2018 is turning out to be one of the wettest on record for the Washington, D.C. area. And when rain comes pouring down, drainage issues can be one of the most complicated – and frustrating aspects of being a homeowner. A small issue one day can turn into a big issue the next. Sometimes, it can take a bit of time living in the house to find out where the problems might be. For my husband and I, it was our backyard.

When we bought our house, it had a large concrete parking pad in the backyard. One of our reasons for purchasing a new home was that we wanted outdoor space for our dogs, and a concrete pad wasn’t going to cut it. We asked our handyman to rip out the concrete so that we could put down synthetic turf that the dogs could enjoy (and not eat). He said he had a guy that could get it out, but that we would have to hire someone to install a drainage system that would remove the water that would collect in the newly-formed hole in the ground. As homeowners are sometimes prone to do, we thought we could do this work ourselves with some PVC pipe and French Drain tutorials on YouTube. We were very wrong.

It wasn’t long before we were seeing all kinds of issues arise from our backyard – increased mosquitos, nasty smells, and green stagnant water in puddles throughout. Gross.

We knew we had to fix the issue but didn’t know where to reach out to first. We got a quote from a landscaper who said he could do the work but that he would charge us much more than we wanted to pay. Desperate for an idea, we called The Stokes Groups’ go-to contractor, who suggested I reach out to a hardscape team he uses frequently. Finally, we had the right people!

Ruben and his team came in and assessed the space (he kindly held back from laughing at the mess we’d created for ourselves.) First, he removed the turf, then had his team dig down at an angle to a central hole in the ground. They took a large plastic barrel and poked holes all around the side. He set the barrel in the center of hole and inside the barrel he placed a sump pump. The key! They built a system of pipes that travel from the sump pump out the back of the fence to the alley. They covered the barrel and filled in a light layer of gravel until the land was level, then laid the new synthetic turf on top.

Now for the test – we sprayed the heck out of that pieces of turf with the hose. Within 2 minutes, the spout leading out to the back alley was spraying every drop we had put on that turf. Victory!

We’ve since survived major rains after the pump was installed with great success. There was no way we could have done this ourselves and been successful. It took the right team with the right knowledge and work ethic to fix our problem. Now our dogs and our friends can enjoy the backyard without the bite of mosquitos or the smell of swamp.

Even though we live in the age of “DIY,” sometimes it’s best to leave the job to the pros. The Stokes Group has a virtual ‘Rolodex’ full of our trustworthy community partners that can assist you with any homeownership issue. Not sure where to start? Call us first! We’ve likely assisted other clients with similar issues and can share what they learned and help point you in the right direction.

We also love it when clients consult us prior to starting a big project for advice on who to use, and how the project may impact they their home value. We’ve helped clients re-think projects that won’t have a positive return on their investment The Stokes Group is happy to help you with these kinds of recommendations. Let us know how we can assist you by emailing: Anslie@TheStokesGroup.com.

The Stokes Group is a team of dedicated professionals who have passion for the real estate business and will advocate for our clients with the utmost honesty, integrity, and confidentiality. We believe in building solid relationships with our clients and that starts by getting to know who we are. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram.