We just bought a new home in Colorado back in February. In this area, I’ve been told by multiple people that most of the soil is clay. We had a contractor do our backyard, but the home builder did the front landscaping. We are having huge drainage issues with water, as it runs from backyard to front yard and is creating a swamp-like grass which is always soaked. I am about to get a $2800 French drain installed down the side of our house to hopefully solve the back/ side standing water problem.
One section in the front even has a waterbed feature where the sod will squish down and jiggle like a liquid membrane under it. The water has made its way under our driveway. When our cars drive over the lower pad, you will actually see water shoot up from the edges as the car pushes down on the concrete. It will already need to be replaced (should be a warranty claim and not too worried about it), but I’m at a loss of what to do about the constant standing water and algae developing where the water sits. When I mow, the mower wheels will sink into the swamp sod about 3 inches and leaves a disgusting pungent smell and black sludge all over the yard. The developer said they had a master drainage plan for the subdivision and to not alter any slopes around the foundation- and I adhered to that. But we are still having big problems, which I assume will only compound after we start getting freezing temperatures. I would say 80% of the houses in this subdivision have the same problem. My neighbor’s sump pump runs everyday, however I have checked mine every week a few times and it’s bone dry. Thoughts on how to get the builder to correct this? What legal recourse I can fallback on that won’t cost a fortune? TIA
by DIYchallenged
3 Comments
Plant a Colorado native willow tree. They are beautiful grow quickly and will sop up the water long term.
I see it’s all the way down the block the concrete should have been slanted towards the street side and there could have been permeable layer under the concrete to prevent that sand or rocks. It wouldn’t be too hard to get somebody to dig under the concrete and install a 4 inch drain from one side to the other
Eventually that sidewalk will sink , but I know most cities the sidewalks are the city’s responsibility , so ya may want to check that out . 3 or 4 inch pvc pipe under the sidewalk will help if it can drain to the street . Good luck