Winter is quickly on its way out the door. Many people are sad to see it go, while others have had enough of old man winter and are eagerly awaiting the warmer spring air. Looking out your window, I'm sure you have noticed the water in the streets. Your hoping all of this water doesn't run into your basement. The water table is rising and it seems to be rising all onto your property. The worst of it hasn't even come yet. The riverbanks have not crested yet and they won't for a couple of weeks. There is nothing that you can do about the rising water tables, but there are many things you can do to keep water out of your property. Many homeowners don't take the time to "water proof" their yards.

Waterproofing your property takes a small amount of prior planning. This is a time of year that is of concern for a couple of reasons. First, we have all the snow melting. This past winter was a particularly brutal one that left a total accumulation of almost 90 inches. Second, early spring is naturally a wet season. April showers bring May flower, but not when your yard is submerged in water. The excessive water erodes the landscape it sits on creating a "less than attractive" look that homeowners do not want. There are a few different ways to alleviate these problems. Sometimes all it takes is re-grading the property to get the water flowing away from the yard and/or house. Some properties need a more drastic change. Drains can be installed to redirect the water from where it is flowing or sitting out of the property to a safe distance from the house. Retention walls also work well in certain situations. Here is a brief explanation of each of these items and how they can effectively improve your situation.

  • Re-grading: Often times, the problem is not the amount of precipitation that we receive, but the direction that the water is flowing. Some homebuilders put no thought into this and the grade of the property is angled into the house, creating a large mess in many residents' basements. Re-grading involves changing the pitch of landscape away from the house, creating water flow away from property, most often into the street's catch basin's.
  • Drains: Drains are typically installed into a lawn that is saturated with water. This may happen as a result of a high water table. Lawns act like sponges. When they are full, the water will not go down, it sits on the top with no place to go. A drain will channel this water out of your yard lowering the water below the surface on your property. There are different types of drains. You may have French drains installed, which add a nice effect to the borders of your house and property, or sub-surface drains, which are undetectable after job completion. Not only do drains make your yard livable, it reduces fungi and mosses that tend to grow in moist areas. It also greatly reduces the chance of water flooding your basement.
  • Retention walls: A retention wall can also be a method to reduce water build up on your property. A wall is placed strategically on the property, typically in an area of higher elevation to lower elevation. Water, without the wall, will run down the hill. With the wall in place, water reaches the crest of the wall and down the back of the wall. There are drains installed behind the wall that collect the water and transport the water to a desired location, keeping the water off of the surface. Retention walls can be constructed with many different types of materials. It is up to the owner which style they prefer.

All of these solutions are effective, but must be specific to the situation. An evaluation must be made to determine which method is suitable for your needs. When you are ready to "flood proof" your property, feel free to call us at (978) 687-2152. We provide free estimates and would be happy to provide you with the piece of mind you are looking for.

Hopefully now you have a better understanding of the irrigation installation process. Usually this process is completed in one full day this may vary depending upon the size of the job. All information on the products we use and the benefits of having an irrigation system are located in the irrigation section of our site. Also feel free to browse our entire site for any information about the other services we provide. If you are interested in having some work performed on your home or business you may email us by using the contact us link on our site.

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