- Introduction
Everybody wants a beautiful home and yard, but no one wants to deal with the possible foundation weakening and puddle formations that come with poorly-graded grounds. This is where drainage grading comes in. According to experts, the ideal grading is 2%. This directs water away from your home and protects against things like soil erosion and mold growth. If you’re wondering about the importance of proper drainage grading for the safety of your house and landscape, this blog is just for you.
- Safeguarding Your Investment Inside & Out: The Role Of Expert Drainage Grading
. Have you ever wondered why landscape contractors are so meticulous about the grading phase? They carefully shift sand, ensuring that it creates a perfect incline in your yard. While the answer can seem obvious, we assure you that there’s more to “drainage” than meets the eye.
Here is a look at all the ways that proper grading protects your house and your landscape.
- Prevents Weakening Foundations
The main purpose of a well-graded landscape is to direct water away from the foundations of a house and toward a drainage solution. This is because standing water can wear down your siding, causing cracks, creating leaks, and even causing the ground to settle. All of this leads to weakened foundations, so proper drainage grading is necessary.
- Eliminates Flooded Basements
Have you ever experienced water coming into your basement during heavy rainstorms? The reason might just be poor grading. By creating the correct incline, landscape contractors play their part in directing water away, ensuring that your basement stays dry, safe, and clean even during heavy rains.
- Protects Against Mold
All that standing water can easily escalate into mold growth. By helping water from sprinklers and rain move away from your house, drainage grading saves you from the damage and expense of having a mold problem.
- Shields Foundations
Going back to the first point for a minute. Flooding can easily erode soil, thereby exposing your home’s foundations. This, over a long period of time, will eventually result in leaning walls and sinking floors. By reducing the chances of soil erosion, proper drainage grading plays its part in keeping your structure strong and sound.
- Protects Hardscape
Foundations aren’t the only things that are in danger of water damage during rain. Your driveway, patio, deck, walkways, and retaining walls are also in danger of eroding and cracking due to standing water. By helping the water slide off your property, a properly installed drainage grading system plays its part in extending the lifespan of your hardscape.
- Protects Plant Life
Imagine your beautiful flowerbeds flooded by rainwater. How do you think they’ll do? Just as overwatering your plants can destroy them, ponding rainwater does the same. By creating a slope, proper drainage grading makes sure that your plants receive the right amount of hydration, keeping them healthy.
- Prevents Soil Erosion
If all the soil erodes from your yard, there will be nothing for the plant’s roots to hold. This can result in exposed roots and weak flora. By protecting the soil from washing away with the rain, quality drainage grading does its part in keeping your garden healthy and thriving.
- Protects Against Pests
Standing water is the perfect breeding ground for all kinds of insects and small critters. But if your ground has proper grading, there’s no standing water, and you don’t have to worry about excessive mosquitoes or snakes hanging out in your yard.
- Improves Aesthetics
A property with a properly graded yard has a clear advantage in terms of looks when compared to one that looks like a swamp during the rainy season. Therefore, drainage grading does its part in raising the charm of your property.
- Increases Market Value
For all the reasons stated above, properties with properly graded landscapes tend to have a much higher market price when homeowners put them on the market. Buyers are attracted to the clean aesthetic, the strong foundations, and the healthy yard, making them more willing to offer a higher price.
- Conclusion
In conclusion, proper drainage grading doesn’t just look good, but also does a lot to protect the integrity of your property. It keeps your foundations safe from cracks and mold, prevents your garden from drowning, saves you from costly restorations, and raises the value of your home. We hope this blog gave you a new appreciation for drainage grading. If your yard experiences slight flooding during rain showers, get it graded today!
- FAQs
Who enforces drainage grading codes?
Local cities and counties are responsible for ensuring that the drainage grading codes are adhered to.
When is a grading permit required?
It’s required whenever there’s a significant change made to a property, like excavation or filling.
Can I do the grading myself?
While you can add soil next to your foundations, only landscape contractors and engineers can handle large projects.