Ensure Proper Drainage: Check Your Yard’s Grading Regularly
Many Calgary homeowners use decorative rocks, mulch, and landscaping fabric to enhance their yards. While these materials add aesthetic appeal, the underlying soil plays a crucial role in maintaining proper drainage. Over time, soil can shift, settle, or erode, creating negative slopes that direct water toward your home’s foundation, garage, under your deck, or along concrete walkways and stairs. Regularly inspecting and correcting your yard’s grading can help prevent costly water damage.
The Importance of Proper Grading
If the slope under your landscaping is incorrect, it can cause:
- Foundation Issues: Water pooling near your foundation can lead to leaks, cracks, and structural damage.
- Garage Water Problems: Poor drainage can result in moisture buildup and potential flooding in your garage.
- Deck & Walkway Deterioration: Standing water under a deck or along concrete surfaces can cause rotting, erosion, and slippery conditions in winter.
How to Inspect & Correct Grading Issues
- Lift Landscaping Fabric & Check the Grade – Occasionally remove the fabric and examine the soil to see if it slopes away from structures.
- Identify Low Spots – Look for areas where water may be pooling or flowing toward your foundation, deck, or walkways.
- Add & Compact Clay Soil – If you find a negative slope, fill in the low areas with clay soil, compacting it firmly to ensure proper water drainage.
- Restore Landscaping Materials – Once the grade is fixed, replace the fabric and put back the rocks or mulch.
Checking your yard’s grading at least once a year can help prevent water-related damage and keep your landscaping functional and safe. If you need expert drainage solutions, A Green Future is here to help!