Yard grading

[bulldog ducker]

I am sick of looking a standing water in my back yard. What are my option as far a regrading? Is it something I could do myself with a disc and a harrow?

[The Land Man]

Do you live in a neighborhood?

[bulldog ducker]

Yea

[The Land Man]

You may can just sand it or put in a few catch basins or french drains.

[jacksbuddy]

I had the same problem in my back yard for years. Finally, I installed a French drain and routed the water out of the back yard to the street. At first, it looked like I had a big line of gravel in my back yard. Then after a while, due to grass and leaves and such being washed over them, the gravel was hidden. Yes, I still get some water puddling up in the back yard, but not like it was. AND, it drains away much faster.

Here's a tip. If you have a lab or other dog that likes to dig, get yourself some chicken wire and stake it over the French drain. It'll keep fido from tearing out the work you paid for.

[cockandlock25]

Years ago when I worked on municipal level baseball fields and we had some puddling going on in the outfield we would make "vertical drains". They were quick and easy to do and did the job pretty well. To make them just dig about a 3-4' deep hole with an auger, (or post-hole digger if that's all you have), fill it up 3/4 of the way with pea gravel and the top 1/4 sand. Sod or seed grass on top. This isn't an end all be all drain but may help you get rid of puddling in your yard without all the trenching a french drain requires and you'll never know it was there once you top it off with the piece of turf you cut before digging the hole. I guess it's pretty much a big version of core aeration with pea gravel fill instead of all sand. Just a less drastic approach to major grade work in your yard.

[bulldog ducker]

Years ago when I worked on municipal level baseball fields and we had some puddling going on in the outfield we would make "vertical drains". They were quick and easy to do and did the job pretty well. To make them just dig about a 3-4' deep hole with an auger, (or post-hole digger if that's all you have), fill it up 3/4 of the way with pea gravel and the top 1/4 sand. Sod or seed grass on top. This isn't an end all be all drain but may help you get rid of puddling in your yard without all the trenching a french drain requires and you'll never know it was there once you top it off with the piece of turf you cut before digging the hole. I guess it's pretty much a big version of core aeration with pea gravel fill instead of all sand. Just a less drastic approach to major grade work in your yard.

Now that you mention it I think I had some of those that I filled with dirt last summer. I kept stepping in them and dug one up and if was a complete different kind of earth in it (not clay). I figured it was a post hole that was dug for the fence and they changed their mind on where the fence was going. Mine didnt have gravel in it but that had to be what it was. The yard didn't drain well when they were there but it was better than it is now.

[missed mallards]

Why wouldn't you bring in a load of dirt and grade it?

I presume you have access to a tractor? (First post mentioning the disk and harrow)

To do it right, you'd have to get someone to survey it.

Figuring out your elevation change is fairly simple. I say that, but a good friend is an engineer (has the equipment and such). It's amazing what a man can do with a few stakes and some rope.

Not the cheapest route, but will fix the problem more so than ankle twisting holes or 'runs'.

[bulldog ducker]

Why wouldn't you bring in a load of dirt and grade it?

I presume you have access to a tractor? (First post mentioning the disk and harrow)

To do it right, you'd have to get someone to survey it.

Figuring out your elevation change is fairly simple. I say that, but a good friend is an engineer (has the equipment and such). It's amazing what a man can do with a few stakes and some rope.

Not the cheapest route, but will fix the problem more so than ankle twisting holes or 'runs'.

Yea I can get a tractor. My issue is that my yard is 60-70 yards long by about 15 yards wide. It is like a washboard and parts will be mud all winter long. In the summer it is hell getting grass to green on the high spots. It will likely cost me an arm and a leg to resod that large a spot. I am going to look at all my options.

[The Land Man]

It will cost you around 2600 to re-sod it if you pay someone or around 1500 if you lay it yourself. Do you have trees in your back yard?

[bulldog ducker]

I have 2 small trees in the yard. I have one large water oak in the corner of the yard.

Here is a google image of my back yard. You notice all the white bags laying around... I have used countless bags of sand trying to level it up.

https://maps.google.com/?ll=32.463032,- ... 5&t=h&z=21

Water should drain from north west to south east. The water should then go in between my house and the neighbors to she street. One problem I have is the neighbor has some old indian hawthorns that are daming up the flow. I have dug a trench around for water to drain but it is not as effective as it would be if they were removed. If money was no option I would have the entire thing regraded to have water flow to the back (west) fence then down to the south and out.

[missed mallards]

I have 2 small trees in the yard. I have one large water oak in the corner of the yard.

Here is a google image of my back yard. You notice all the white bags laying around... I have used countless bags of sand trying to level it up.

https://maps.google.com/?ll=32.463032,- ... 5&t=h&z=21

Water should drain from north west to south east. The water should then go in between my house and the neighbors to she street. One problem I have is the neighbor has some old indian hawthorns that are daming up the flow. I have dug a trench around for water to drain but it is not as effective as it would be if they were removed. If money was no option I would have the entire thing regraded to have water flow to the back (west) fence then down to the south and out.

You got neighbors contributing to your loss of use on your personal property! Get a LAWYER .

I guess that's one way.

I would think a drain mentioned above would work. A tractor and grade wouldn't really help matters if'n the ground won't/can't drain. If the natural flow of things is from NW to SE then you shouldn't have a flooded back yard. It would seem as though the drain is clogged somewhere around the SE Corner of your patio not allowing the water to fully get to the fence. A trench covered in gravel, French drain/underground pipe (given the slope would allow it), or pretty much anything would work if you could make it get past the neighbors plants. You may end up running the drain down the east side of your property. If you could get a way to get it from the fence to the road, I'd put in 2 drains. 1 in the SE Corner near the fence, and one middle of the ways through the yard. It would seem as though the one middle of the ways would drain the natural flow of drainage in that spot, and the one in the SE Corner would/should/coulda drain your actual yard itself.

I hate standing water.

[QUACKERS]

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=tLvAiP3xqXw

[bulldog ducker]

I am calling my buddy Brandon tomorrow about that bobcat attachment... That would be absolutely perfect. Give me an hour with that thing and I am done.

[Faithful Retrievers]

I had a spot in my back yard that was low an a ridge that was high beside it. I took a rotary tiller to the back of my tractor tilled it all then took a leveling blade to the whole thing. It wasn't perfect but it stopped the pooling in the low spot.