Homeowner dismayed after recent landscaping project backfires: 'Looks like it's sloping toward your house'

While not everyone shares the same ideas about what the perfect home should look like, many would likely include a well-landscaped yard. However, as one homeowner found out, taking a shortcut to achieve a lush, green yard can sometimes come with concerning side effects.

In a post to r/landscaping, a Redditor shared their struggles with a newly installed artificial lawn that caused a frustrating flooding issue in their home.

The original poster sought the advice of their fellow homeowners in an attempt to find a quick fix. They shared a handful of pictures that highlighted the new lawn.

"I need to know what the fix is so I can ask the installer to do it," they wrote.

As noted by the Redditor, there appeared to be a glaring issue with the installation: "There was no french drain installed."

"Very little water will seep through the turf depending on how it was installed," one user wrote in response to the post in another subreddit. "Looks like it's sloping toward your house."

Another went a step further and offered up a possible explanation as to why the basement was suddenly flooding.

"You may have been able to get away with this when the grass absorbed the runoff and there wasn't compacted substrate sheeting the water at the house, but can't anymore," they noted. "Ideally, you'd want to make the first 3-6 feet next to the house slope away from the house."

"Almost like plant life contributes to the control of water flow and erosion," a third commenter quipped.

The installation of artificial grass may be viewed as an excellent, low-maintenance method to achieve an attractive lawn, but it can be more trouble than it's worth.

What's the hardest thing about taking care of your yard? Mowing the lawn 🏡 Controlling weeds 🌿 Keeping pests at bay 🐿️ I don't have a yard 🤷 Click your choice to see results and speak your mind.

Artificial lawns are typically made from synthetic materials such as polyethylene, polypropylene, or nylon. This can lead to microplastic pollution, contribute to the urban heat island effect, and increase the potential for chemical leaching.

As mentioned in the comments, when an artificial lawn is not properly designed or maintained, or when turf is installed on a surface that drains poorly, it can lead to costly flood damage.

An eco-friendly and truly low-maintenance alternative to artificial grass is a natural lawn of native grass, which offers numerous benefits in landscaping.

These species act as air filters, absorbing pollutants and releasing oxygen while cooling the surrounding area. They can also go a long way in water management by preventing erosion, reducing runoff, and promoting a healthy local ecosystem.

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