What Are the Benefits of Installing a French Drain?
Clay Creek wants to help the communities of Westminster, New Market, and Owings Mills, MD have all the facts on why you may need a french drain in your yard. Living in Maryland, with the average rainfall per year being approximately 44 inches, it’s no wonder you may find yourself with standing water in your yard. Unfortunately, along with weather conditions come other reasons that can cause puddles of water to accumulate on your property. It may be due to a sump pump discharge or how a gutter downspout flows off your home. Whatever the reason, one thing is for sure you don’t want standing water on your property. When water is left unattended in your yard, it can cause havoc to your lawn and plants. Did you know that too much water can suffocate the grass as it won’t get enough oxygen? It also creates an environment where insects and diseases can form and cause significant damage. Let’s not forget those annoying weeds that just sprout out of nowhere: creating a field of weeds, which no homeowner wants to waste valuable time on continuously trying to keep up with pulling them out of the ground!
There are different ways to tell if your lawn is getting too much water. For example, it may become yellow or light green. You may take a step and notice that the grass has a spongy feel to it. Your lawn can start to have a thatch buildup, which becomes a perfect haven for bugs. Or the most obvious way is when you look out onto your lawn and see puddles of water glimmering in the night with mosquitoes flying in every direction just waiting for you to start your outdoor party. A good rule to follow, especially after it rains, is to walk around your yard and see if you are having any of these problems. Keep in mind; it’s better to address water issues sooner than later. Did you know homeowners spend an average of 3,000.00 on water damage? Of course, one of the most significant expenses is if the water makes its way into your foundation. If water builds up too close to your home, it can create hydrostatic pressure, which can cause your foundation to bow and crack. In addition, if water gets into the basement, this will cause a huge problem as not only will it create an odor, but mold can form, which becomes very costly and a safety issue to your family. Both of these will ultimately create a huge dent in your budget and add unnecessary stress. One of the most common solutions for moving water away from your home is a French drain. This drainage system consists of a perforated pipe embedded in a trench lined with gravel or rocks. The advantage of installing a French drain is that it collects the water from across the entire length of the area instead of just having it centralized in one spot of the yard. To get the best results, you want to run the French drain from the highest point of your property to a lower level which will cause gravity to take over. Therefore, you should slope the area one inch for every eight feet. Be sure to make the trench approximately twelve inches wide and have a depth of anywhere from 18 to 24 inches. Apply a few inches of rock to the trench, and then add landscaping fabric to keep out the weeds. Next, add the pipe, preferably PVC, as it will hold up better than a flexible drain pipe. Lastly, put more rock or gravel on top of the pipe, making sure you are a few inches below the grade. If you think a French drain sounds like a fun DIY project for a Saturday morning, you may want to follow these helpful tips. This should only be done if you are confident in your ability to complete the project without causing further damage.
As much as you want the water to flow away from your property, you need to make sure the French drain is not draining in an area that will run off into your neighbor’s yard. The last thing you want is to have your neighbors knocking on your door telling you their yard is flooding. Not to mention you may have it pointing in the direction of an area that is part of the street, which can prompt a township representative to also show up at your door.
Be sure you check with your utilities, so any trenching doesn’t cause damage to gas or power lines. This can become a very costly mistake as well as being a hazardous condition.
Having the right stone will ensure that the water flows properly through the ground; we recommend round rock.
Although French drains aren’t a huge problem for the aesthetics of your yard, you still need to make sure the area adds to the overall curb appeal. Having a few small plants near the French drain can accent your yard and not cause any damage to the system. Just make sure they are tolerant to soil with more moisture like Gold Ground Cover or Cutleaf Coneflowers.
You also can use Eco-friendly material as it’s the perfect way to help protect the environment.
Why not leave it to a professional landscaping service and give yourself some valuable time back in your weekend!
Our knowledgeable team can help you take the guesswork out of what will give you the best results. With having years of experience tackling water drainage issues and having access to proper equipment, we are confident that our reliable team will efficiently handle the job and provide you with the best customer service in town. We pride ourselves on treating every house like it’s our own, and we are determined to enhancing your home and giving it spectacular curb appeal. So let our technicians come out and give you a free estimate on what will be the best water drainage system for your yard!