Minnesota is a notoriously damp state. Not only are we the land of 10,000+ lakes, but the feet of snow we get in winter eventually melt, and the spring and fall months are generally filled with rainy days. Additionally, clay is commonly found throughout northern soil, a material known for its ability to retain water. Given these two factors alone, it’s important that you have a proper drainage system in place, ensuring that you aren’t faced with a host of negative, water-related consequences.
There are a variety of benefits that come with proper yard drainage. Here a three of them:
1. Protecting the foundation of your home
Water that gets trapped around the sides of your home is water that’s able to shift soil away from the foundation. Eroded soil around your home generally gets made worse by both dried out dirt as well as frozen dirt. After years of corrosion, your foundation will begin to shift, crack, and cause unwanted movement of your home’s structure—all costly things to fix.
By ensuring that water is moving away from your house rather than settling around it and sinking in, you will protect the foundation from all this unwanted, expensive-to-fix movement.
2. Encourage a beautiful, healthy yard
There are a variety of reasons why improper drainage can have negative effects on the overall appearance and health of your yard. Some of these include things like:
- Water logging that can rot away and kill grass while encouraging thatch and disease
- Stress on your plants that don’t prefer a soggy environment
- An increase in pests such as mosquitos that love to breed in standing-water
By fixing the way water drains out of your yard, you can maintain a better balance of your soil, creating an optimal environment for plants. You’ll also avoid issues such as soil erosion and sinkholes.
3. Avoid flooding
Standing water is not good for your yard, foundation, walkways, or basement once it finds its way inside. You may be faced with debris, corrosion to cemented sidewalks, patios, and driveways, water damage to your home, and a soggy and dying lawn. While actual flooding might not be stopped by proper drainage, it will ensure that you don’t have unwanted, minor flooding during times of heavy and even normal rain levels.
Working with Up North Land Clearing
If part of your problem is that your land isn’t set up for good drainage, then it might be time to call someone who can help. Trees, foliage, and other debris that needs to be cleared away, as well as ditching and mulching, are all just a portion of our services. Call today to set up a consultation so we can help you take control of your land!