Summer Rain, Winter Blues. Fixing your Swampy Yard!

This summer, Pittsburgh has seen its fair share of rain. With the combination of sloping landscapes and swampy yards, standing water will cause continued damage to our lawns for several months to come. Before the heat turns to bitter cold, the Pittsburgh Drain Guys are sharing their landscaping expertise on draining solutions for soggy yards.

Why worry about the Winter?
While your vegetable gardens are exploding this summer, the truth is our yards are saturated with the overabundance of rain water we’ve received over the last several months. With nowhere else to go, undrained water has turned our lawns into the swamplands and with the winter ahead, this mean sitting water will be left frozen for months. Not to mention any hillside supported by a retaining wall is going to experience some shifting out of place as frozen water expands causing pressure outward from the ground through the wall. Just as water that has seeped into cracks of a foundation will create additional cracks and structure damage, a retaining wall will begin to buckle or separate, giving way to a larger problem – a slipping hillside.

How can I prevent further damage to my yard?

Your yard may be in bad shape, but it’s not a total loss! Consult a professional landscaper, and have them assess and suggest the drainage solutions that would work best for your yard. Some suggestions Pittsburgh Drain Guys recommend are:

Curtain Drains . If you’re lucky enough to live above grade and higher than the properties around you, you can install perforated pipe to help drain the water away from the house. If parts of your property are below grade or your land is laying lower than your neighbors, you’ll want to consider another option .

Drywells . Drywells are rock basins that serve as holding tanks for excess storm water that has nowhere else to go but down. These sand and gravel-filled pits can be conveniently covered with soil or grass. Rain water will seep into the pit via the ground cover, fill up overtime and further drain into the subsoil beneath and around the drywell. This may be a good option where storm sewers are few and far between, such as a home on a large plot of flat land or rural areas.

French Drain & Sump Pumps . If rain water seems to drain towards your house instead of away from it or your living in a low laying area, you may be experiencing major puddling issues in your yard or even worse, damage to your foundation or retaining wall. French drains are trenches lined with perforated pipe and meant to redirect water away from the house. In the situation where your house is at the bottom of a sloping lawn or part of your property is located below grade, you may need to further install a sump pump or machine that will mechanically redirect the water uphill, away from your property. While it may seem costly upfront, the long-term cost savings are evident when you stop spending to repair structural issues like rotting deck posts, cracked foundation repair and basement flooding.

Before the summer turns its back on us, call Pittsburgh Drain Guys for a FREE consultation on our various drainage solutions. Our landscape experts will give professional advice that will best serve your home, property and budget. So, get your yard in check before your annual Turkey Bowl and call the Pittsburgh Drain Guys today! Call (412) 377-9133.

Summer Rain, Winter Blues. Fixing your Swampy Yard!

Pittsburgh Drain Guys