Faulty drainage can be the bane of any homeowner whose property isn't situated on high ground. If your house is on a flat lot or situated at the bottom of a slope (or even lower than the neighbor's yard) your home may be the destination for stormwater or snowmelt runoff.
Do you have frequent "ponds" or puddling in your yard? Is your porch or retaining walls eroding away? How about a full-blown stream appearing across your yard during a downpour and leaves its footprint in the form of erosion across your lawn. If this describes your property, it is time to consult an expert. Luckily, in the Washington DC Metro area, we have an authority: Drainage and Erosion Solutions LLC.
Drainage and Erosion Solutionswill analyze the damage and more importantly: the source. Many companies will just repair the damage and not stop the real, ongoing problem that threatens your valuable property.
Existing Construction
Those of us with existing houses that have grade problems face different challenges. Landscaping, sidewalks, additions that were not properly planned, and other improvements by previous owners must be dealt with in trying to correct grade problems.
House on a Hill
If you have a situation where ground is sloping towards your house, the trick is to slope the ground gently by creating a series of swales and/or berms. A swale is a relatively shallow linear depression in the ground surface designed to direct stormwater away from structures. A berm is a relatively small rise in the ground surface that protects a structure by preventing stormwater from flowing towards it.This swale, or ditch, allows water to flow away from the house and at the same time collects the water which runs downhill towards your house. This directed swale reroutes the water around a corner of the house and continues until the natural slope of the ground is falling away from your structure.
Flat Lots
Those of you who live in houses on flat ground face a more serious challenge as there may not be an effective way to easily create a swale or sloping condition. In these cases, roof water needs to be piped away as far away as possible. Downspouts that dump water onto the ground near the house can cause common problems like under-porch erosion - or serious buildingfoundation and basement problems.
If you have a similar or any problem with water damaging your property contact Drainage & Erosion Solutions.Your consultation will be done by a licensed professional soil engineer and/or landscape designer. They offer a full range of remedial and landscape enhancement services for homeowners and large commercial properties alike.
