You don’t have to be a professional to know when your yard has a drainage issue. The standing water in your yard, soggy ground, and clogged street grates are hard to miss. Good landscaping considers where the water naturally flows on your property and how to redirect that water to ensure your home stays dry and damage-free. 

Drainage plans are essential to any landscape design, and without those plans, you could run into expensive and disastrous issues. Keep reading to discover the most common landscape drainage problems. 

Improper Landscaping

After a storm, do you notice soil on sidewalks or a small stream of water running through your garden? Having flat surfaces can leave nowhere for the water to retreat, so the water runs into your garden or yard. Planting certain plants and installing a new sidewalk, patio, or driveway could cause erosion and drainage issues.

You can solve this by installing a dry rock bed with geotextile drainage fabric that can help redirect water to a drain or a different part of your yard that can handle the stormwater. 

Standing Water in Your Yard

Pooling water in a yard may be a sign of poor landscaping and improper grading. Having standing water is a sign of soil heavy with clay, which prevents water from draining correctly. The slope of your property could also be contributing to your drainage issue.

When designing your landscape, create a unique drainage system for your home and yard. For instance, one area may need extra water for your water-loving plants, while another may need a French drain to help it dry out.

Blocked Gutters & Downspouts

While it’s raining, do you notice water pouring over the gutters, or do you see debris and puddles of water beneath the downspout? You could have a clogged gutter or downspout that is causing your drainage problem. 

If this is happening, you can redesign your downspout with a professional to ensure the water moves away from your home’s foundation. A professional could regrade your yard to fix this issue so the water flows naturally down, or they can lay pipes underground to preserve sidewalks and driveways around your home.

Poor Elevation at the Foundation

One of the most common landscape drainage issues is poor elevation at the foundation of a home. If you see water pooling at your home’s foundation or flooding in your basement, you could have an elevation problem.

This problem can be disastrous to your home’s interior finishes like wood floors and drywall. These issues could have been avoided if the contractor had elevated the house on the slab. Improper elevation can be solved by grading around the home to help redirect the water flow and keep it from pooling around the foundation.

When you’re a homeowner, you want to ensure everything is running smoothly. If you suspect a drainage problem, contact us to help you with any questions so we can lead you in the right direction when choosing the best materials.