After rebuilding the failed retaining wall and clearing the hillside, the next task is to solve the drainage issue.   With the house sitting behind a hillside, the front yard catches a lot of runoff and has nowhere to shed it.  In addition, the subsoil is clay which holds the water on the surface and has created swamp like conditions in the front yard and around the side of the house.

The gravel channel below the stone wall will catch a lot of water from the hillside and send it down the length of the wall.  From there we will pick up the flow and continue a stream bed on the surface to channel the water around the house and to a pool at the lower end of the property.  The dry stream bed will serve as a functional drainage ditch while also adding an attractive feature to the home.  Left over stones from the wall and other boulders from around the property are used to line the stream and the pond.

 

The pond is lined with bentonite, a substance that is mixed into the soil and that then swells to to create a water seal.  A drain is set at the the bottom of the pond with a shutoff valve so the homeowner can let the pond fill, or drain it completely.  An overflow drain is set slightly below the surrounding grade so that the water level never overflows the bank.

Back at the front yard more drainage trenches are dug with some surface drains added to ensure proper drainage.  All trenches are channeled to the stream bed.  At the end top soil is added back to the yard and graded to pitch water towards the wall and drains.

By using existing material and working with the lay of the land – we’ve solved the drainage issue, reclaimed a large portion of lawn that was overgrown with wetland growth, and in it’s place left attractive stone and water features. (finished photos to come)