grading & drainage
How to Correct Drainage Issues
April 4, 2023Tips for Keeping Your Home Safe from Water Damage
April showers may bring May flowers, but it also brings a good amount of rain. These additional inches of rainfall can create a major problem for the foundation of your home.
From leaking basements to swarms of mosquitos, poor drainage can cost you thousands of dollars and dozens of headaches. And these problems won’t go away until they’re properly addressed.
The following tips will help you spot and address any water runoff issues before they worsen:
Assess Standing Water
It’s important to assess the amount of water your property can absorb. After a day or two of steady rain, is your lawn still wet 24 hours later? Do you have standing puddles of water? Are your plants getting too much moisture? It’s time to address your water runoff.
Many local governments and townships have adopted stormwater resolutions that prevent more than a certain percentage of impervious surfaces, such as buildings and driveways, from being installed. These surfaces have been found to contribute to runoff issues.
Plant Ground Cover or Shrubs for Erosion Control
Native plants are one of the most cost-effective and efficient ways to reduce erosion in your yard. They help stabilize the soil, slow rainwater runoff and protect topsoil. The roots in native plants and shrubbery protect from erosion and help soak up excess moisture.
When planting new grass, sod is also a better choice over seed in poorly drained backyards. Sod has a root system already in place, whereas seed may be washed away by a sloping area.
Build a Retaining Wall
A stone retaining wall doesn’t just elevate the look of your yard: It also helps keep soil from washing down steep slopes. These walls help to stabilize topsoil and move water away from your home. In particular, terraced yards may need masonry to address erosion and runoff. Retaining walls can be built from a variety of materials today, including concrete, stone and wood.
Consider Swales
While lesser-known, swales are practical and efficient ways to run water away from your home. These “trenches” are dug in such a way that they’re hard to spot but extremely efficient at moving runoff water. Instead of soaking up water, they move it away as soon as rainstorms clear.
Install Drainage
French drains can have a dramatic impact on irrigation issues. These shallow trenches contain perforated pipes that are buried underground. The drains help whisk excessive water away from your home. Once the pipe fills with water, it’s redirected to the area you want to channel your runoff. French drains are tricky and should be professionally installed.
Consult with a Professional
A professional landscaping firm is your best bet for finding the root cause of your drainage issues. Experienced landscape designers and installers will be able to assess your grading, design a custom plan to address it and implement the most efficient ways to control erosion to prevent potential flooding and water damage.
Water drainage projects aren’t always your first remodeling priority, but they’re critical to keeping your lawn healthy and your house protected from water damage.
How to Waterproof Your Home
January 14, 2023Effective Ways to Protect Your Property Against the Elements
The Brandywine Valley has been experiencing frequent freezing temperatures. During the holidays, many homes had frozen or burst pipes that caused substantial damage. These repairs are costly and complicated. If left untreated, water leaks can cause mold, flooding and even structural damage.
There are four common sources of water leaks: surface water running down foundation walls, groundwater in saturated areas, storm sewer water and sanitary sewer water. To protect your home from these kinds of water leaks, there are a few solutions.
Here are the pros and cons of each:
Interior Waterproofing
Interior waterproofing is the most cost-effective and least disruptive way to waterproof your basement. It involves installing a French drain around the floor with a sump pump to draw water away from your home.
In most situations, you will also need to seal all the water entry points from windows, doors and cracks. Applying sealants will plug the gaps and help lower humidity in the basement due to condensation. While interior basement waterproofing can be effective in most homes, it is not recommended for older houses or homes with severe water leaks.
Exterior Waterproofing
Substantial water leaks may be a sign of a bigger underlying problem outside your home. In those cases, you need to have professionals seal your home from outside your basement walls. Exterior basement waterproofing requires a tunnel to be dug outside your foundation, where a barrier and sealants are applied to the outside of your walls.
Rain gutters can also be rerouted to draw water away from the home. It is imperative to ensure downspouts are installed efficiently and situated correctly.
Drainage Systems
It’s essential to consult with a professional landscaping firm before undergoing any drainage system work. There are a variety of systems to choose from, such as surface, subsurface and slope. These should be utilized according to the grade, soil and size of your lot. If done incorrectly, a drainage system will cause further damage to your landscaping and hardscaping work.
Different types of drainage systems include open drains, levees and grassed waterways. In certain conditions, you can install a swale that draws water away from your home. The swale is extremely effective, quickly moving water away from your home as soon as rainfall hits.
Need help taking these steps to waterproof your home? DiSabatino Landscaping’s outdoor drainage repair experts utilize several instruments and technology to target and resolve drainage issues including properly regrading, while maintaining a proper distance away from the house to avoid damaging the structure and landscape of your home.
How to Know if You Have a Drainage Problem
November 22, 2022Standing or pooling puddles of water may seem harmless, but they can cause a great deal of damage to your property. Over time, water will work its way into the home and create mold, rot and foundation issues.
Addressing the problem now can prevent thousands of dollars in repairs down the road. While pools of standing water are obvious concerns, there are other less evident signs you might have a drainage problem.
How do you know it’s time to call a professional to evaluate your home? The following tips should help:
Overflowing Downspouts
A well protected home has water run at least five feet away from the foundation. If your gutters aren’t whisking water away, you can get up to 600 gallons of runoff per one inch of rainfall. That water goes right into the soil, putting pressure on your basement and causing cracks that can cost tens of thousands of dollars in repairs.
Moving Mulch
Have you noticed streams of water flowing through your plant beds? If small moats have appeared, you might have a drainage problem. Large streams of water can carve paths in your mulch due to backup. Over time, this can damage your walkways and exterior stonework. You’re also probably missing yards of valuable mulch. An experienced landscaper can build a swale or soil berm to redirect water from the house.
Attic Mildew
While it might not seem like moisture in your attic would be affected by drainage, it can definitely be a result of water damage. Moisture from the basement can rise through the house and grow mildew on the underside of the roof. If you see this issue, you should contact a professional immediately.
Flaking Walls
Efflorescence is caused by mineral deposits left behind by water. If gray or white frosty crusting appears on the basement walls, moisture is condensing. Flaking walls, called spalling, may also be a sign that water is getting behind the walls. Any spotting bigger than a half inch may be cause for concern.
If you see any of the above issues, you should contact your local professional landscaper DiSabatino Landscaping to evaluate your property and offer the most effective ways to mitigate the drainage problems. Time is of the essence to prevent additional complications such as mold and rotted foundations.
How Proper Drainage Benefits Your Landscaping
February 16, 2021Some homeowners might not realize the role that proper drainage plays in a healthy landscape. Drainage is just as important as irrigation system, if not more so. Excessive rainfall, soil erosion and flooding cause further problems when there is not proper drainage.
Pooling water can damage trees, flowers and plants by allowing disease to set in and insect manifestations. There is also damage to a home’s foundation to consider. That is why proper drainage is so important.
DiSabatino Landscaping suggest that property owner consider strategically placing piping and drains to protect your landscaping, hardscaping and foundation.
Spending a modest amount of money to protect your property just make good business sense. For a foundation constantly subjected to flooding, the cost of cleanup, replacement and repair far outweigh the cost of an effective drainage system.
Now is a good time to have your property’s drainage system reviewed and maintained before the spring showers arrive. DiSabatino Landscaping can help you determine the best course of action for all your drainage needs.
Our specialists have been solving drainage problems for over 20 years. They can quickly evaluate the grade of your property and identify problem areas. We determine the most effective solution for your drainage issues.
DiSabatino Landscaping can ensure that your foundation and landscaping is protected from the heavy rains and prolonged wet periods ahead. Give DiSabatino Landscaping a call today. Our team will help you make all the right choices for your drainage problems.
302-764-0408 | DiSabatinoInc.com
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5 Ways to Fix Landscape Drainage Problems
Drainage Fixes to Protect Your Home & Landscaping
DiSabatino Landscaping is Delaware’s #1 Hardscape and Landscape Specialist. We can help advise you what is best way to create All Season Sunrooms Give us a call today! 302-764-0408
5 Ways to Fix Landscape Drainage Problems
March 5, 2020Got Drainage Problems?
Is your yard experiencing drainage problems?
Grading around your home to prevent water build up at the foundation is one big step towards fixing drainage issues.
Water heading towards your foundation is a big issue
5 Ways to Fix Drainage Problems:
- Downspout Extension: Add these to guide water collected by gutters away from the foundation so that water does not end up in the basement. Redirect across property to avoid pooling.
- Drainage Boxes or Grates: Redirect water to a surface drain such as a simple 12” X 12” square or 6” round grate.
- Drainage Swales: Create pitched areas lined with stone or grass guiding water off you property or to an area well away from the foundation. Drainage swales prevent standing water that can lead to mosquitos and other issues.
- French Drain: Install a perforated drainage pip in a gravel lined trough to keep your lawn from experiencing consistent flooding.
- Rain Barrels: Install water barrel or storage well to capture runoff and use to irrigate at a later date.
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Drainage Fixes to Protect Your Home and Landscaping
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Got Drainage Problems?
Whether you just built your home or your home has been in the family for generations; we have seen it all! All of our designers are equipped with state of the art leveling devices so we can find the correct solution for your home’s specific situation.
DiSabatino Landscaping will always try to assess your personal property and find the best solution to fix your drainage problems
Drainage Fixes to Protect Your Home and Landscaping
October 10, 2018Two Thousand and Eighteen has been a record year for rainfall in the Delaware Valley Region. With average rainfall typically at 45 inches, we are currently nearing 80 inches plus this year alone! This crushes the previous record since the initiation of rainfall records back to 1895.
Due to the excessive rainfall you may have noticed your sump pumps running more, soft spots in lawns that were not there before, or water problems in the yard that have gotten worse with the record rainfall. DiSabatino Landscaping specializes in finding the appropriate drainage solution for your home.
Instead of guessing and doing the bare minimum to remediate the symptom we take the time to actually assess and correct these issues for both your basement and landscaping. During our consultation, we weigh not only the history of the area but also what you, as the homeowner, have experienced during your time in the home.
Got Drainage? Proper Drainage Benefits Your Landscaping and Your Home’s Foundation
Whether you just built your home or your home has been in the family for generations; we have seen it all! All of our designers are equipped with state of the art leveling devices so we can find the correct solution for your home’s specific situation.
DiSabatino Landscaping will always try to assess your personal property and find the best solution to fix your drainage problems
Drainage Fixes to Protect Your Home and Landscaping:
1. Surface Flow:
This is the most cost effective solution for many homes. With this solution your landscape needs to have a minimum of a 2% grade to have the water properly flow over your lawn to the appropriate storm water management location. This type of work is typically done in swale creation.
2. Down Spouts:
This is one of the most common culprits to having water sitting at the foundation of your home. By taking the downspouts out a minimum of 10’ from your home this can alleviate the rainwater load at the foundation of your house by almost 80%. We always run your downspouts with SCH 40 PVC pipe to ensure no sediment will be caught, crushing of the pipe will not occur from typical lawn traffic and we install the pipes with an easy cleanout system if you have leaves in your gutters.
3. Dry River Beds:
This is a more extreme case of surface flow drainage solutions. Typically, a dry riverbed solution is used in areas where grass will not easily grow. By creating the same surface flow solution as previously mentioned; however, we would install decorative or ballast stone that will allow the water to drain directly through the area to the appropriate storm water management location.
4. Catch Basins:
Here we begin to get more in depth with your landscape. Catch basins/drain boxes are typically used when a low point in one point of your lawn does not drain properly and a surface flow or down spout solution is not the correct way to move the water away from your home. Here we install the appropriate sized catch basin to support the intake volume of water and move said water through the appropriately sized PVC SCH 40 pipe.
5. Flow Wells:
This solution is used when water cannot be moved away from where the water is pooling. Typically used in smaller areas to move water from the surface into the soil column this solution begins to get into the more complex drainage solutions.
6. French Drains and Percolation Drains:
Used in extreme solutions when water cannot be moved away from the location of pooling water in your yard; these solutions can hold and/or move the water underground to be dispersed into the soil column.
7. Retention/Detention Ponds:
This is one of the more costly installations of drainage solutions typically used on new homes or new hardscaping project needs. These ponds are designed to take excessive amounts of water from the surface and drain or collect them as needed by the county/township.
Please note that this is not a full list of solutions that DiSabatino Landscaping uses to alleviate poor drainage areas. However, if you have a wet spot in your lawn or an area you are worried about please give us a call and one of our designers will find the right solution for you!
If you’re interested in talking with one our drainage experts regarding a custom assessment of your landscaping drainage system, call us at 302-764-0408 – email us at reception@disabatinoinc.com or fill out the form on our grading & drainage page.
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