3 Types of Landscaping Drainage Solutions

The drainage in your yard is an extremely important part of your landscaping installation, as improper drainage can quickly turn areas of your yard and garden into a swamp, and can even increase the risk that your basement and foundation may be affected by water damage and flooding. Fortunately, there are a number of different landscaping drainage solutions that you can install to ensure that water is adequately removed from your yard.

Understanding what the differences are between each type of landscaping drainage solution can help you choose the best fit for your needs.

French Drains

French drains are a good solution for minor drainage issues in a specific area of your yard. They are made out of a single perforated pipe that is placed within a trench and then covered with gravel. This means that there is no exposed piping or drainage within your yard, and the drain can be easily incorporated into an existing landscaping design. However, French drains are not able to act as a holistic drainage solution for an entire yard, simply because the trench in which they are installed can only service a relatively narrow area at a time.

Slope Adjustments

Slope adjustments are exactly what their name would make them seem like: the slope of the area around your home is adjusted so that water can run off of the grass and into municipal sewer systems easier. The main advantage of having a slope adjustment done on your yard is the fact that doing so does not alter the existing design of your landscape, as no additional installations are needed. The downside is that slope adjustments require much more effort to install, since a larger area will need to be worked on, which can drive up labor costs.

Retaining Walls

Retaining walls are designed to improve water drainage in areas that are located on an already existing hill. Part of their function is to control erosion and maintain the slop of the hill: most retaining walls will either have channels installed behind the actual wall or in avenues around it to provide water with a safe and proper way to drain off of your yard. Retaining walls are also able to be made out of a wide variety of different materials, which gives them greater aesthetic appeal than the above two methods of drainage. However, the only real downside of retaining walls is the fact that they can only be used for a very specific drainage issue: they are not a general-purpose solution.