If you notice the appearance of standing water in your yard following an intense rainstorm, it’s likely that you need to make a plan to address the issue. A yard that isn’t properly draining can cause an unclean mess, but more importantly, it can also be a major threat to the stability of your foundation. The longer you put off trying to resolve your drainage services and problem, the bigger–and more significant–issues you may face with your property.

You’ll find a variety of DIY solutions to aid in resolving a drainage problem. If you’ve tried them without results, you should know that your drainage issue could be serious enough to require an expert’s assistance.

Why Is Drainage of Your Yard Important?

Insufficient drainage in your yard isn’t just an aesthetic problem. One thing is that standing water is a serious threat to the health of lawns and landscaping plants. Other issues or risks associated with standing water are:

  • Unable to relax on your lawn
  • The mosquito population is growing, and other bugs
  • The risk of serious destruction to your foundation
  • Flooding in basements is a risk

A property that is well-drained slopes gently and slowly away from the house and drops by 6 inches within the first 10 feet that surround the house’s foundation (with one foot more of the slope in an additional 100 feet). If your property isn’t on an adequate slope, for instance, the property sits beneath the neighbors or the street; you’ll have to determine which yard drainage method is the best fit for your particular situation.

DIY Drainage Services for Yards

Following an unusually heavy rainfall, your yard may become dirty, but it’s certainly not usual for a pond to develop in your yard whenever it rains. If this is the case at your home, you need to act. These suggestions will help you get rid of excess water from the areas on your property where it creates a problem and redirect it to an area that allows it to soak in the earth.

  • Make Sure You Install A Drainage System For Your Curtain

Curtain drains won’t be effective in the event that your home is at a lower elevation than the land that surrounds it. However, if the street or the woodland is below the grade of your yard, then you’re lucky.

It is possible to set the perforated pipeline in the ground, which runs from the trouble spot to an area that is safe. The pipe pulls in the water via its holes. It then, using the power of gravity, moves it away from your house.

  • Find A Well That Is Dry

If there’s no place, it’s sensible to remove the stormwater that you accumulate, and the best option would be to install a dry well. A dry well acts as a holding tank for runoff from the storm. The well is filled in the event of a storm, and over the course of days and hours following, it is drained into the ground beneath and adjacent to the well.

A benefit of a dry well that is filled with gravel is the ability to fill it with grass and soil. You don’t need to see enormous cement.

  • Install An Automatic Catch Basin

Catch basins are large containers composed of polypropylene or masonry, which are usually placed underground. It has a grate on the level of the ground, which allows water to drain out of the basin. The basin also features a drainage pipe that allows the water inside the basin to drain out.

The hole to be dug to support the basin could be massive, which means you would have to hire heavy equipment or get assistance to dig it.

  • Replace Hardscaping With Drainage Materials

Hardscape, for example, is made from concrete and isn’t permeable, which means that water can’t flow through it. If you’re having drainage issues, you might want to consider replacing your concrete patio with paving stones and gravel, for instance, which allows water to flow through.

  • Make Use of A Rain Barrel

A rain barrel is a big barrel that collects the water flowing from your roof and to your gutters. Set up at least one rain barrel around your house to catch water that might otherwise flow into the ground near the foundation.

You can also utilize the water collected from the barrel to make rain. Connect a hose or hose to the barrel’s spigots, which are built-in, to utilize the water to water your lawn or flower beds.

  • Create An Area of Dry, Clean Creek

A dry creek bed offers the benefit of being a beautiful landscaping element and also an effective drainage system. It is a meticulously constructed “riverbed” of stone in the form of a sloping path leading away from the house.

Plants that are planted on the creek bed, and maybe even an abridged one, will give the drainage system an impressive look.

  • Install A French Drain

A French drain is an underground trench that houses a particular type of perforated pipe. When the pipe is positioned in the trench, it is then lined with gravel. 

The water flows into the trench, then through the pipe’s holes, and then flows away into a backyard away from the home. Drains of this kind are ideal for the soil around your home’s boundaries that are susceptible to becoming saturated.

  • The Lawn Should Be Aerated

Aerating your lawn will not only improve the condition of grass but also create an aeration surface that is more permeable and absorbs water, assisting with drainage in the yard. Do the job by using a grass aerator or use the pitchfork to make holes into the grass.

  • Upgrade Your Property

This one’s a biggie that can be carried out in situations where other drainage methods for the yard have failed or are thought to be inadequate. Grading is the act of adding or removing soil to make a lawn that is gently sloped to the side of the foundation to ensure that water doesn’t flow toward the foundation.

Grading the right drainage slope in your yard is a major undertaking that usually requires large machinery and perhaps professional assistance to make sure it’s done correctly.

  • Install An Automatic Sump Pump

Another solution that’s quite involved is the use of a sump pump similar to the ones employed to keep a moist basement dry. Sump pumps collect any runoff that isn’t being pumped away. It then deposits the water in a location that is uphill from the property.

The problem? The problem is that a sump pump isn’t cheap. Not only are there installation costs to consider, but there are also ongoing expenses for operating and maintaining the machine.

Final Thoughts

A majority of these yard drainage services are easily installed or completed by diligent homeowners who are willing to work some effort. Take the time to study the issue thoroughly before making a decision and then installing the right solution.

If the problem seems daunting, you may want to speak with experts on drainage for your yard, who will direct you to the most effective solution. 

You could do this on your own or hire a landscaping firm that offers full service. In addition, if you believe the cause of your drainage issues was poor planning and management in the city, you might be able to seek help from the local government. You should ask!