Yard Drainage in Oak Brook

The family friendly Chicago suburb of Oak Brook, Illinois has all the amenities you need but also the space that you crave. When the daily grind wears you down, coming home to Oak Brook to decompress is priceless.

However, if you pull up to a yard full of swampy, muddy water, you may not feel as relaxed as you’d like. The Chicagoland weather seems to deliver one punch after the other, and the enormous amounts of snow and rainfall we receive every year can wreak havoc if the drainage on your Oak Brook property is less than ideal.

That’s where Ware Landscaping comes in. Among all of the services we provide to our customers, expert drainage systems are among the most important. Good drainage keeps your yard clean and mud-free and protects the structural integrity of your home. Bad drainage will only continue to get worse over time and may cause thousands of dollars’ worth of damage in the meantime.

Why It’s Important to Eliminate Standing Water

Standing water on your Oak Brook property is unsightly, messy, and embarrassing. Whether you are dealing with puddles or a veritable pond of excess water, you are probably at your wit’s end with tiptoeing around the mud and cleaning it up once it finds its way into your home. Standing water makes it difficult for you to entertain guests and for kids to simply enjoy their space after a day at school. And since standing water encourages mosquitoes and other pests, family and guests may choose to simply stay inside, even if your outdoor space is otherwise welcoming and well maintained.

If the causes of standing water are ignored for too long, damage to your property can begin to set in. You may find trees or bushes are not doing well if they’ve been partially submerged in standing water over days or weeks. The soil that anchors them may begin to erode if they are in or close to puddles.

Even worse, standing water can actually cause serious damage to your house. Believe it or not, continuous exposure to water can cause cracks in your foundation that may not be amenable to repair, weakening the structure and affecting your home’s overall value. Perhaps as dire is the potential for mold infiltration via your basement or crawlspace, which may not be detectable until it has done major damage to wood and other porous materials.

Why is a French Drain the Most Reliable Solution for Standing Water?

A French drain is an easy and cost effective way to increase the drainage capacity of your lawn and soil. Certain claylike soils are inefficient at allowing water to permeate into the ground, and some properties were not properly graded when the house was first built. These and other factors can contribute to the muddy, swampy affect that rain and melted snow can have on your yard in Oak Brook. A French drain is simply an artificial means of creating a more permeable surface for water to seep into. Our professional team of drainage experts digs a trench in your yard, where we set a multi-layered system of rocks and perforated piping that diverts water from your lawn and yard to a lower lying area where the water can harmlessly flow into municipal drainage systems.

Yard Drainage FAQ

• Can I save money by installing my own French drain on my Oak Brook property? We do not recommend this. We find that clients who attempt a DIY project are usually frustrated to discover that digging a long trench through their yard and trying to properly layer a drainage system into it makes them wish that they’d never tried it in the first place. We’ve had to remediate many such failed attempts, which means having to remove the makeshift system and re-dig the trench in the correct place. Some clients even manage to accidentally dig into plumbing or live wires under their yard, potentially costing thousands of dollars in damages. In a word, a DIY French drain is a no-no.
• Could my paved driveway be obstructing drainage in my Oak Brook yard? Yes, this is possible. We may advise replacing your concrete driveway with pebbles if this seems to be an issue.
• Will anyone be able to tell that a drain has been installed? No! Once our work is complete, it will be completely hidden underground and covered with sod.
• Can the damage that’s been done to my yard be reversed once a French drain has been installed? Yes, we can replace soil that has been eroded and replant the area with sturdy plants that are appropriate for the location and amount of sun. Once proper drainage is installed, the areas that were most affected will begin to dry out and will become normal over time.
• My basement often has standing water in it—can a French drain eliminate this problem? Yes! A French drain will remove the excess water that used to trickle into your basement. A sump pump can also help.
• How deep will the trench be dug that will contain the pipe and rocks? The pipe should be laid at least a foot beneath the ground—perhaps deeper.
• Why do French drains fail? French drains that are installed by amateurs are typically the only ones that don’t work as intended. Expertise is required to dig the trench properly, lay the system effectively, and ensure that the yard is properly graded so that the water can freely flow through the drain and away from the property. Some drains may become clogged with dirt and plant material, and this is why experts use landscaping fabric, which adds an extra layer of protection.

Ware Landscaping—Oak Brook’s First Choice for Landscaping and Drainage Solutions

The team at Ware Landscaping is proud to be a trusted partner in yard care for homeowners in the Oak Brook area. As a family run business, we feel that our customers are more like friends, and every project we do reflects our gratitude for your business and our commitment to adding value to the Oak Brook community.

We hope we get the chance to earn your business and count you among our valued Oak Brook customers. Drainage solutions are one of the most vital services we provide to our clients, and our free initial assessment is a great way to get to know us and to get acquainted with our competencies and core values. Other services we are happy to offer to our Oak Brook clients include patio and deck installation, landscaping services, weekly lawn care, weeding, snow removal, and holiday light installation. We offer in-house design services to create an amazing space to entertain and play in, including outdoor kitchen design, custom fire pit design and installation, outdoor entertainment systems, and more.

It is a privilege to serve the Oak Brook community’s drainage and landscaping needs. We know that every moment you spend with your family is precious, and we aim to take as much off your outdoor maintenance plate as we possibly can. We understand that drainage issues in your yard are stressful, and it is our job to remedy the situation swiftly and effectively. To give you increased peace of mind, all of our drainage solutions come with a ten year guarantee. If you experience any standing water on your property after our work is done, we will fix it for free. Call us today for your free initial assessment!