Sinkhole appeared in my yard near the house
Drainage issues like underground downspout lines, newly installed drain tile, or shifting water flow frequently trigger sinkholes close to the foundation. Homeowners struggle to pinpoint whether the damage stems from broken subsurface pipes or underlying geological conditions, preventing them from filling the hole safely without risking structural damage.
What the numbers show
Counted from the threads quoted below. How we count
- The most recent one is from October 2026.
- This comes up 28.2× more often in r/Landscaping than across the site as a whole.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1pouring a bunch of gravel and dirt in thereDid this help you?
- 2just fill with sandDid this help you?
- 3dig out around the area some to investigateDid this help you?
- 4send a camera down your downspoutDid this help you?
- 5order 10 yards of concrete and fill itDid this help you?
- 6plant fast heavily rooting floraDid this help you?
- 7Looking for the right professional to call to address the issueDid this help you?
- 8filling the hole with fill dirt or clay instead of top soilDid this help you?
- 9emptying the water and checking for a leakDid this help you?
- 10digging a pipe under the sidewalkDid this help you?
- 11waiting until the area dries out completely before plantingDid this help you?
- 12Calling local emergency services (Fire Department) for immediate assessment when municipal agencies do not respondDid this help you?
- 13Contacting public works, water authorities, and town hallDid this help you?
- 14Hiring foundation, structural, or geotechnical engineersDid this help you?
- 15Calling plumbers to perform a camera line inspection for water-related erosionDid this help you?
- 16Moving vehicles off the slab and packing emergency bags in case evacuation is requiredDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“This hole showed up overnight but there are other similar holes that stretch along the 20ft wide driveway/garage area.”source ↗
“I’m afraid this is basically a huge sinkhole waiting to happen. No idea what to do or if filling it with concrete will do the trick”source ↗
“I went to clean my A/C unit and my husband almost fell through what I thought was a tiny rabbit hole.”source ↗
“What opened up was much worse.”source ↗
“Several months ago a new portion of my basement began severely leaking during heavy rainfall and this hole makes a ton of sense.”source ↗
“It’s rough 3 or 4 feet from my house. That’s my shovel in there. There’s a few smaller holes in the same area but the ground doesn’t appear to be a soft under those?”source ↗
“This hole formed after I had someone install sch 40 from my down spout and install a new drain tile.”source ↗
“I suspect it might be the downspout roughly 5 or 6 feet from the hole. It goes into the grown and out towards the front of the house but I’m not sure.”source ↗
“I’m in Kentucky. Maybe 5 or so feet from the downspout which goes into the ground and out toward the front of the house.”source ↗
“I took the dead tree out and the hole was about 30% full of water (not pictured). I didn’t have time to replant the new tree last night so I came out this morning and the hole is like 80% FULL of water.”source ↗