Bel Air and the surrounding area have a lot of clay soil, rolling lots and older neighborhoods where the grade around homes has settled over decades. That adds up to a lot of drainage problems.
Sign 1: Water stands for days after rain
Low spots that hold water kill grass, breed mosquitoes and make parts of the yard unusable. Often the fix is regrading to give the water a path out.
Sign 2: Wet basement or crawlspace
Ground that slopes toward your foundation sends water right where you don't want it. A common building guideline is for the ground to fall at least 6 inches within the first 10 feet away from the house. Many older homes have lost that slope as soil settled.
Sign 3: Ruts and gullies
Runoff concentrated across a yard or slope cuts channels that get deeper every storm.
Sign 4: Soil and mulch on the driveway
If beds and lawn are washing onto hard surfaces, water is moving too fast across bare or poorly graded ground.
Sign 5: Downspouts dump next to the house
Every roof sheds a lot of water. Downspouts that discharge at the foundation, or into a low spot next to it, are a common cause of wet basements.
How we fix it
- Regrading to slope ground away from the house and eliminate low spots
- Swales: shallow, shaped channels that carry water across the property to where it can go safely
- Downspout extensions and outlets that move roof water away from the foundation
- Stabilization with topsoil, seed and erosion control matting so the fix lasts
Mind the trees
Drainage work near mature trees has to be planned carefully. Adding fill or cutting grade over roots can kill a tree. Our arborist-led planning works around them. Learn more about grading, drainage and erosion control.
Need a hand?
Grading, Drainage & Erosion Control from Goliath
Standing water, washouts and runoff fixed with grading, swales and stabilization. Free on-site estimates across Harford and Baltimore County.