How to Build a Yard Drainage

A yard that fails to drain and suffers water pooling is a problem. The area remains soggy long after the rest of the yard has dried, grass in the area dies, and in some cases the pooling damages structures and garden vegetation. Building a yard drainage system is crucial and recommended in most cases to prevent or correct drainage failure.

Things You'll Need

• Backhoe
• Shovel
• Drainage pipes
• Large rocks and stones
• Tiny stones or gravel
• Topsoil

Instructions

1. Look for a well-drained location on the edge of the yard to use as a soakaway. A soakaway will collect the water from the drainage pipes you will install. This location should preferably be a lower elevation than the spot that won't drain. Use a backhoe or have a licensed professional dig a hole with the backhoe that measures roughly 6 feet deep and 6 feet wide.

2. Dig a ditch between the soakaway hole and the non-draining areas. Use the backhoe or dig the hole with a shovel. Start a foot below the pooling area and continue downward toward the soakaway.

3. Dig the ditch to measure approximately 6 inches wide or larger and 15 inches deep beside the poor drainage area. The ditch should slope downward toward the soakaway, sloping downward an average of 1cm per meter of the ditch's length.

4. Fill the soakaway hole with a 5-foot layer of large stones and rocks. Broken bricks and cement and other stone rubble will also work. Apply a 6-inch layer of small stones and coarse gravel on top of the previous layer.

5. Shovel out the remaining expanse between the top of the ditch and the area failing to drain. If water is standing in the spot, allow the water to drain down through the ditch and into the soakaway before continuing work on the drainage system. Once the water is drained out, lay the sections of pipe into place along the bottom of the ditch; connect the sections and cover the entire pipe except for a 1-foot length at the top by the problem area.

6. Dig out the problem area to the depth of the drainage pipe. Apply a layer of rocks large enough to avoid falling into or stopping up the drainage pipes. Build the layer up about 1 foot deep and then replace the topsoil.

7. Cover the soakaway with topsoil to meet the level of the surrounding soil. This will disguise the soakaway.

References

• Installing Lawn Drainage
• French Drain
• Drain Design