DRAPER — Jason and Cherie Robles have begun searching for an attorney who, they hope, can force those they believe are responsible to pay the $80,000 repair bill for damage caused to their back yard by a recent landslide.

"I don't know who to be upset with, " Jason Robles said Thursday. "You assume the area is reliable to have a house on when you buy it."

Robles has been waiting for a few days to hear back from an attorney who specializes in property cases.

"I'm not a greedy person," he said. "I don't want any money. I just want my yard and grass back. If someone can do the job cheaper than $80,000, then that would be great, as long as it's done right."

Since Robles hasn't consulted with an attorney yet, he isn't sure of any of the details.

"I would hesitate to say who we will name in the lawsuit." said Robles. "I don't know the laws. I don't know who was legally responsible. That will be the attorney's decision."

The Robles family, including three children, moved into the Draper home two years ago. They were unaware of any problems with their property, which had been developed in 2001.

On June 10, the Robles discovered that the fence separating their yard from the ravine behind was hanging in midair. Their back yard had washed away, stopping just a foot and a half from their deck.

Looking back now, the Robles believe there were signs of ground movement a month before the incident.

"We noticed some cracks in our deck in back," Jason Robles said. "But it was right after the big rainstorms that the landslide happened."

Robles believes the landslide was caused over time by a combination of the usual runoff from precipitation, drainage from the neighbors' yards above him and the recent storm.

The city of Draper sent five people to the Robles' property at 119 Steep Mountain Drive to check out the damage a couple of days after the landslide. Draper officials did not return phone calls Thursday seeking comment.

City engineer David Decker, one of the inspectors, told the Draper Journal that he couldn't determine whether a leaky sprinkler was the cause or groundwater from the homes above.

"They say it was the sprinklers," Robles said. "I don't think it was."

Robles checked his water usage and found it was the same as last year and similar to that of his neighbors. Even after he turned his irrigation water off two weeks later, the ground was still wet.