Lawn Drainage: The Triangle’s Topography & Hilly Homes

For homeowners in Raleigh, Cary, and throughout the Triangle, lawn drainage is a problem that just won’t go away. Thanks to our area’s hilly landscape, homes are at a higher risk of having issues with standing water. On top of that, the Piedmont region of North Carolina (which includes the Triangle) gets around 45 inches of rain per year. Compared to the national average of 39 inches, that means that homes not only can’t handle the water but get more water than most of the United States.

While finding reputable help can get frustrating, there are companies in the Triangle who are specially trained and skilled at efficiently solving lawn drainage problems and thereby banishing standing water.

The Triangle Topography: Hilly Homes & Poor Drainage

When buying a home, you often don’t consider what happens when the weather isn’t grand. After all, you’re probably focused on enjoying sunny days with friends and family there–not in the middle of a torrential rainstorm. There isn’t a thing wrong with that, but before you sign on the dotted line to purchase the property, be sure you explore the home’s property elevation and proximity to water. Without the appropriate grading and exit strategy for the rain that falls on your property, you can quickly find yourself in over your head.

Standing water may seem like nothing to worry about, but some of the unfortunate side effects of poor lawn drainage include these pesky yard pests:

• Mosquitoes: Standing water is known to be a breeding ground for mosquito larvae. Even a small puddle can help bring enough mosquitoes around to bother you and your neighbors if it becomes a permanent fixture of the land.
• Root rot: Some plants can handle flood conditions, but most grasses, trees, shrubs, and flowers will experience root rot and suffocate from oversaturation. Years of hard work and landscapes can be undone quickly by a strong storm.
• Fungal invasion: Fungus lives and flourishes off of moisture. If your property gets standing water, it can become one big fungus farm. Mold and mildew spores could land and create colonies that could quickly spread to your home.
• Flooding of your home: Depending on the kind of lawn drainage problems occurring on your property, your home may be in line for damage, too. When water directs towards–rather than away from–the house with poor grading, flooding of a crawlspace or basement becomes inevitable.
• Inability to enjoy the land: Remember those sunny day daydreams in the new home? If you have standing water, even once the rain clouds have cleared, you may be left with a wet and swampy yard that will be difficult to enjoy in the sunshine.

Solving Standing Water Problems

Thankfully, there are solutions to fix poor lawn drainage, even in hilly areas like Raleigh, Durham & Chapel Hill. There are a few strategies homeowners and lawn care experts employ to deal with these issues:

• Grading: This is among the most crucial ways to repair poorly executed lawn drainage. If your land leads towards the house or a low lying area with poor drainage, there will be problems. Experts will revisit the land’s topography to ensure any downward slopes are pointed away from a home’s foundation, thereby allowing all moisture to move through your property without places to settle.
• Surface Absorption Rates: As you may have guessed, once the water is moving away from the primary structures, the next thing to figure out is what surface will help that water on its way? Initially, you may think that impervious surfaces–like hard dirt and concrete–are the solution to the problem when realistically, you will want a property that can absorb a lot of liquid without becoming flooded. Assess those harder surfaces strategically to figure out how they fit into the improved drainage of the property.
• Gutters: While grading is essential to clear rain flow, don’t overlook your home’s gutter systems. They should work with you, and not against you, as an effective tool to push rainwater away from the home and closer to the proper runoff system. Additionally, employing rain gardens and dry creek beds can prevent these runoff plans from becoming eyesores.

Barefoot Lawn Care: Lawn Drainage Experts

Lawn drainage problems can quickly become a complicated task involving specialized equipment and some serious planning. Don’t trust your lawn drainage problem with a novice–count on Barefoot Lawn Care to help fix the problem. We service the greater Triangle area, working in Apex, Cary, Garner, Clayton, Fuquay-Varina, Holly Springs, Johnston County, Wake County, Wake Forest and the surrounding areas. Give us a call the moment you notice drainage problems at (919) 934-3554, and we’ll get a team and a plan in motion immediately.