Drainage Alert

Several simple visual clues can tip off contractors to potential drainage issues on a client’s property. Here, Ross Richardson, landscape designer, Dunn Lawn & Land, St. Louis, Mo., offers poor-drainage clues to note when assessing a site.

• Downspouts and sump pumps that discharge too close to the house.
• Large trees or overgrown plantings set too close to the foundation. “The point of least resistance is the foundation of the house, and overgrown root systems can damage the foundation and cause drainage problems,” Richardson pointed out.
• Old stumps. “They can rot out and create a void in the soil that will collect water, which can wick to the foundation of a house,” he said.
• Planting beds too high or low around the foundation. “Raised planters can trap water and direct it toward the foundation,” Richardson noted.
• Low areas where the grade has settled over time and pitches toward the house.
• Overgrown plants, which can hide grading problems.
• General low areas around the foundation of the home
• Notable standing water on the property. “If it rains and three days later there is still water on the property, that is a serious problem that should be dealt with,” Richardson stressed.

The author is Managing Editor – Special Projects for Lawn & Landscape magazine and can be reached at khampshire@gie.net.