3 Tips for Better Landscape Drainage
Outdoor drainage is the number one major issue we see in Minneapolis landscapes. Aesthetics and added function like patios and better designed plant spaces are crucial but handling the water and stopping it from coming in the home is the most important consideration before anything else. Over and over we hear and see the same problems from people about their outdoor space not handling water well. Because of that, we wanted to compile some of the best tips we’ve learned in our years of experience.
Proper Grading
This is the simplest and most important tip we can provide. Grading the landscape beds near the house correctly can be the difference between water getting into your basement and water draining away safely. When we do our professional landscape design, we go for a 6″ drop from the first 10′ from house. More drop = better drainage. Before doing any new landscaping around a house including plants or edging or anything, always install more dirt. The picture below is a great example of this. We installed quite a bit of dirt to really raise up the level against the house to allow all the water to flow down into the yard itself. This will keep the water from sitting at the house.
Plant spacing
This tip tends to go under the radar. A lot of homeowners want to pack in as many beautiful plants as possible. When planning out where the plants go though, some care and thought needs to go into the equation. If plants are too close together, the water from the roof and near the house cannot flow nicely between the plants. Water collecting near the house is never a good idea so keeping the plants a good distance apart is important. Adding in more of a drop away from the house with grading, you can plant closer together. You can see in the picture below that we have spaced out the hydrangeas and the boxwoods slightly more than normal to allow for water to still flow between them when the plants grow older.
Rock and weed barrier fabric
Fabric prevents erosion and allows water to flow straight away from the house. Fabric keeps the plant roots balls a little smaller and compact so stop plants from getting too big and too close together. Fabric and rock allow the water to zoom away from the house unobstructed. Mulch absorbs water and does not prevent any easy way for water to be drained away. It can also erode away along with the dirt underneath. Standard landscape fabric is water permeable but most water will sheet off. Poly sheeting is completely waterproof and is great for areas without plants or where you can’t get the proper slope away.
For all your landscape drainage and landscape design needs, we strongly suggest you consult with a trusted, experienced landscape designer
who can help you get the most value for your money now and in the future.
The post 3 Tips for Better Landscape Drainage
appeared first on KG Landscape Management.
Ready to Start on Your Next Project?
Call us at (763) 568-7251 or visit our quote page.
Struggling with side yard water problems in Minneapolis–St. Paul? See when French drains or re-grading works best for small yard drainage fixes.
Protect your Plymouth patio and deck from frost heave by installing French drains that keep clay soil dry around hardscape and footings.
One Edina family had a 25-foot slope and nowhere for their kids to play. See how we turned it into a lawn, sport court, and fire pit.
See how one Plymouth project turned an overlooked side yard into a design feature that matches the rest of the property.
A Plymouth family turned a steep, unusable side yard into a private hot tub area with stone steps, drainage solutions, and boulder walls.
See how a Plymouth family replaced basic builder landscaping with a custom flagstone walkway, strategic plantings, and a front yard that matches their home.
Learn how French drains solve drainage problems in tight Minneapolis side yards without sacrificing walkway space or function.
Stop roof water and sump pump discharge from saturating your Plymouth yard. Learn how to tie everything into one drainage system.
Where All That Water Is Actually Coming From Your backyard stays wet. You've noticed the soggy spots, the mud, maybe some frost heave damage to your patio or fence. You're thinking about French drains. But before you start digging trenches, look up. A huge amount of water hitting your yard isn't coming from rain falling on the lawn. It's coming from your roof. A moderate rainfall on a typical Plymouth home puts hundreds of gallons through your gutter system. Every bit of that water exits through your downspouts. Where it goes from there determines whether you have a drainage problem or not. Then there's your sump pump. Every time it kicks on, it's pushing water out of your basement and into your yard. On a wet property, that pump might run dozens of times a day. All that water has to go somewhere. If your downspouts dump water next to your foundation and your sump pump discharges into a side yard that drains toward your backyard, you're adding water to an already saturated situation. French drains alone might not be enough. You need to manage the sources. The Problem With Surface Discharge Most downspouts in Plymouth end with a splash block or a short extension that dumps water a few feet from the foundation. That's technically moving water away from the house, but not far enough.
Why wooden lake steps always fail—and why Minnetonka and Orono homeowners are switching to stone. A contractor explains the replacement.