How does one go about repairing a sinkhole in the lawn? Nothing I need to drive over, just a spot in my yard, actually two spots. The grass is still there but the whole area has sunk about a foot down, one hole is about as big as a kitchen sink and the other, bathtub sized. I have heard that filling them in the wrong way can actually make them larger? Should I try digging out the area and throwing in some large rocks or something before replacing the sod?:eek::eek::eek:

First, what happened in the area of the sinkhole to begin with? Was there any digging in this area a few months ago?

I had some drain pipe replaced outside my back door in July, 2008. Even though the hole was properly filled in apparently the area underneath the new pipe was not properly prepped before the hole was filled in. Over the winter with a lot of rain, this original hole sank in big time. It sank in about 15" and was 3'X10' - just about the same dimensions as the original hole only not so deep.

I had the sunken spot filled in with new fill and leveled off and planted grass seed. Even though it's rained very hard since the hole was refilled - the hole has not "returned" as it now has the proper amount of soil compacted down to keep it at the proper level.

There is no "wrong" way to refill a hole. Just make sure that each level of the new dirt is properly tamped down either by walking on it or driving a heavy yard vehicle over it like a 4 wheel cart loaded with more dirt. Water the new dirt well to make sure it settles properly and you should be fine.

Thanks so much for such a quick reply. Have no idea where the holes came from, they just appeared out there in the spring after the snow melted away.

Sounds like some filling was done some time in the past and a tree stump or log was covered over. That stump or log has now decayed and the earth is sinking. Fill the hole with soil. It will reappear as the fill dirt you put in compacts and the stump or log continues to decay, but less than before.

Keep refilling until it stops sinking.

The other alternative is to dig it all out and fill.

It was common for builders of developments to burry stumps, wood, etc. from excavating. It can be a hazard especially to kids.

Do I need to dig out lawn in area of a sinkhole before I fill and re sod