As the rain starts to fall this winter, have you noticed water pooling in your yard, soggy spots on the lawn, or the backyard turning into a mud pit? If so, you’re not alone! Even in sunny San Luis Obispo, winter can bring its fair share of rain. While the rain is great for the green hills, too much water in the wrong places can be trouble for your outdoor space and home.
Improper drainage doesn’t just look messy; it can cause real damage. Standing water in your landscape can lead to soil erosion, crack concrete, and even damage your home’s foundation. Plus, let’s be honest—you’ll enjoy your outdoor space a lot more if you’re not constantly tracking around mud! By combining functional hardscaping and strategic planting, you can guide rainwater where it needs to go, protect your property, and keep your yard looking beautiful.
We’re currently under construction on a newly remodeled home in Cambria with a history of water damage because of poor drainage and improper landscape grading. This house sits much lower than its neighboring property and sees a lot of runoff from both the street and adjacent lots. The yard—which was mostly dirt—turned into a muddy mess with channels running down each side yard during every rainstorm. Water was even directed under the home’s raised foundation, and a sump pump was installed to try and redirect pooling water back to the street through a PVC pipe along the fence, without much success.
Below on the left, you can see the “rivers” caused by runoff and the progress photo to the right shows the same area with french drains laid, landscape grading corrected, and a new fence!
The first step in solving the drainage issue was correcting the improper landscape grading. Proper grading is the first step towards effective drainage. When we first visited this house, we found soil piled up underneath an existing deck, making the ground slope toward the house. Ideally, the ground should slope at least 2% away from your home’s foundation. On the left, you can see how the soil originally sloped toward the house. On the right, after the deck was removed, the side yard was regraded to stop water from the neighbor’s property from pooling against our client’s house.
Relocating drains to fit the updated design and serve the property better is always part of our construction scope when applicable. At this Cambria property, this included redirecting downspouts that were draining directly onto concrete with nowhere to go. But we’re going a step further…to address the drainage issues and protect the new remodel, our crew is busy installing a comprehensive drainage system. We’re using French drains—perforated pipes underground surrounded by gravel or rock that channel water. They’ll work wonders when the rain starts to fall—and won’t be noticed beneath the surface. The French drains at this property will replace the muddy gullies in the side yard, and all the water will be directed toward a catch basin at the natural low point of the property.
Outside of hardscaping and updated drainage systems, softscaping is important in water management too. The right selection of plants can absorb excess moisture, stabilize soil, and prevent erosion. At the property in Cambria, we are planting a native and climate-appropriate palette with species like deer grass, white sage, coastal woollybush, and yarrow. The bonus is that they’re low-maintenance and drought-tolerant when the rain stops. The best management practice for runoff is to slow down the flow of water, spread it out, and allow it to sink into the soil. To achieve this, there are options outside of conventional drainage systems like bioswales, permeable pavers, and rain gardens that could be great additions to your landscape. Bioswales are vegetated channels that filter and direct runoff while increasing infiltration. Permeable pavers allow water to pass through their surface, reducing runoff. Rain gardens collect water from impervious surfaces and use deep-rooted plants to absorb it. These design elements are both functional and aesthetic, so it's a win-win for a more sustainable and resilient landscape.
We’re excited to complete construction in Cambria, knowing that the home is protected and the outdoor space is both functional and ready to handle the rain this winter!
