How We Helped a Dallas Center Homeowner Fix Their Backyard Drainage Issue Without Redoing Their Entire Landscape

 

Hardly ever can you walk to your backyard after heavy and long lasting off-season Iowa rains and not find puddles of water on the grass if not unexpecting water collecting around your patio. This problem is common but you are surely not the only victim. We in Dally Center do experience the usual concerning weather more than once. Thoroughly and from one end to the other, our yards get affected by the heavy clay soil that we have in this part of Iowa, and the drainage problem is going to be just a way of the homeowners getting acquainted with it.

Andy’s Landscape & Hardscape Services is no stranger to stories like these that are characterized by the scene of yards full of water that refuse to drain, paver patios that fizz gradually, and then doubts whether the whole yard has to be torn up to fix the raging issue. Nevertheless, the answer mostly does not require such a complete uninstallation.

Let me bring out an example to really get the point across.

The Problem Many Dallas Center Homeowners Face After Heavy Rain

Our soil locally can be referred to as a water-retaining guru. It packs and compacts tightly, so the water after a good shower doesn't go through easily, instead, it just stays on the surface. Next to these are the natural slopes and uneven grading that you can come across in most of the Paver Installation Services in Dallas Center IA neighborhoods which when mixed together with the above create many yards with soggy lawns, flower beds being flooded with water, and paver patios looking like small ponds.

A similar situation the homeowner was grappling with earlier this summer. The backyard used to turn into a mini marsh after almost every downpour. The water collected right beside the patio making it impossible to be used for days. They were not only frustrated with the sight but also with the fact they had invested a lot of time making that outdoor space a masterpiece.

They were quite certain that the only way to solve the problem was to destroy everything and start all over again, but we reassured them that was not needed.

A Real-Life Example From Our Recent Project in Dallas Center

This yard had a patio that was made from concrete pavers and was relatively new. The work was very nicely done but the grading was a bit off around it. The small slope mistake had gone from a big drainage headache over time. The low area by the edge of the patio was collecting rainwater which could not go anywhere because of the tight clay underneath.

At the first visit, we identified several issues, which include:

1. Some pavers may have been loose and that is why they were sinking slightly.

2. The grass line around the patio was lower than the rest of the yard which was caused by the drainage problem.

3. Water was being trapped in that spot because no drains or outlets were visible for it to flow out.

We knew right away that our mission was to fix the drainage issue without tearing up the whole landscape.

How We Solved the Problem Without Major Disruption

Step one involved locating the water being trapped and tracing its natural flow through the yard. A grading level was used to find the lowest points and the water was redirected in a simple way without any major reconstruction.

Below are the actions that were taken:

1. Patio was regraded. We re-sloped the dirt around the paver edges to guide water away from the patio. Normally, even just a few inches can have a big impact.

2. Installed a hidden French drain. We created a water exit by laying a perforated drain pipe under a gravel trench. The drain flowed along the side of the patio that was low and thus led the water to the lower corner of the yard, where the water could be released without hustling.

3. Met alle gerepareerde pavers zijn basis bedekt met doorlatende materialen.

4. In plaats van het aanstampen van massief zand, gebruikten we een gebroken stenen basis die water doorlaat. Zo wordt het water niet onder het oppervlak van het terras en stabiliseert het terras voor een lange periode.

5. Geheel project minder dan een week duurde van begin tot eind. De verandering was de volgende zware regenval zacht– maar ongelooflijk effectief aan het huis. De eigenaar heeft ons gebeld dat er niet een enkele plas langs het terras was gevormd voor het eerst in jaren. Daarom was ons werk succesvol.

6. Zijn we allemaal attent geweest met de verschillende aspecten van het natuurkundig probleem om het bestaande terrein te redden van destructie in plaats van het te veranderen. Door het werken met de natuurlijke lay-out, waren we in staat om alles te houden terwijl het probleem op zijn kern opgelost werd.

7. We zijn ook sterk afhankelijk van grindafvoerlagen en verborgen afvoerkanalen- eenvoudige, onderhoudsvriendelijke oplossingen die naadloos in elk ontwerp passen. Het idee is om waterbeheer onzichtbaar te maken, zodat bewoners zich kunnen concentreren op het genieten van hun buitenruimte zonder zich zorgen te maken over waar de regen zal gaan.

8. En omdat onze lokale grond verteert met de seizoensgebonden vorst-dooi-cyclus zorgem wij dat alle paver installaties hebben flexibele verbindingen die kunnen bewegen net genoeg zonder barsten of zakken. Het is een van die kleine details die daardoor een groot verschil maken na verloop van tijd.

9. Examine the water flow during a shower. Do you find that the pool is formed in the same place every time?

10. Check the level of the ground around a patio or walking area. A small dip can hold water.

11. Study the downspouts on the roof of the house. Extending them by just a little bit can make a big difference in the water that builds up.