July 31, 2016

In Ann Arbor MI, summer is all too short, and you would love to use your backyard. Unfortunately, it permanently seems to be waterlogged after rain, meaning that your family can’t use it. And chronic standing water on a property doesn’t just affect barbecues, it can serve as a nesting area for potentially dangerous insects such as mosquitoes. This standing water can also do serious damage to the inside of your home, particularly its basement and foundation. Trying to sell your home with a swampy backyard won’t attract many buyers, or do much for your property’s value, either. Besides, you don’t want to get rid of the Couple Concerned About Lawnhouse, you want to get rid of the standing water. Is there a way to do this?

Standing Water Woes

There is, but let’s start by considering why you have the Black Lagoon on your property instead of a yard. Conditions that cause yards to retain standing water frequently or be in a semi-permanent state of wetness include:

  • storm runoffs
  • broken or damaged plumbing
  • improper grading of the property
  • sloping property

It should be noted that a permanent body of water on a property, especially one that “bubbles”, could be either a natural body of water like a spring or damaged piping. In either of those cases, a property should be carefully inspected before any excavating, possibly involving the state or a municipality, to avoid even bigger problems. But if the condition of a property’s landscaping is causing swampy areas or “raging rivers” to frequently form after rain events, then a technique called trench drainage can be very effective.

French Drain

Also known as a French drain or pipe (it gets its name from its 19th-century designer, not the country), correctly installed trench drainage uses gravity to pull both surface and groundwater away from specific areas of your property. This drain consists of a rock-filled trench overlaying perforated piping. Water seeps through the rock into the piping and then travels through the piping into:

  • a containment area, such as a dry well
  • the street
  • a drainage ditch

Who should install this trench drainage?

While in our DIY age it seems that any homeowner should be able to install a downward flowing ditch, there are a number of reasons why amateurs should not attempt this themselves. Although this type of ditch is simple in design, in order to work effectively, its dimensions and sloping must be precise to be effective. Professional landscaping companies are a great resource for this type of drain. Not only do they have great experience in installing and locating this type of drain, they can make recommendations about other types of drains and natural landscaping techniques, like a certain type of vegetation, to try as well.

Summers in Ann Arbor MI come with rain, but that shouldn’t prevent you from enjoying your yard. If yours is plagued by excess water following storms, call us to see how we can help you protect and get the most from your property. Contact Twin Oaks Landscape today to learn about our drainage solutions for your property.