Now Is the Time to Install a French Drain

Does your basement ever get damp? Or do puddles remain in your yard for a long time after it rains? You may need to install some better drainage. And now is the perfect time; you’ll want to have drainage installed in the fall before the ground becomes too cold and hard to dig through. Waiting until spring is not such a great idea, either. Snow during the winter will melt and give you all the same problems you’re dealing with now. If you are having drainage problems, you may want to consider all the advantages that installing a French drain system will provide.

Divert Surface Water

If you have a lot of recurring puddles on the surface of your lawn, then you need a shallow French drain, also known as a curtain drain. This drain extends horizontally across your property directly uphill of the soggy part of your yard. It’s able to intercept water and divert it away from the part of your yard that is most often flooded. This type of drain is installed about 2 feet below the surface level of your yard. Diverting surface water can help to prevent unwanted brown spots and marshy areas in your lawn.

Divert Deep Water

If there is water getting into your basement, then there are several solutions to this problem. However, these tend to be more labor intensive and expensive, so this is a project you only want to take up if the water is a real problem.

The first solution is to install a French drain system called a footing drain. This drain runs around the exterior perimeter of your basement at foot level. This type of drain is easy to install when a home is under construction, but it is significantly more difficult when the home has already been constructed. There may be quite a lot of landscaping, hardscaping, and soil to remove in order to get to the footing level. Luckily, there is another solution.

The second solution is to install an interior French drain. This drain is constructed by first removing the interior walls to install the system. If your basement has already been ruined by water, then this isn’t the same as removing perfectly fine hardscaping like you would have to do when installing a footing drain. The interior French drain is installed along the perimeter of the basement floor and collects water as it is entering the basement. This water is then sent up to the storm drain by a sump pump.

Get Ready for Fall and Winter with Rhine Landscaping

We’ve got extensive background in landscaping, so that you can feel assured your lawn will be taken care of correctly, no matter what. Our landscaping experts  will help to make your landscaping dreams a reality, and your property the talk of the town.

Landscapes are complicated to design and implement. If you’re ready to call for help, then you can contact Rhine Landscaping by giving us a call at 410-442-2445. We’ve got the knowledge your landscape needs to get it ready for summer.

You can also contact us on our website. We can help you plan, plant, and create the yard of your dreams. You can also check out our blogs to stay on top of landscaping trends and tips.

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