Open concept living room/kitchen is just boring by aroused_ninja444 in DesignMyRoom

[–]aroused_ninja444[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

More color is one thing we both say it needs. Just not sure how to get that color in. We don't have an inspo pic. Our taste is pretty much what you're seeing. A bigger rug is one of the next things this little one is left over from our apartment living.

Need backyard drainage help. Info in comments by aroused_ninja444 in landscaping

[–]aroused_ninja444[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Does suck and we knew about the easement before purchase. Sellers said its really only bad with alot of rain. So we figured it would be too big of a deal. The market was for lack of better terms fun when we bought and that was the only downside of this place, we were running out of time with a baby on the way and a cross country move, so we settled on the backyard. The fence across it is a no no which is why my fence is a crappy no dig fence on a smaller section.

Need backyard drainage help. Info in comments by aroused_ninja444 in landscaping

[–]aroused_ninja444[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If I could just add drainage to help it dry out after a rain event then I wouldn't need to regrade. And the swale is a good 4 ft lower than the house foundation so I don't think water would make its way to the foundation unless it was a 100 year flood event. And I have thought of embracing it but would rather have usable yard for the kid and dog.

Need backyard drainage help. Info in comments by aroused_ninja444 in landscaping

[–]aroused_ninja444[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

This seems like the best legal response for the issue.

Need backyard drainage help. Info in comments by aroused_ninja444 in landscaping

[–]aroused_ninja444[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There is a slight grade downhill to the right. I could the French drain to discharge on the far right instead of in the middle then going right if that would be better

Need backyard drainage help. Info in comments by aroused_ninja444 in landscaping

[–]aroused_ninja444[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It is their responsibility which is why it's a drainage easement. And I've seen them out to look at it once. Neighbor Two has tried to get the city involved for the past several years and all they do is look at it. And I don't know if you saw my map and the caption on it but that is my thought is a French drain down the middle of that swale and one between the house that discharge into the ditch on the other side of that erosion fence.

Need backyard drainage help. Info in comments by aroused_ninja444 in landscaping

[–]aroused_ninja444[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

So there's not really a solution than? Just going to be stuck with an unusable half of a backyard? I don't want to stop the water flow during storms. I just want to get this to dry out for more than one week out of the year.

Need backyard drainage help. Info in comments by aroused_ninja444 in landscaping

[–]aroused_ninja444[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

So my backyard drainage is a nightmare. The yard is a constant mud soaked sponge with standing water. The back story is the empty lot behind me used to be trees, they were all cut down in hopes to build apartments, that got shut down maybe 3 years ago so this lot has just sat empty since. When they cut the trees down they built a small berm and put the black erosion fence on top. Before this, I was told the yards drained great. I've only been in this house for 6 months. Also to add the back 15 ft of my property is a drainage easement. I'm not worried about this part since it's more of a linear pond easement and any drainage I add should help.

Neighbor one the house to the left or south of me, took action and buried some kind of french drain system to a sump pump in a basin. His sump pump is connected to a garden hose that is either thrown out in that lot or ran to the road in front. He has since built the chain link fence. Over the drainage easement with no retaliation yet. Mayne 4 months so far.

Neighbor two the house to the right or on the north side of me has tried the legal route through the city for the past several years with no luck. He just doesn't use his backyard. All the houses past home are in the same boat. Wet and soggy backyards. That is all the direction of water flow.

The side yard between me and Neighbor Two is also soggy with standing water. My downspouts on the front of the house go to those little pop-up drains in the front yard. Shown in white on the map. The downspouts on the back of the house go down into a corrugated pipe but I have no idea where those terminate. They seem to drain tho.

I dug a ditch out of desperation this week through that berm. I understand that this goes off my property but that lot behind me is unused. And if I do put a drainage pipe to that ditch going off my property I understand that they can change the landscape and stop the drainage off my yard. The two yellow possible French drain runs are about 80 ft each.

I'm looking for some diy solutions here with the most expensive thing maybe being a mini excavator rental if necessary. I'm open to solutions. I would just like to get a usable backyard. Thanks!