Proven Drainage Solutions for Your Lawn and Landscape

While your property should be able to handle whatever rainfall and other moisture comes its way–flushing the excess through the sewer system and into natural bodies of water such as rivers and lakes–sometimes it just doesn’t.

If you end up with an unwanted pool in your backyard after a storm — or anywhere else on your property — you probably have drainage problems.

Two types of drainage problems

There are two basic types of drainage problems: surface water and sub-surface water.

Surface water occurs when water collects in areas of your property such as the lawn or the driveway, and it stays there because it doesn’t have anywhere else to go.

Sub-surface water can be an even bigger problem: When water gets trapped below the visible surface, it can collect then expand when frozen. This can damage foundations, paving and more.

But for every type of drainage problem, there’s a drainage solution, too!

Drainage solutions for your lawn and landscape

The most important thing, if you’re building a new home or planning a landscape renovation, is proper grading for your site. Many drainage problems arise from improper grading techniques during the construction process.

But if you’ve already got issues, consider the following drainage solutions:

Decorative dry creek

Dry creeks

This type of drainage solution can actually be quite beautiful! Create a shallow trough through your biggest problem areas, line with stones or pebbles, to encourage gentle, natural drainage flow.

French drains

These are usually perforated pipes that channel water in a specific direction. These pipes are usually covered with rocks and gravel to help with filtration, water flow and ensure that the pipes stay in place.

French drains are a fantastic choice for homeowners and commercial property owners and are the go-to choice for preventing things like flooded basements.

Drainage solutions for your paved surfaces

Pooling surface water can be a huge problem on your paved surfaces. Here are two great drainage solutions when faced with this drainage problem:

Trench drain captures surface water before entering the garage

Trench drains

These are concrete channels fitted with grates or filters — some even have decorative grates — that prevent clogging, which collect and guide surface water to its proper drainage area without pooling or puddling.

Permeable pavers

If you’re thinking about repaving, there are also high-quality, permeable pavers that will help you address drainage problems. Permeable pavers are designed with small gaps between paving stones which allows water to quickly infiltrate the paved surface.

Drainage problems indoors

Weather along the East Coast, especially here in New York and Connecticut, has been particularly wet and wild in the past two seasons in particular, with hurricanes and melting snowstorms wreaking havoc on many of our clients’ properties.

Poor drainage can not only damage your lawn and other outdoor surfaces; it can also create major issues inside your house! Several of our clients had invested a lot of money into finished basements that were flooded by these recent storms, which caused thousands of dollars in damage in addition to all the outdoor destruction that needed to be repaired.

For this and many other reasons, many towns and cities in our area are now requiring that drainage systems be an integral part of homeowners’ plans during landscaping and other construction projects.

If you’re planning any sort of landscaping project, from new flower beds to a patio or outdoor athletic court, don’t forget to budget for and include drainage solutions in your design!

As a full-service design, build and maintenance company, Neave Group Outdoor Solutions can help you create a landscaping design and maintenance plan that includes drainage you’ll rarely even have to think about.

Call us at (845) 463-0592 to begin the conversation, or fill out the handy web form on the right-hand side of this page — and we’ll get back to you asap!