Drainage with Style, Practical and Beautiful

​Many of our clients have drainage issues in their yards. This is especially true for backyards. Exterior spaces can become swampy and muddy after rainstorms or snow melt making the area uninhabitable. There are standard ways to address soggy properties, but I’ve come to see them as uninventive and not worth the cost. Instead, I work with clients to use solutions that enhance the lifestyle and usability of they yards that celebrate imagination and the environment. Recently, we finished a drainage project that encapsulates the potential for better options for wet yards that doubles as an amenities for living a better life.

​Sphlish splash is not the sound you want to hear walking into your backyard after it rains. It’s definitely not what you want to hear 2 or 3 days later, but many properties experience oversaturated lawns and yards from stormwater. 
 
Stormwater (that is, rain or snow melt that is on the ground) is a common problem for residential properties in northern New Jersey and around the country. Sometimes the problem is because of the soil or other factors like topography and surrounding hardscaping cause it. Regardless of outside factors, it needs to be addressed. Plus the changes in weather patterns are making them worse. 
 
About two years ago, we completed a big renovation for homeowners in Maplewood, NJ. We literally reinvented their backyard into a palace of native flowers and grasses. The emphasis was on four-season gardening, contemporary design and a love of nature. Everything was great and then after a year of so, two spots started to have rainwater collect.  The areas would stay wet for several days and were starting to get really muddy. 
 
We had installed a French drain during the original project to make sure the garden beds could stay relatively dry throughout the year, but the two problem spots were separate from where the drain ran.  So, I set out to create an idea for solving the water issue that could also make the backyard even more desirable.  

​I proposed to make a circle that was 14ft in diameter in one of the spots. It would be outlines with black edging and finished with small gray river rock. Underground, I planned to run a pipe from the circle and connect it to the existing French drain. 
 
Below is a short video of the installation of the drainage.

​The other soggy spot has six perfectly-squared steel vegetable boxes where the owners grow super taste veggies in the summer (I’ve personally made pesto with their basil). We also planned a pipe running under the rectangle connecting to the existing French drain. 

​The circle drainage isn’t just for drainage though. It doubles as a seating area where the owners have a super awesome fire pit as the centerpiece. It’s made with the same steel as the vegetable boxes. The owners refurbished four Adirondack chairs to go with the steel fire pit by painting them an incredible yellow that’s bright and bold. 

​In the end, the project is very practical because it keeps the areas dry and well drained. But it doesn’t stop there. With the use of simple geometric shapes, the drainage adds a wonderful contrast to the natural surroundings while offering a focal point for the overall space. From every angle, the new seating area is visible (and visual) calling you to come and relax. It’s a testament that design excellence goes a long way even in the face of trouble.