Yard drainage in Boise, Idaho

Yard drainage in Boise becomes a problem the first time you see water standing by the foundation, a strip of lawn that never dries out, or mud washing across the patio after a storm. Sometimes it shows up as ice: a downspout that empties onto the driveway and freezes every night in January.

I'm Kabe Hockema. I fix drainage as part of the landscaper work I do across the Treasure Valley. Drainage work comes down to one thing: getting water to go where you want it, at a pace the ground can handle.

Signs your yard has a drainage problem

• Puddles that stay a day or more after rain or watering.
• Dampness in a crawlspace or basement after storms.
• Soil washing out at the end of a downspout.
• Moss, algae or mushrooms in one part of the lawn.
• Pavers or concrete next to the house that have cracked or sunk.
• A neighbor's yard that drains into yours.
• Ice that forms in the same spot every winter.

Why water sits in Treasure Valley yards

A handful of things cause most of the drainage trouble here.

Clay soil. Much of the valley has clay that drains slowly. Water soaks into the top few inches, then sits.

Builder grading. In new subdivisions, yards are often rough graded and packed hard by heavy equipment. Over time, soil next to the foundation settles, and the slope ends up running toward the house instead of away.

Downspouts. A roof sheds a lot of water. When it all dumps at the base of the wall, it soaks straight down along the foundation.

Irrigation. Overspray, broken heads and zones that run too long cause plenty of "drainage" problems on their own. In parts of Canyon County, flood irrigation from ditch or canal water can push water across lots that weren't graded for it.

Hard surfaces. Patios, driveways and walks shed water instead of soaking it in. That water has to go somewhere.

Finding where the water goes

Before I suggest a fix, I figure out where the water comes from and where it can go. I look at roof lines and downspouts, check the slope around the house, run the sprinklers, and dig a test hole to see how fast the soil drains. A common rule of thumb is for the ground to drop about 6 inches over the first 10 feet away from the foundation. A lot of yards are flat there, or tip back toward the house.

Drainage fixes, from simple to involved

• Regrading. Reshaping the soil so water runs away from the house. This is often the most important fix, and sometimes the only one needed. See grading and resloping and yard grading.
• Downspout lines. Buried pipe that carries roof water away from the house to a pop-up outlet in the lawn or a planting bed.
• French drains. A trench lined with fabric and filled with gravel, with a perforated pipe in the bottom. It collects water underground and carries it off.
• Swales. A wide, shallow dip in the ground that guides surface water along a set path. It can be grassed or planted so it looks like part of the yard.
• Dry creek beds. A swale lined with river rock and boulders. It moves water during storms and looks like a natural stream bed the rest of the time. These pair well with rock landscaping.
• Dry wells. An underground pit or basin filled with gravel that holds water and lets it soak in slowly, for spots with nowhere else to send it.
• Irrigation fixes. Adjusting heads, cutting run times, or switching beds to drip.

Drainage and freeze-thaw

Water that sits near a house in the fall freezes in the winter. Frozen soil swells, and it can lift pavers, crack concrete and push on foundation walls. Drain lines need steady slope all the way to the outlet so they empty out before they freeze. I set pipe with even fall and place outlets where the water can spread out and won't ice over a walkway or driveway.

What sets the cost of drainage work

The cost depends on how much soil has to move, how long the drain lines run, how deep they go, and what's in the way. Digging around patios, fences, trees and sprinkler lines is slower. Restoring the lawn or beds after trenching is part of the job too. A downspout line is a small job. Regrading a whole backyard and adding a French drain is a bigger one. I'll explain what's needed and what each piece costs.

Fix drainage before other work

If you're planning a patio, new sod or new planting, fix drainage first. It's far easier and cheaper to set grade and run pipe before anything is built on top. On bigger projects, I build drainage into the landscape plan from the start.

If water is already getting inside your home, have a foundation or waterproofing contractor look at it too. My work is on the outside: the yard, the grade, and where the water goes.

Where I fix yard drainage

I handle drainage in Boise, Meridian, Eagle, Kuna, Star, Nampa, Caldwell, Middleton, Garden City and Hidden Springs. I also take select projects in Sun Valley and Ketchum, where spring snowmelt brings its own problems.

If you're tired of puddles and mud, let's find out where the water is going. For yard drainage in Boise, schedule a consultation or call me at (541) 961-7269.