Drainage Systems
If your neighbor’s land stands at a higher elevation than yours, you may be experiencing problems with excessive moisture on your property. You need better yard drainage, and the professionals at Green Acres Landscaping & Aquascaping can help.
French Drain
Typical drainage system cross section.
French drains are one option to address drainage issues. These drains get their name from Henry French, a judge and farmer from Concord, Massachusetts, who wrote a book titled “Farm Drainage” in 1859. These drains are simple trenches about 6” to 24” wide and 10” to 24” deep. A trench is excavated and lined with filter fabric. A 4” perforated pipe is placed in the bottom of the trench, and then the trench is filled with washed gravel. Surface water will drain through this gravel and run through the pipe to a determined runoff point.
The typical price range for a French drain system is $15 to $25 per lineal foot.
Curtain Drain
The curtain drain can be a good option for groundwater issues that are affecting both the yard and house. A curtain drain is essentially an oversized French drain, often 6’ deep and 2’ wide. Its job is to lower the water table downgrade in order to protect the house. Installing one on the upgrade side of your property can yield a significant improvement if you are experiencing a very wet yard and/or water entering your crawlspace or basement due to excessive groundwater issues. It is usually only necessary to intercept water moving through the ground toward the house to eliminate the moisture problem. The curtain drain method is an important consideration particularly for retrofit installations as it can reduce site disruption and the resulting cost of excavation.
The typical price range for a curtain drain system ranges from $30 to $75 per lineal foot.
If you are getting water in your crawlspace or basement, then foundation waterproofing and an integrated drainage system may be the solution.
To do this, the perimeter of the foundation is excavated to expose the foundation wall and footing. A waterproof membrane is then applied to the foundation wall and wrapped down over the top of the footing. Foam board insulation is then applied to the foundation wall to both protect the waterproof membrane and to add insulation value to the home’s exterior. A 4” perforated pipe is installed around the footing of the house. The trench is then backfilled with one foot of 2” drain rock and covered with filter fabric. The remaining excavated area is backfilled with native soils from the site and finish graded to provide for proper surface drainage away from the house. Ideally the 4” pipe is then extended to a place on the property in which it can exit at the surface grade. If the property does not have enough grade change to achieve this, then a water collection area will be excavated to add a wet well and filled with drain rock. A submersible pump can then be installed in the wet well to remove water from the system.
Foundation waterproofing and footing drain projects often range from $10,000 to $15,000.
Foundation Waterproofing and Footing Drains
GREEN ACRES IN THE NEWS:
2019 Drainage Contractor Publication
Into the wild: Drainage in Alaska
A look into the working conditions, unique challenges and regulations for drainage in Alaska.
Please Note
Green Acres has extensive experience and has had great success in drainage systems and water management strategies, but we are not engineers. Depending on the severity and complexity of your water issues, you may want to consult with an engineer to perform a site evaluation and provide a proposal for a specific drainage system that Green Acres Landscaping could then install.
