Proper Drainage Means a Healthier Landscape

Northern Virginia has every type of soil and all types of terrain. If the slope of your residence is too steep it could send water right to your home. If it’s too flat or has dips it could retain water creating pooling. At Perfect Landscapes, we have the knowledge and equipment to correct these problems. Proper drainage is essential to prevent unnecessary damage and cost. The landscape architects Perfect Landscapes will provide you with a landscape that is beautiful and efficient.

Landscape Drainage Problems

Water can pool on your property, which is not only annoying, but it can be bad for plants. It can also be a breeding place for mosquitoes.

Water can also flow towards your house, causing moisture to seep into the basement or damage the outside of the house.

All of this water must be channeled properly. There are various methods of doing so. The best method depends on your particular setting and land contouring.

Lawn Drainage

The easiest way to deal with lawn drainage problems is to slope all land, patios, walkways, etc. away from your house. The minimum slope that we work with is two percent, or 1/4 inch per foot. As an example, the grade at a spot four feet away from your house should be one inch lower than the grade at the house. This will assure that water will be directed away from the building. This requires re-grading if your land slopes towards your house.

Landscape Drains

A swale, or trench-like depression, can also bring the water to a landscape drain. This is a contained device with a grate cover. The water enters these types of landscape drains, which are set at lower elevations. A solid pipe can also be connected to the container, so that when the water enters this area drain, it flows into the pipe. The pipe should be pitched at two percent.

The pipe should also be sized correctly to carry the amount of calculated water. The pipe then leads the water away to a desirable area. This may be a wooded area, a drainage pit, or even a rain garden.

Landscape Drainage With Pipes

Sometimes water must drain to an area where there is planting beds and no lawn. In this case, you can install a perforated pipe, which is simply a solid pipe with holes on the top where water enters. This then connects to a solid pipe which leads the water away from the area.

Landscape grading can be carried out in various ways, but it is something that should be considered, if possible, in conjunction with your landscape design. This way, your landscape can be created for both aesthetics and function, and drainage problems will be eliminated. At Perfect Landscapes, we believe it’s best to do it right the first time and that it’s better to prevent problems instead of fixing the damage after.

You can see some of our retaining walls and drainage work in our gallery by clicking here.