How to Drain a Lawn

Excess water on your lawn can be a real nuisance, particularly when you find house guests squelching through the drive way just to reach your front door. If the recent British storms have left your house resembling something out of Noah’s Ark it’s time to tackle the problem and suss out how to drain a lawn.

Waterworld?

Before you figure out how to drain your lawn, it’s important to first find a home for the excess water – where exactly is the water going to go once you’ve drained it? The important thing to note is to never use a water drain to direct water towards your fellow neighbour’s property or the rest of the street - just picture the scene! In all seriousness, this could lead to your neighbour(s) taking legal action and suddenly it’s not just the excess water that is troubling you!

Solution 1: French Drain

If your neighbour’s house is at a higher elevation point than yours, you may find that their excess water runoff has made its way into your yard. Whilst there is nobody to blame but nature for this problem, you will need better yard drainage to counteract the issue.

A ‘French’ drain is a trench where a drain pipe is laid, similar to a castle moat but with a drainage pipe running through it instead of gushing water. The difficult level of installing a French drain yourself is moderate and depends on the level of water you are trying to re-route.

Solution 2: Dry Creek Beds

If excess water is turning your once neat garden lawn into a squalid pond, it might be time to install dry creek beds. Dry creek beds are located on the outskirts of the garden, or where there is a slope for water to run down and consist of stones and gravel in an attempt to soak up excess moisture and redirects drainage, preventing it from affecting the rest of the lawn.

This option is aesthetically pleasing and many homeowners choose to install dry creek beds into their garden even when they have no drainage issues to speak of. You can be as creative as you like with dry creek beds, add drawbridges and exotic plants to complement the look or construct the most basic dry creek beds to serve a purely practical purpose.

For a comprehensive range of tools to help you tackle drainage problems, take a look at the full list of products which are available to order on the Speedy Plastics and Resins website.