A Texas homeowner said stormwater was pooling around their house during heavy rain because the yard sat lower than the street. For outside opinions on the matter, the homeowner turned to Reddit.
Here's what to know
Posting on Reddit's r/LawnCare, the homeowner explained, "My house seems to sit lower than the street itself and as a result there is water pooling around lower spots of my yard."
The original poster further explained that family members had suggested a French drain, but the OP said, "I can't reason how a French drain would disperse the water since it would have to carry it up and away from my house."
Commenters were in agreement that a French drain would not work in this scenario and that elevation was the culprit here.
"Re-grading is the only way," said one person. "You are correct in assuming a French drain will not work."
"I have a bowl shaped yard and I had to have drywells installed to deal with it," another commenter said. "Not cheap but it's nice not worrying about flooding every time it rains."
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What can be done?
When the core problem is the lot's grade, regrading may be the only real fix, even if that means bringing in professionals.
For more isolated trouble spots, commenters mentioned checking whether downspouts are dumping water into the lowest parts of the yard and whether topsoil could build up shallow depressions.
In the end, the OP conceded that this problem was likely beyond their level of knowledge and skill.
"Regrading my yard seems far FAR beyond my skill set so it sounds like it's time to pay people for their professional opinions," they wrote.
Where can I learn more?
• In Washington, an HOA's poor drainage system floods property, leaving one homeowner scrambling for answers.
• A neighbor's trench left one yard underwater, and residents were told to call their city.
• One homeowner said a neighbor's drainage system leaves yard saturated and "wreaking havoc" after storms.
• A planned garden exposed such severe runoff that a major drainage problem had to be addressed first.
• Water kept collecting near one home's foundation, making worrisome water pooling hard to ignore.
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