 homes in Shady Spring, up from 1,299 homes in 2010.

Building on a slope usually means cutting into the hill and filling below the house. That leaves a steep bank to hold and loose fill to firm up. A block retaining wall or terraced beds can turn that bank into usable yard. Outdoor steps can go right into the wall.

What Is Under a Shady Spring Yard?

The USDA soil survey maps about 43 percent of Shady Spring on slopes of 15 percent or more. The largest soil unit in town is a Clifftop and Nallen mix on 8 to 15 percent slopes. Both soils drain well, but soft shale or hard sandstone often sits about 3 feet down.

The steeper slopes and benches hold Layland and Laidig soils, made of rock and soil that moved downhill. The survey calls much of that ground rubbly or extremely stony. Laidig soil also has a dense layer, called a fragipan, about 4 feet down. Water moves slowly through it, so a yard below a slope can stay wet after rain.

On a wet lot, grading that sends water away from the house comes before a patio or a bed. We shape the ground so water heads for a safe low point on the lot. For new development, Raleigh County's zoning ordinance requires runoff to leave the site where it left before. State law also says anyone who digs or grades calls 811 at least two business days ahead.

Raleigh County Permit Rules for Shady Spring Yards

Shady Spring is unincorporated, so the Raleigh County Building Code Office in Beckley handles its building permits. The county's building code ordinance exempts some small structures from a building permit. Those still need a pre-application, so the county can check zoning and flood rules. Starting work before a required permit doubles the permit fee.

Corner lots carry one more rule in the county zoning ordinance. Near the intersection, walls and plantings along the road edge cannot stand over 3 feet tall. Plan around that before you plant a row of Green Giant arborvitae along the road.

Very little of Shady Spring sits in a FEMA flood zone. Little Beaver Creek is the one stream FEMA studied inside town. Grading or building in a mapped flood zone needs a county floodplain permit. You can check any address on the state's WV Flood Tool.

Winter Snow and Freeze at 2,700 Feet

The weather station at the Beckley airport sits about 2,500 feet up, lower than central Shady Spring. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals there show about 56 inches of snow a year. The low drops to freezing or below on about 107 nights a year.

Freeze and thaw can heave pavers and steps set over wet or loose soil. We build a paver patio on a compacted stone base and pitch it so water runs off. In winter, our work turns to snow plowing for driveways and business lots.