Drainage solutions are a specialty of Olathe based Hometown Lawn drainage contractor. Residential and commercial drainage problems include water in the basement, or on slab, full window wells, wet and soggy yards, dead grass and so on. Hometown Lawn offers a licensed engineer visit to discuss drainage solutions with you. Contrary to popular belief, the answer is not always a french drain. Offering an engineer goes unmatched in the regional drainage contractor game. Our engineer will come to your house, by appointment only, and review with you the drainage problems you are having. We’ll discuss scenarios and research the probable causes. Finally offering our proposed drainage solution and reasonable expectations associated with the action. Hometown – Drainage Contractor service areas include: Kansas City, Leawood, Lenexa, Louisburg, Overland Park, Olathe, Prairie Village, Roeland Park, Shawnee Mission, Stanley, Stilwell, Spring Hill.

How to Identify Potential Problems

Drainage problems should be taken seriously. Water can cause expensive damage if ignored. Basement flooding and foundation failure are two main issues. If you have had water in your basement, more times than not, the source is the roof. Check the gutters when it’s raining to see if you witness over-topping. Water needs to stay in the gutters, then to the downspouts. A walk around your home looking for a few key clues can let you know if you are a potential victim of any of these drainage problems.

What to look for:

Splashblocks

Splashblocks are concrete runways at the end of each downspout around your home. If you have them at every downspout, do you see anything that doesn’t look quite right? It should be aimed so the end at the house is higher than the end away from the house. If not, it’s called “negative drainage”. Negative drainage is always a bad thing. The splashblock’s key function is to dissipate energy at the downspout outlet. Without them, you will see erosion and have the potential for water to settle back to the foundation.

Foundation

Whilst on your walkabout, take note at the foundation. Can you see a paint line? That line is where the ground was when your home was last painted. Any gap between the paint line and the ground, can disclose a settlement issue. There are several reasons this may occur, but it is not a good thing to let go unchecked. This can be a problem for homes of any age.

Standing Water or Soggy Yard

Does your yard pond or puddle? Do you sink into the ground or can’t walk in some places? Is there standing water in your yard 48 hours or more after it last rained? This is a problem. Standing water that goes away before the 48 hour time is considered normal. However, it can be addressed as a preferential fix. If you have standing water 2 days later, your yard has a drainage problem that needs to be addressed. To name a few, the effects can be a muddy mess that won’t grow grass, can cause foundation damage and even allow for pets to track mud back into the house.

Buried Piping

Out of sight, out of mind. NO! Just because you have buried your downspouts doesn’t mean you can forget about them. Maintenance is required. In the Spring and in the Fall, we suggest flushing them with a garden hose. Be sure they aren’t clogged. Water In = Water Out. Frequent checking the outs are open and uncovered. If you have spring loaded pop-ups, verify it can still open. Vermin can take up shelter in these underground oasis so it is important to flush any nests or leaf blockage so it can drain properly. A constant flow of water in should also warrant a constant flow of water out. If you are not seeing your water in come out, then you have a leak and that should be addressed.

Gutter Over-Topping

This means the water isn’t getting into the gutters and is just skating its way right on over and directly to the ground. Key indicators of gutter over-topping is dirty outside gutters. You will actually see water marks on the outside of the gutter. This is caused from dirt being carried in the water as it travels over the edge. To remedy, you can install wider gutters, make sure they are clean and unobstructed, or may need a splash shield. 

Buried Downspouts

Downspout drainage connection at Hometown Lawn, Olathe Kansas
Proper Downspout Connection
Improper Downspout Connection
Improper Downspout Connection

Pictured here is our standard how we install our buried downspouts. Using our method, it’s not possible to have a parts separation above grade. The pipe materials used in this application are installed to stay where they belong. Black corrugated pipe is not to be used above the ground, nor should it be formed to angle without the use of an elbow. All connections are tied together with self-tapping screws preventing separation.

Selling a Home that had Water in it?

Real Estate Agents this is for you! We can help with that listing that’s had water in the basement. We offer drainage solutions no one else can. A Letter of Action (LOA). Our design/build drainage solutions are available to option our LOA. The Letter of Action is a statement that describes our implemented solution for the reported problem. It is then signed by our licensed engineer. Talk about a disclosure statement safety net! Who else can offer that? You would have to hire an engineer AND contractor. Not with us, it’s all here.

 

Explore some of our drainage videos found on our YouTube Channel.


 

 


We service all of Johnson County and Northern Miami County
Kansas City | Leawood | Lenexa | Louisburg  | Overland Park | Olathe  |  Prairie Village
Roeland Park | Shawnee Mission  |  Stanley | Stilwell  |  Spring Hill

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