5 Tips To Avoid Drainage Problems With Backyard Hardscaping

The drainage in your yard is an important part of enjoying a comfortable outdoor experience, protecting the home's foundation, and achieving the growth you want. And the hardscape elements in that yard affect drainage — either positively or negatively. How can you help ensure it's the former and not the latter? Here are a few key tips.

1. Don't Overdo Hardscape. Don't fill your yard with hardscape items like patios, outdoor entertainment, driveways, and pools. A good balance of hardscaping and organic features allows natural drainage and water absorption. Too much nonporous hardscaping hampers the good flow of water, especially if space is limited. 

2. Choose Porous Materials. You have a wide range of material choices today, so look for those which will help encourage water flow. Porous choices, like gravel or wood instead of concrete, allow rain and snow to melt into the ground instead of running off or pooling. Even things like asphalt and concrete can be found in more water-permeable varieties. 

3. Plan Drainage First. Before you install any significant inorganic structure, consider possible drainage problems first. Analyze the soil, test how water flows, and think about how the new element may block natural flow. Putting in preventative measures — such as a hidden French drain — before you build could save a lot of time, trouble, and money later on. 

4. Try Not to Fight. Water flow can be stubborn, so the best solution may be to work with it instead of against it. Constructing a slightly raised deck instead of a ground-level patio, for example, might save you from having to make major changes to prevent drainage issues around the house. And a two-layer deck could save ground space versus a single-level deck, allowing more natural water absorption. 

5. Integrate Some Water. Can you include some of your backyard water flow in your landscape and hardscape plans? Why not build a water garden where rain naturally pools, such as below downspouts? Perhaps you can build a small pond or faux stream to channel rainwater safely. Or funnel water into rain barrels for use on backyard plants? Creative thinking might make your yard both more fun and easier to work with. 

Where to Start

No matter what hardscaping you want to install or where, working proactively will help you prevent or minimize drainage problems. Start by consulting with a residential hardscape installation service in your area. With their expertise and training, you'll soon have the yard of your dreams.  

For more information, contact a local company like Precision Hardscapes & Excavating LLC.