Yard grading and drainage swales
Sometimes the fix isn't a pipe at all. Here's how regrading and swales keep surface water moving.
Surface water follows the shape of the ground. If the soil next to your foundation has settled, been built up with mulch beds, or was never sloped away in the first place, water runs toward the house instead of away from it. Regrading restores a slope away from the foundation, and a swale gives runoff a shallow, grassed channel to follow to a safe outlet.
Signs your grading is the problem
- Soil or mulch is level with, or higher than, the bottom of the siding
- Water runs toward the house from the yard or a neighbor's lot
- Puddles form along the foundation after every storm
- A swale between houses has been filled in by a fence, shed or garden
What does regrading involve?
- Walk the yard in the rain, or study the slopes. The contractor figures out where water enters and where it should leave.
- Call Tennessee 811. Grading disturbs the top layers of soil where many utility lines run.
- Move and compact soil. Clay fill is shaped to slope away from the house and compacted so it doesn't settle back.
- Restore the surface. Seed or sod, straw or erosion blanket on slopes, so the new grade doesn't wash away before grass grows.
Neighbors and permits
Changing the grade can change where water goes next door. A plan that just pushes water onto the neighbor's lot isn't a fix. Larger jobs that disturb a lot of ground, cut into slopes or affect a shared drainage easement may need a city or county stormwater or grading permit, so ask the City of Clarksville or Montgomery County Building and Codes before major earthwork. Ask the contractor to keep heavy equipment well back from any sinkhole: Montgomery County notes vibration can make them more dangerous.
The contractor prices the job after walking the yard and seeing where the water comes from and where it can go. We don't quote prices, and any number given over the phone before a site visit is only a rough starting point.
Where we connect you with help
Common questions
Can I just add dirt against my foundation?
Topsoil piled against siding can trap moisture and invite pests. Regrading should slope away from the house while keeping soil below the siding.
What is a drainage swale?
A shallow, usually grassed channel that carries surface water across a yard to a street, ditch or other outlet.
Related services
More background: Montgomery County drainage guide.
Standing water in the yard or a wet crawl space?
Call now and a local drainage contractor will help you figure out where the water is coming from.