Experts claim that attractive landscaping can boost your home value by as much as ten percent. Your landscaping matters, whether you’re trying to sell your home or just garner some sweet curb appeal.
Your landscape is more than just grass. It’s an asset to your home. Furthermore, it’s an asset you need to protect.
When mother nature threatens to wipe out your hard work, you can do something. By the time you’ve finished reading this article, you will understand how to prevent landscape flooding.
Slope Your Landscape
There’s a reason most landscape slopes away from the home. When a home builder builds a new house on site, they should spend a significant amount of time moving dirt and creating a slope away from the home.
If your home doesn’t have a proper slope, you need to either create one yourself or hire a professional landscaper to do so. Begin by locating the high and low points of your home. Then have a load of dirt hauled to your home, and slope your yard away from your house.
A good slope will keep your landscape dry and protect your foundation from needing crack repair.
Mulch Heavily
Proper mulching will create a layer that can absorb moisture and keep your ground from becoming saturated. A wood mulch is especially effective as it can absorb a good deal of moisture and then dry out quickly. Stay away from light pine straw, for example, as this will not inhibit fast-flowing water.
A thick mulch will prevent flooding in your landscape.
When you lay mulch, put it down at least twelve inches from the siding of your home. You want to keep the moisture away to prevent any exterior siding from taking on moisture and rotting.
Choose Native Plants
In addition to landscape grading, choose plants purposefully. You want plants with a high water tolerance with roots that grow below the ground versus above the ground. You should also find plants that do not require frequent watering between rainfalls.
The following plants work especially well:
- Elderberry
- Iris
- Cattail
- Elephant’s ear
- Canna
All of these plants do not require regular watering and can help slow down a rapid water flow during flood conditions. After you plant your plants, keep dead and dry plant material at bay. Keeping the plants clear of debris will help the plants soak up water.
Build a Rain Garden
A rain garden offers a beautiful and functional place to allow rain to flow. It has plants and landscaping that absorb water well, and thus instead of having some saturated spots in your yard, you have a beautiful garden.
Use your gutters to create a place where you want the rain to flow. Then create a rain garden approximately ten feet or more away from your house and in a lower-lying area.
A rain garden will collect and absorb water. This way, a flood emphasizes your landscape’s beauty rather than destroying it. Here’s how to create a rain garden:
- Look for a low-lying area
- Create an appropriate size and shape, as small as 100 square feet
- Remove the crass
- Excavate the low area
- Fill the low area with new dirt
- Add wet-tolerant plants to the center of the basin.
A rain garden will feed off the water that comes from your gutters and create a place where you want water to go. This way you don’t end up with a soaked spot in a low part of your yard. Rather you have this beautiful landscaping.
You can also dry out your landscaping by planting grass. The root structure of gas absorbs water when it rains heavily. This protects your foundation and, ultimately, your house.
If your grass is thin and dried out, consider putting in a new species. Grass’s root structure can help absorb water during heavy rainfall and prevent it from getting to your home’s foundation.
Seashore paspalum, Bermuda, and St. Augustine grasses are all well-known for their ability to tolerate wet conditions.
Once your new grass grows in, don’t cut it too short. This can weaken the roots and lead to flooding in your landscape.
Put In a Retaining Wall
A retaining wall is both a beautiful and functional addition to your home. It can easily divert water away from the foundation when flood waters rise.
It can also provide extra seating when you have guests at your home for outdoor is
This structure serves multiple purposes. In addition to redirecting water, it can also provide seating for guests when you host outdoor functions.
A retaining wall can also offer some much-needed aesthetic appeal. You may choose from various materials for your retaining wall’s blocks, including natural stone and brick.
Resurface Your Driveway
A paved driveway is a norm in urban and suburban communities. It also creates a smooth surface for storm runoff. If you have a gravel driveway or driveway made of spaced-out pavers, you’ll have much less runoff.
Resurfacing driveways is a spendy way to keep your landscape dry. So if you don’t have the money for this venture, use a channel drain next to your driveway to eliminate the excess water during a heavy rain storm.
Use a Rain Barrel
Downspouts redirect water away from your home and toward your lawn. But if you have an uneven lawn or low spots, the water will pool at the end of the downspout.
You can prevent this pooling by having a rain barrel at the bottom of the downspout. A rain barrel will protect your foundation and give you a place to gather water for your other plants and landscaping.
Redirect the Water
When you focus on keeping your landscape dry, you also focus on keeping your foundation dry. Ultimately, you’re protecting your home and saving your foundation from corrosion. Simple methods like a rain garden, rain barrel, retaining wall, and adequate mulch keep your landscape from taking on water.
Many of these solutions require extra help. Do not attempt to build a retaining wall or slope your yard on your own. A professional landscaping company can help you do this.
Has your foundation already begun to show some wear and tear? If so, contact us. We have a variety of solutions for repairing a cracked foundation and waterproofing a basement.
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