Your Wet Front and Backyard

One of the biggest eyesores for neighbors to have to look at tends to be standing water in the front yard. Water collecting in the backyard may not be that big of an issue, but it can still be a problem when it reduces the value of the property in more ways than one. If the water collects around the foundation of the house, then this can put the structure of the home in jeopardy, since water in these spots long term can cause the home itself to sink down into the ground. Repairing that problem can be quite expensive, so taking the steps necessary to make sure that water does not collect around the house is very important.

The problem of standing water in your yard can usually be solved very easily by filling in the depressions on the property with soil. This should not take a lot of work, but the result will be worth it in the end. You can have the dirt delivered by someone else or if you have a truck, you can go retrieve it yourself to save even more money. Having a wheel barrow handy and some shovels can also help with this project. If you do not have a wheel barrow, some buckets will get the job done eventually. Walk on the soil until it appears to be even with the rest of the yard and plant grass over it. To keep it from looking out of place, you might want to take this opportunity to reseed your yard with new grass.

You can also put a drainage system in your yard to drain one area of its excess water. This does not have to be used for a large puddle of standing water, but can also be used to direct ground water away from the property. If there is an area that you want to keep drained, however, you can do this by digging a ditch, installing some gravel, and a length of PVC pipe. Make sure that your ditch slants downhill and that it does so enough that the flow of water is efficient. Gravel will be put down before the PVC pipe to help with the draining of ground water, which cannot typically be collected by the pipe itself. The PVC pipe will be completely surrounded by gravel and soil replaced on top of it. Taking the opportunity to reseed your yard with new grass could be a good idea now, as well, since you do not want a huge visible line of new grass running through it.


Jim Corkern is a writer and promoter of quality
water damage restoration companies and
mold remediation companies across the united states.