If you’re in constant worry every time the rain pours down because water frequently pools around the base of your home and enters your basement, it may be time for a change. Consider all the ways that a French drain can prevent flooding and damage to your Peterborough, NH, property.
Problems Because of Excess Water
Water that stands in pools around your foundation or anywhere in the backyard can be a breeding ground for mosquitoes. Any plants or vegetation become soggy and the roots can rot, which makes it impossible to plant the shrubs and flowers that add so much beauty to your home’s exterior.
Water that sits in indentations in the yard can end up killing the grass and staying moist even when the sun has come out and the rest of the landscape is dry. At times, the water can be so forceful during a storm that it can actually ooze through the concrete of the basement floor even as it is seeping in through the walls. All of this moisture over time can cause significant damage to your foundation.
Related: How to Choose the Right Mortar for Any Westford, MA, Masonry Project
The French Drain Solution
A French drain is comprised of perforated piping that is buried along the foundation of your home. The piping sits on crushed gravel and is then covered with gravel and backfilled with dirt. When it rains, the water seeps into the ground, and instead of ending up just sitting there, the pipes drain the water off to a better exit location. Because the piping is following a downward slope, the water is rerouted from your home to spill out into the road or another, more suitable area. This is a highly effective solution for homes that have drainage problems.
First, the professional landscape company digs a deep trench that spans the entire circumference of your home. It is important that the trench is deep enough to stop all of the water that enters both through the foundation and up through the floor of the basement. The hole is then filled with crushed stone that can be covered with landscape fabric to prevent weed growth. Next comes perforated, flexible pipe wrapped with landscape fabric to keep dirt and roots out. The drain can then be finished with a final layer of gravel and then covered to create a rock bed, or it can be finished with gravel and a layer of dirt.
Related: 3 Ways to Create Stunning Masonry Walkways in Hollis, NH
The Benefits of a French Drain Installation
Because a French drain collects the water that pours out or even spills over the gutters, the water won’t run down your driveway and wash away your gravel or protective mulch as it travels. The diversion of the water also keeps it from washing into your next-door neighbor’s yard, which is always good for neighborly relations.
To inquire about a French drain for solving your drainage problems, choose a company that has the expertise and experience to provide full-service excavation, installation, and landscaping design, so that you can be sure this solution is implemented with a holistic view of what your landscape and home needs. Such a company can implement a successful installation of a French drain system and help you make your landscape look like new again.
