Your property needs to properly drain water, to protect your home. The Building foundations need to be protected from pooling water and seepage.
The property surrounding your structure needs to be engineered to divert water from storms, away from any areas that pooling water will cause issues.
If your dwelling or house is in a lower elevation than the surrounding area, you may receive run off water. In this case it may be necessary to excavate your property. Excavation of trenches and the installation of French drains, in is a great solution to divert the water flow away from buildings.
French drains involve digging a trench, in which a drain pipe is laid, then surrounding the pipe with crushed stone. Both the pipe and stone are then covered with sand and topsoil as needed. There are variations.
Trenching as a Tool in Draining Your Property
It is best to work with an experienced Land works contractor, to determine the best drainage system your property needs, but here are some basic factors that should be considered:
- Where is the water coming from? Are you downhill from other properties that are draining water into your property? Are you on a flat area where water simply pools and is absorbed into the soil? Is it just heavy storms that cause the problem, or regular weather?
- Where does the water currently go? Is it pooling against your foundation? Is water flow eating away at soil structures around the foundation, driveway or other property features? What needs to be protected?
- Where should it be routed? Where does the excavator need to dig? Is there a public storm drain at the foot of your property? Do you need to avoid channeling water onto a neighbor’s property? Is there an open, sandy place on your property where storm runoff could harmlessly pool and percolate into the soil?
- How best to channel the water in the right direction? What drainage design do you need? Where should the trenches be dug to build the French Drains? Are there other techniques, like terracing, that might also be effective?
Important: Check your community regulatory codes and utilities maps before bringing in a Bay Area team to Bay Area excavation team to improve your property.
French Drains need some slope to work. Trenching lines should be plotted out before the backhoes start digging. A grade of 1% (a drop of 1 foot for every 100 feet in length) is often recommended; others advise a drop of 6 inches for every 100 feet, leading to the water’s desired destination.
Trench width will depend on the magnitude of your drainage problem. Bigger moisture problems call for wider trenches.
Trenching is a Natural Part of Excavating
Contact your local excavating contractor to fine out more.