Drains, leveling, and a beautiful landscape
Maintain your drains and landscape
When it comes to maintaining your own home your drain system is not the first thing that comes to your mind. Making sure your home is protected and cared for is a top priority, but a water drainage system can play a major role in a lot of things around your home. If your grass is drowning in too much water, then it will eventually die and leave your yard with a bunch of dead patches. Insects are called pests for a reason and we as homeowners don’t want to give them a reason to be attracted to hanging around our homes and having a proper drain system will be the right unwelcome sign to show them you mean business. Standing water can weaken the ground around your foundation and seep into your home; this then causes both mold, wood rot, and so much more.
Leveling
Bumps, hills, or maybe those pesky moles all have a part to play when it comes to your yard being unleveled. Leveling your yard can reduce drainage issues that lead to pools of water in the yard, and it can also cause damage to your home’s foundation. For a small do it yourself you will just need a lawn mower, a thatch rake, a shovel, a garden rake, wheelbarrow, and possibly a piece of long lumber for support in certain areas. The best time to level is during those months the grass is really growing so that way it will fertilize better. If your lawn is suffering from drought, pests, disease, or becomes waterlogged, wait a little longer before diving into your leveling project. Proper lawn care can go a long way in keeping your lawn looking healthy and level. Always make sure to mow at the proper height, fertilize as needed, over seed those bare areas, and aerate regularly.
Ways to achieve a dry yard
Aerating your lawn helps in so many ways, like introducing air and nutrients to your lawn. It also promotes drainage by allowing water to trickle through the holes. Building a dry creek bed will help excess water run in different directions instead of one specific area. Construct these creek beds with various sized rocks and it will guide the water to a chosen outlet. Maybe also consider dry wells, they are large basins filled with rocks and installed underground. It acts as a collection point for water runoff and works in combination with various types of yard drains. They are an excellent option for handling large amounts of water runoff that has collected and filtered through the surrounding soil. Do not forget trees and shrubs play an important role in absorbing water like Red Maples, White Cedars, Primroses, and Violets.
Drain away the rain
For a yard to have proper drainage, it needs to slope away from the home. Asphalt and concrete are excellent hardscape materials, but they can also prove detrimental to yard drainage. When used as a hard scape they can slope towards your home and lead water directly to your foundation. Maybe consider replacing the slabs with crushed gravel. This can act as a different type of yard drain. Installing a rain barrel is another drainage you can use. Direct water from the gutter system through the downspout and into the rain barrel, this is where it will collect to be reused as gardening water. Trench drains are one of the most effective types of drains for your yard and can be constructed from many different materials. They are designed to collect pooling water and divert it away from the ground’s surface. They are typically lined with concrete and have a slope to help the water flow with help from gravity. If you’re looking for something a little more budget friendly, then add a French drain. French drains, used for a lot of farms and places with agriculture, consists of a dug-out trench with a perforated pipe that is covered with gravel or rocks.
