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Common Landscape Drainage Problems
PineBrook Landscaping Staff • May 23, 2019
Diagnose Your Drainage Issues & Create a Lasting Solution
You don’t have to be a professional to know when your lawn has a drainage problem. Standing water that creates swampy areas, bare roots and yard rivulets that look like little streams are hard to miss. These issues are not only unpleasant, but they can also lead to some serious damage if left untreated.
Proper Grading for Drainage is Important
If your landscape doesn’t have good drainage, your outdoor living space probably isn’t going to be very enjoyable. And there’s ONE factor that will decide if you have drainage issues: an issue that hinders water from moving downhill. It’s really that simple!
Drainage plans
are a vital part of any landscape design. It could consist of an elaborate plan with a retention basin with pipe, French drain, gravel and retaining wall or a sump pump. Or, it could be as small as just considering what happens on your patio when you over-water a container plant.
Water is obviously a necessity for a healthy landscape, but you need to know how to properly distribute this resource to prevent issues. If you don’t, the results can be disastrous. Following are the most common landscape grading and drainage problems and how to fix them:
- Poor Elevation at the Foundation: One of the most prevalent drainage problems is when water is held at the foundation of a home. It can eventually ruin the interior finishes such as drywall or wood floors and can also contribute to foundation failure. This could have easily been avoided by elevating the house slab enough during initial construction to get proper slope away from the home.
Solution: Re-grading to create water flow away from the house can help keep it from building up around the foundation. A sub-surface drainage system can also be installed that includes a retention basin and pipe. - Plant Bed Designs: Improper bed designs impede the natural water flow, keeping the water from moving in the direction the developer and engineer intended. That could cause the water to remain in the beds, killing your plants, or flowing in a direction that causes other damage.
Solution: So you need to consider the plant bed layouts to prevent this drainage issue. Your bed designs should include site level info to ensure the proper slope that will efficiently move the water downhill. - Water Traps: Incorrect grading of your yard can create depressions that hold water. This excess water will ultimately kill your turf and plant material. Plus, it can leave you with marshy conditions in those areas.
Solution: You can give water a better place to go by installing mock creek beds that allow stormwater to move across the surface naturally. These creeks can also add some aesthetic value. In extreme cases where gravity can’t be utilized, there are mechanical options like a sump pump to evacuate the water. - Paved Surfaces: Having the proper grade isn’t just important for your yard - it’s also vital to preventing drainage problems with your hardscape surfaces. You need to make sure your solid surfaces like patios, driveways, pool decks, terraces and walkways also have the proper slope.
Solution: In addition to properly grading the area, you can also install retaining walls and/or French drains to help with water run-off issues. - Gutter Down Spouts:
Another common drainage problem is when gutter down spout exits aren’t adequately considered. If the gutter is emptying into bed areas and over saturating plant material, or dumping concentrated amounts of water on paved surfaces, problems will develop.
Solution: Be mindful of where your gutters are pouring water and redirect them so the water will go downhill. A French drain system may be needed to move water further away from the house.
Hire a Landscape Drainage Professional
When developing corrective drainage solutions
for your property, the most important thing is to identify your water patterns and ensure they work within the scope of your overall design. Depending on the complexity of your drainage issue, just an inch can make the difference between solving the problem and spending more money to fix the drainage twice. It’s smart to fix any drainage issues as soon as possible to avoid more damage and this is one landscape project that you should trust to experienced professionals.
PineBrook Landscaping
can help diagnose your drainage problem and create a lasting solution. In addition to water management, we also offer landscape design, lawn care, commercial and residential maintenance, custom hardscaping
and outdoor entertainment areas.
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