How We Fixed a Lawn Area Too Wet to Mow in North Oaks, MN Using a French Drain
Project Example Overview
This project took place in North Oaks Minnesota in a newly developed neighborhood. The homeowner was experiencing a large wet strip of lawn space in their backyard along the property line that was way too wet to even walk on. So, this customer reached out to KG Landscape to see how we could help.
After performing an onsite outdoor drainage consultation with the customer to perform a careful evaluation of the precise issues taking place, including: checking existing slope of the yard, soil types and evaluating the amount of water needing to be managed. Our expert team developed a custom solution and proposal to solve the underlying issue forever.
This case study outlines the lawn drainage problem, the options considered, and a step-by-step explanation of how the final solution was installed
The Problem
Our customer had an extremely wet section of lawn space in his backyard along an existing property line swale that was graded by the builder / developer. This Swale collected water not only from the customers yard and roof, but also received water from several additional adjacent neighbors yards and roofs that are higher in elevation and drain into his yard. The existing slightly graded swale was designed to send water to the naturalized area in the far back of the lot. However, the swale was so ineffective our customer was physically unable to mow this strip of grass without causing major lawn damage and experiencing mud up to his ankles.
The problem comes down to a few key factors:
- Drain large volume of water - This section of backyard swale space has to handle large volumes of water running into from our customers yard and several adjacent properties.
- Not enough pitch in swale - The swale as built does not contain enough slope to sufficiently send water back into the naturalized space without extreme amounts of water soaking into ground within the swale, causing wet and muddy lawn space for weeks after rain event.
- Outlet area not low enough - The naturalized area where water is meant to drain into from this swale, is not low enough in elevation to allow for proper surface grading of the swale.
How we Determined the Best Plan for Our Customer: After Weighing all the Options
At KG Landscape, we take great pride in not only educating our customers on each of the available drainage solution options that would improve their drainage problems, but really helping customers find the best possible solution option for them, given their goals, site conditions and budget discussed during our consultation. This is easier said than done as a lot of thoughtful consideration takes place for every outdoor drainage situation we evaluate.
Below, is a list of
all the other other drainage options that could have been appropriate solutions to solve this exact drainage problem. We will show you why the customer ultimately did not go with these options and instead decided on the French Drain we recommended as our Option #1 preferred solution to solve their unique training problem given all the factors outlined above.
Options We Considered, But Did Not Choose, and Why:
Drain Tile
- We considered drain tile within the existing swale as "good," and also the lowest cost viable option to improve the drainage problem. Yes, drain tile would have improved these issues, but drain tile is not as robust of a solution for a swale as slight sloped as this one, and with such a large volume of water draining in from neighbors yards. So in this case, drain tile alone wasn't the best option.
Regrading Only
- The naturalized space wasn't low enough to drastically increase the slope of the swale. Our team felt that gains that would be achieved by minor grading improvements alone, would not be enough to fix the issue long term.
Dry Creek Bed
- Turning this entire strip of poorly drained lawn swale into a Dry Creek bed, would have certainly solved the muddy lawn problem. A dry creek bed covered with rock, with built in drainage below would worked great. And rock doesn't need to be mowed of course, so if the rock is wet, it's not a problem anyway.
- However, installing a new dry creek bed drainage feature, along the property line in this specific scenario, without a large redesign/planting around it, did not fit ideally with the aesthetics of the adjoined backyard lawn spaces. To do this in a beautiful way that looks intentional, the cost is much higher than a French drain. Our landscape design team takes particular care to ensure that all of our landscaping project plans fit the aesthetics of the neighbors and meet the goals of our customers.
Rain Garden
- Turning this entire strip of poorly drained Swale into a Dry Creek bed certainly would have solved this issue by converting this wet lawn area to a rock bed with built in drainage. however a large Turkey Creek but along the property line did not really fit ideally with the Aesthetics of the adjoined backyard lawn spaces.
Our #1 Recommendation for this Scenario: A French Drain
Our Solution
After thoughtful consideration are design team recommended a French drain as the best long term drainage solution this customer and scenario. In addition to the French drain, we included light regrading of the swale, as well as carving out soil around the French drain outlet (end of pipe) within the naturized space to provide a new lower space for water from the French drain to discharge.
Why a French Drain was the Best Option
This Problem matched perfectly with one of the very best ways to utilize a French drain: A French drain is best used to drain subsurface water that is concentrated along an elongated strip of wet yard space, such as a narrow side yard with limited slope to drain surface water, or in this case a slightly sloped swale.
1) French drains help drain slightly pitched swales like this one, by providing an underground pathway for the slow moving water that saturates the soil in the center of the swale and path of least resistance and route to drain out and away from the problem area in the swale.
2) French drains have a very large capacity to drain water because of the large trench backfilled with drainage rock, and are much more durable long term that drain tile because of the heavy duty filtration fabric liner wrapped around the entire system of rock and perforated pipe.
3) French drains can pull water from super saturated soils easily up to 10 ft on either side of the French drain, helping drain an area roughly 20' wide. The soils closest to the French drain will demonstrate the fastest ability to drain and show the greatest improvements in subsurface drainage.
4) In addition to the French drain they were light grading improvements that we were able to make after measuring the slope divided by the length of the Swale that will speed up the flow of water and increase the effectiveness of this area to drain surface water in addition to the protection from supersaturated subsurface water in the soils offered by the primary solution which is the French drain self.
French Drain Installation Overview
In order to properly protect the lawn from unnecessary damage, KG Landscape starts by laying down plywood boards all the way from the street in the front yard to the area where we'll be doing the work. This step takes time, but we take pride in showing respect for our customers’ yards by taking the proper steps to reduce lawn damage from equipment access whenever possible.
Protect Lawn & Mark Irrigation
Next, we turn on the irrigation system to mark heads to avoid damage where possible. Then, we remove sod carefully to be reused to cover the trench afterward. Next, we begin trenching and locating irrigation lines that will be repaired if damaged.
Precisely Measure Elevations
We precisely measure elevations as we install the main French drain trench per the design/plan. This is where we are different than many of our competitors. We are extremely careful and precise when it comes to dividing available slopes throughout the length of the French drain by measuring distances and elevations, marking and checking them along the way. We want our drainage pipes/French drains to be perfect, and we work hard to achieve that.
Install French Drain Per Design
After the trench is perfect, we install filtration fabric to line the bottom and sides of the trench. Then we install the 4" perforated drain pipe with a silt sock cover. After the pipe is in, we backfill with 3/4" clear rock (no fines) and wrap the filtration fabric over the top to fully encase the French drain, thereby protecting it from silt. This is what makes it last! We install the outlet pipe grate where water will discharge from the French drain per our design.
Final Touches - A Clean Finished Product
Lastly, we backfill over the top of the wrapped French drain with soil and either reinstall the carefully removed sod we set aside, as in this example, or rake in seed and cover with seed blankets, depending on the game plan per project.
Below is Great Set of Project Pictures that Shows How Our Crew Installed this French Drain
The Results
The customer was extremely happy with the results of the project. After installation, the drainage system performed exactly as intended, and the lawn now drains properly with no standing water. The previously wet and soggy areas have been fully resolved, leaving the customer with a dry, usable lawn and peace of mind moving forward.
We've Never Seen an Landscape Drainage Problem that We Couldn't Fix
Whether the problem requires a relatively straight forward fix or the “bulletproofing” of an especially complex drainage issue, we have the experienced designers and skilled installers to get the job done right. KG Landscape is the MN yard drainage contractor you can count on!
Learn How KG Landscape Can Help with Your French Drain Project - Our Process
Would you like to have an experienced and specialized outdoor drainage expert come to your home, to professionally evaluate your drainage problem and make expert recommendations as to how to fix your specific drainage concerns the right way?
Request an Onsite Drainage Consultation
When you schedule a drainage consultation with us, an experienced member of our team will meet you at your home to evaluate your yard as a whole. We take a holistic approach to understanding the drainage issues you’re experiencing and provide clear, practical guidance on how we believe those problems can best be resolved.
During the visit, we’ll walk through good, better, and best drainage solution options and discuss ballpark cost ranges to help guide the decision-making process. We also take your short- and long-term plans into account — whether this is your forever home or you’re planning to move in the near future. In some cases, we recommend French drains; in others, we don’t. Our recommendations are always based on the specific conditions we observe and the circumstances unique to your property. No matter what, you can expect thoughtful, professional recommendations for outdoor drainage solutions we believe will best meet your needs.
If the work we recommend falls within our area of expertise, we’ll provide a written estimate with a fixed price for our crew to complete the proposed drainage solution. Should you choose to move forward with the project, 100% of your drainage consultation fee is credited back toward the installation.
Our goal is to perform the drainage work we recommend and keep our talented crews focused on the work they do best. For that reason, we do not offer consultations for homeowners planning to complete the work themselves or for properties located outside of our service area.
Our French Drain Project Steps - From Start to Completion
- Call or complete a Quote Request Form to set up a consultation
- Meet with our expert onsite and discuss options
- We'll make recommendations and provide a written estimate for our team to install the recommended solutions
- To book installation work, submit deposit payment and sign the estimate
- We'll schedule your project for our next available opening
- Our office team will communicate by email with updates on project timing
- We'll call to have all public utilities marked in your yard
- Then we complete project and ensure you are 100% happy with our work
- Lastly, we'll send out the final invoice after work has been completed