That puddle that shows up after every rain is not just a puddle. It is water making a decision, and if nobody redirects it, the decision usually involves your foundation, your lawn, or your wallet.
What standing water actually does
Water that sits against a house finds its way in. It pushes on foundation walls, seeps into cracks, and keeps basements damp enough to grow things nobody wants to grow. Out in the yard, it drowns grass roots, breeds mosquitoes, and turns usable lawn into ground you route around all spring. And under driveways and walls, trapped water freezes, heaves, and slowly takes apart whatever someone built on top of it.
The two-inch rule
The ground around a house should fall about two inches for every ten feet as you walk away from the foundation. It is a simple standard, and a shocking number of properties fail it, either because they were graded carelessly or because decades of settling erased the pitch that used to be there. Restoring that fall is often the entire fix.
When grading alone is not enough
Some lots do not have anywhere for the water to go on the surface. That is when the tools come out: swales to carry water across a slope, French drains to collect what moves underground, dry wells to give it a destination. The right answer depends on where the water comes from, and that is the first thing we figure out on a site visit.
Why this is worth doing once
Drainage done properly is one of the few projects that pays for itself quietly, in the basement that stays dry and the repairs that never happen. Done wrong, it just relocates the problem. The difference is reading the water correctly before anyone digs.
Common questions
How much should the ground slope away from a house? About two inches of fall for every ten feet as you walk away from the foundation. A surprising number of properties fail that, either because they were graded carelessly or because decades of settling erased the pitch that used to be there. Restoring the fall is often the entire fix.
What does standing water actually do to a property? Water against a house pushes on foundation walls, seeps into cracks and keeps a basement damp. In the yard it drowns grass roots, breeds mosquitoes and takes usable lawn out of service for the spring. Under driveways and walls, trapped water freezes, heaves and slowly takes apart whatever is on top of it.
When is regrading not enough on its own? When the lot has nowhere for the water to go on the surface. Then it becomes swales to carry water across a slope, French drains to collect what moves underground, or dry wells to give it somewhere to sit and soak away. Grading first, though, because it is the cheapest thing that works.
Is a puddle after every rain really a problem? It is water making a decision. Left alone, that decision usually involves your foundation, your lawn or your wallet. A puddle that shows up in the same spot every time is telling you where the ground falls, and it will not correct itself.
If your yard is telling you something after every storm, call 862-268-2510. We will come read it with you.
Not sure which drain your property actually needs? French drain, catch basin, curtain drain or dry well sorts out which collects what.
Still not sure how this applies to your property? That is what a free on-site estimate is for. Call 862-268-2510 or tell us what is going on, and we will give you a straight answer, including when the answer is that you do not need us.