by Catherine Woods

Created on: March 03, 2011   Last Updated: March 04, 2011

When the rain starts coming down, many homeowners begin to dread the puddles of water that will begin to form on their property. Though many of these water logged areas are simply annoyances, some can cause damage to vegetation and structures. Luckily, there are many options available to help correct yard drainage problems. Some are simple and others are more complex but there is bound to be an option that is right for your yard.

Mix It Up

If the top soil of your yard is made up of mainly compacted clay, then you may want to consider aerating your soil where water tends to puddle. Using a rototiller, you can easily break up 6-8 inches of clay, which will help allow water to drain down further. Then, you can mix wood chips or compost in with the clay to keep it from compacting too much in the future. For small drainage problems, this can be an excellent solution.

Build it Up

If the area of your yard with the drainage problem is a garden or has plant life, you can solve your drainage problem by building up the area. Uproot the current vegetation carefully and build a box around the area with wood, bricks or stone. Fill that box with the appropriate amount of dirt and re-plant what you uprooted. Just be aware that the water that was once causing a problem in this area will start draining to other areas of the yard, which can potentially cause different problems.

Retention Wall

In addition to a garden area, you can also add soil to low lying areas in other areas of your yard to keep water from puddling. However, if you need to build up an area significantly, you will likely need to build a retention wall. This type of landscaping, usually made of concrete bricks, helps prevent erosion when water washes over the area. Consider hiring a professional to build a retention wall to ensure that the wall will be both safe and effective.

Grade it

No, this is not the type of grading you worried about in your school days. Grading your yard is when you add or remove soil from your yard to create an even slope to allow water to drain away from water logged areas. Though this can be a great way to help small areas of your yard keep from having puddling water, there are a few things you need to consider. First, you never want to grade your yard toward your home. This can cause damage to your foundation and crawl space and can potentially flood your home. Also, you do not want to grade your lawn in such a way that the run off flows into a neighbors yard. This will only cause problems

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