Do the puddles in your yard put on a long show after the rain has passed? You may find one section of the lawn is perpetually soggy and another quite dry, or you have reason to suspect water is pooling where it ought not be.
We at Exterior Elevate are here to assist homeowners in the Greater El Paso region with their drainage concerns, nipping them in the bud before they become an expensive proposition. A local family concern since 2020, we can be contacted at (915) 265-0878. In the interest of catching any trouble early, we have set out some of the warning signs below for your perusal.
More Than Meets the Eye When It Comes to Drainage
Water will make its way to a path; if your yard is not up to the task of moving it along, that path will likely be toward your home. And poor drainage is not just about having to put up with mud. It has the potential to do harm to your foundation and the plants in your garden, draw in pests and compromise the patios and fences you have put money into.
Yet for the most part there are unmistakable signals of a drainage problem well before it becomes a serious matter. One only has to know how to read them to put one’s property in better shape.
What to Look for in the Yard
You will come across your share of obvious drainage problems, and then there are those that are right under your nose until you are in the habit of looking for them. These are the ones we see time and again:
- Water from a rain or your irrigation system that does not want to go away
- Patches of spongy, wet lawn
- Dampness or staining at the base of exterior walls and the foundation
- Erosion where the dirt has been washed off leaving gullies
- Gravel or mulch making its way downhill in the wake of a storm
- An abundance of mosquitoes and the like in the wetter parts of the yard
- Cracks in the driveway or walkways
Spotting one or two is cause for inspection; several and the yard is speaking volumes.
The Foundation
In the end, the price of bad drainage is what it exacts on the foundation of your house. Water that is not channeled away will pool at the base of the structure and soak the ground. The soil swells and recedes, and the resulting movement exerts its toll on the foundation over time.
A red flag is water sloping in the direction of the home or puddles forming in close proximity to the foundation. Damp conditions in the basement or crawlspace once the rain is done are telling as well. They are not going to resolve on their own and will only compound with the seasons.
Your Landscaping Can Be Part of the Problem
An improperly graded hardscape, a lawn with a slope to the house or clay heavy flower beds can all conspire to hold water. But with the right design those very elements can be the solution. Good exterior design is about using the proper grading and ground cover to put the water where it belongs.
All too often we find the root of the issue was work done with no thought as to where the water would be going. We prefer to consider the entire yard rather than a single corner.
For a Self-Assessment
One can make some observations of one’s own before putting in a call. Put in a walk of the property during or in the aftermath of a rain and see where things are collecting. Make sure the gutters and downspouts are doing their job of keeping water off the foundation. This will give you some perspective and makes it easier for us to put our finger on the problem.
Make an Appointment with a Pro
When the signs are there, it is best to have a professional examine the root of the matter. Since 2020 Exterior Elevate has been providing service to El Paso, Horizon City, East El Paso, Fort Bliss and in New Mexico to Sunland Park and Santa Teresa. With four crews in the field we do not keep you waiting on a project. There is no obligation to a free estimate and we have financing via GreenSky, Line and Regence.
Our hours are 9:00am to 7:30pm Monday to Friday and 9:00am to 5:30pm on Saturday. If you are seeing what we have described above, do not put it off till the next storm. Give us a ring at (915) 265-0878 and we will put the water to rights.
