If you’ve had to deal with water leaking into your basement in the past you likely won’t want to relive that particular experience. There are a number of reasons why leakage can occur.
One of these is almost certainly some sort of fault in your home’s foundation, which can be worn down over time by the ill effects of moisture and other elements. Beyond these foundation problems, all of the others involve the placement of water in your yard. Whether it is water dumped out by an ineffective drainage system, introduced by a heavy storm or simply the result of overwatering, it needs to fixed.
Fortunately, regardless of the reason, it’s there in the first place, yard re-grading can significantly minimize the damage caused by excess surface water.
Grades
No Grade: Just about every yard has a grade, even if it’s extremely slight. Regardless, it is possible for a grade to be so minimal that it basically has no effect at all. While such a grade might not lead to leaking it will almost certainly lead to the development of patches of standing water, which can suffocate plants and turn your yard into a muddy mess.
Negative Grade: If your yard has a negative grade that means that it slopes towards your house. This is the most dangerous type of grade to have, because if your landscaping allows water to naturally move towards your foundation there’s a much higher chance you’ll experience flooding.
Positive Grade: This is the type of grade you want. As you might imagine, a positive grade slopes away from your house, meaning that the slope’s highest point is right next to your home. This slope should be a minimum of 1” per foot in height for the first ten feet. Beyond that point, the slope can be reduced until you reach a minimum height of 1” per 10 feet. Should you pull this design off properly water will be driven away from your home and its effects will basically be negated.
If you’re looking to re-grade your yard call the professionals at Twin Oaks Landscape and we’ll come up with a custom plan to meet every one of your needs. Together we can ensure that you’ll never have to deal with the effects of excess surface water again.