For many homeowners, spring in Kansas City means heavy rain and property drainage problems. There is a solution!
Spring in the KC metro usually signals an abundance of rainy days on the horizon. Excess rainwater – especially when it arrives by the bucket – can cause a number of water related issues in and around your home if proper drainage safeguards are lacking. The first outward sign of inadequate property drainage is often a swampy yard – a condition in itself that can cause permanent damage to plant life, drown-out germinating grass and sometimes leave behind dangerous mold, which damages plants and can even cause health issues for smaller, low-to-the-ground pets.
Yard drainage problems could cause serious structural issues within your home, such as flooded basements and weakened home foundations. Poor yard drainage near your foundation can also lead to seepage behind walls. Once moisture comes in contact with the backside of basement drywall, or seeps under a basement carpet, mold can begin to grow at an alarming rate, silently causing expensive-to-repair damage – not to mention a wide variety of health risks.
Homeowners with rainwater seepage in basements may notice a wet, mildewy smell – one that arrives along with spring rainstorms and can persists for days or weeks after. Metal items in basements may start showing signs of corrosion as moisture goes to work on unpainted metal services – often rims of stored bicycles, saw blades, or well-used garden tools. Given a little time, corrosion turns into full-fledged rust that can completely destroy metal over time. Correcting drainage issues before they cause irreparable damage is essential – a task that is especially important in geographically low-areas that carry a higher risk of flash flooding.
The Good News? Envision Can Help!
The landscape and drainage experts at Envision Lawn and Tree are well-versed in correcting drainage problems. Whether you reside in Brookside or Riverside, Lee’s Summit, Leawood or Lenexa – or just about every area in between – Envision has you covered, and can provide a complimentary property drainage evaluation and an estimate for correcting the problem. The cure for most excess rainwater issues is usually some form of rainwater redirection. Specific drainage solutions can be quite varied, so a custom plan is created to address the needs of each individual homeowner. From yard grading and retaining walls, to French drains and dry creek beds, the drainage-solutions experts at Envision do it it all. There is rarely a “one size fits all” drainage solution, but rest assured, Envision can turn your formerly soggy backyard into a highly usable and beautiful oasis, one free from muddy sinkholes and standing water pools the size of small ponds – even after the harshest of rainstorms.
Read-on about two recent Envision projects that eliminated rainwater drainage issues and beautifully transformed client backyards into attractive, highly functional outdoor spaces!
The fringe area around the pool deck before Envision installed the French drain and artificial turf. Rainwater ruts and dirt paths from pets had created an eyesore.
Backyard Pool and Entertainment Area Drainage
An underground French drain, artificial turf and spaced planting areas provide the pool-deck fringe area a lush new look while effortlessly draining rain and splashed pool water underground to a storm drain on the front yard side.
During the summer of 2021, Envision helped transform this local homeowner’s backyard to better accent their new in-ground saltwater swimming pool. With limited border areas on the south and east edges of the concrete deck surrounding the pool, the first challenge was to ensure that water draining from the concrete deck onto the grassy perimeter would drain properly. The backyard tilted away from the pool edges and then toward the front yard storm drains. But heavy rain was destroying grass and leaving behind deep ruts as the water rushed toward a fence and finally toward the front yard – leaving behind more ruts and damage on the front yard side.
To address the rainwater that needed to be directed out to the street, the Envision team made sure the backyard and front yard were properly graded; they also installed an underground French drain system – that effortlessly transported water through hidden drains and into underground piping buried along the side fence, then under the pool gate, under the front lawn, all to a final exit at the edge of the front yard property allowing water to harmlessly escape into city storm drains, with no damage to the plant life above.
Another unique aspect of this project was replacing the formerly grass and dirt area around the pool area with long-lasting artificial turf. A combination of rain, saltwater splashed from the pool, and the family’s large dogs roaming the fence-line (and then tracking muddy footprints onto the new pool deck) had made maintaining natural grass a non-starter. To combat these issue, Envision installed high-quality artificial turf that would be quite durable against constant wear-and-tear – while visually presenting a well-manicured naturally green lawn.
Read more about this impressive project by clicking here!
Artificial turf was installed on top of a sturdy yet porous base to assist with drainage issues . The resulting installation is low-maintenance, pet-friendly and complemented by a Techo-Bloc patio.
Drainage System for a Landlocked Backyard Entertainment Area
For this project, Envision worked with the homeowner to reimagine a pocket-sized backyard as a more functional space for entertaining while also serving as a comfortable play area for the family dogs. The yard suffered from drainage issues caused by the higher elevation of neighboring yards (leading to rainwater flooding into the client’s property). Maintaining grass was a challenge as the family dogs had only a small play area that quickly turned to mud after heavy rain. Growing and maintaining grass had become a challenge.
The Envision team worked with the homeowner to come up with a plan that included grading to change elevations, then building up the dirt surface with a geogrid and mortar mix system that would allow for rainwater and liquid pet waist to drain through artificial turf installed on the surface above. A hose sprayed onto the green grass-like turf from time-to-time would rinse away any leftover pet residue and leave the surface looking as good as new – and, with a lifetime expectancy of 10 years, the turf was a solid longterm investment. A Techo-Bloc manufactured-stone patio, stairs and accent path were installed, lending the petite entertainment area a modern and clean aesthetic. A true example of form meeting function!
