Tips To Update And Improve Your Property Landscaping Drainage
by Terri Holmes
Drainage on your property starts with a solidly-built roof and rain gutter drainage system to collect and deliver the rainwater to a lower point on your property. However, if your property's drainage does not include the right type of system in place to handle the roof runoff, your home, and its surrounding soil will suffer from moisture problems, extreme saturation, and erosion. Here are some tips to update and improve the landscaping and its drainage around and within your property.
Add in a Landscape Swale
Some areas of your yard naturally collect excess water during and after a heavy rainstorm. But this excess moisture collection can leave the soil swampy and wet, taking a great deal of time for the area to dry out. In this situation, you can install a swale in the landscaping to naturally collect and hold the moisture until it can naturally seep into the surrounding ground.
Once you have determined an area for your swale, excavate the soil of the area to create a shallow ditch. By excavating the soil you will create a natural-looking slope, similar to a creek bed or grassy ditch. Be sure to excavate the site wider than the trench is deep, so the runoff does not erode the landscaping. Make sure the soil remaining in the site has good drainage properties or add in a sandy soil during the excavation.
You can also line the sides of the swale with gravel or rock to help prevent erosion and promote moisture saturation. Or, a covering of grass onto the swale will make it more easily blend into your property landscaping.
Excavate For a French Drain
Another important protection against soil saturation but around your home's foundation should include a French drain to collect and divert water. This type of drainage feature is installed below the level of the soil around your home's foundation and it is installed out of sight.
Installation of your French drain will require you to hire an excavation team to remove the soil from around your home's foundation. They will need to excavate the soil down to the footers of your home's foundation slab where they will start the French drain installation. You can opt to have your excavation crew haul away the excess soil or place it within your yard for additional drainage features.
The drainage feature will include a layer of landscape fabric covered by drainage gravel. Then, on top of the gravel, they will install the perforated drain pipe that will carry the collected water to a dry well installed in your yard or to an exit point where it can drain into a swale or the local city sewer drain. The perforated pipe is covered with another layer of gravel up to the soil line around your home foundation.
For more ideas and help on your landscaping projects, consider reaching out to a site work contractor.
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About Me
Spring is a breathtakingly beautiful time of the year. During this special season, I adore looking at the beautiful trees, shrubs, and flowers in my front and back yards. Perhaps you want to enhance the appearance of your outdoor property this spring. Consider hiring a professional landscaper to help you accomplish this important task. An expert landscaper can plant fruit trees in your space. For instance, you might want this individual to plant apple, pear, peach, or orange trees on your property. You may also wish for this professional to plant attractive shrubs in front of your home. On this blog, I hope you will discover how a landscaper can help you have a spectacular spring. Enjoy!