Wet area recommendations

[jjk454ss]

I’ve got this area of grass between a drive and a barn that just gets soaked. It used to be OK, but the power company “fixed” the drive and now it’s too high for the water and it gets trapped.

I don’t want to spend money on gravel, although it would be nice to fill it in and slope it all away. I thought maybe dirt to build it up, but again, that costs money.

I though about maybe of planting something that wouldn’t need to be mowed as I can’t mow if it rains at all.

Any ideas for me? Thanks

 

[Diggin It]

Dig a ditch.

Lay a drain pipe.

Fill the ditch.

 

[tcreeley]

The water coming off the roof has no where to go. Until it is given a path to follow away from where it collects, it will always be wet there.

Ideas - Run a ditch lengthwise between the roadway and barn that slopes to the main road. I don't know the land lay out there, but continue the ditch to a low point where the water will collect or be carried off.

A gutter might help- but it won't solve the problem.

Adding fill between barn and roadway so that the barn side slopes down to the roadway could do it - if the barn is actually set higher than the roadway. Any dirt would work.

 

[jjk454ss]

Thanks for the replies. I think if I filled in dirt right up to the steel on the barn it would give me some slope over the drive, but not much.

I think your correct, to get the water out of there the drain tile is what I would need. I don稚 have a backhoe or anything to dig a ditch or a trench. I would have to dig up 25/30 ft of gravel then another 40/50 ft of grass to get to a ditch behind where I am standing in the picture.

I think that I prefer to let it just get wet. But, I was thinking of planting some sort of ground cover that will not grow too tall and look bad. I just do not know what.

Before I do that I might see what someone might charge just to dig a trench for me. Would I just bury a drain tile along the barn and to the ditch? I wouldn遞 need anything in the middle of the grass since it is most all runoff from the barn roof? Any idea on size?

 

[nyone]

Wood chips soak up water prety well and dont allow for much growth in the begning. I used this method on a seasonal swamp in my yard. Drainage wasnt a option. Drainage is an option for you so use it. Lower the road or leave it wet.

Adding more dirt to that area could flood or rot your barn.

 

[CobyRupert]

Adding more dirt to that area could flood or rot your barn.

:thumbsup:

Everything has to be downhill from the the barn.
Adding dirt next to barn is the same as lowering the barn. It may make the barn floor the lowest spot. You don't want that.
Gutter may help reduce need to grade all length area next of barn, but downspout water still needs a lower place to go.

Gutters won't help snow. What I find to be a problem is when snow comes off roof in winter and piles up into a berm next to building. This essentially creates a moat between berm and building so any future dripping water or rain runs towards building.

 

[DJ54]

I see you don't want to spend money, but just a rough calculation, you could fix that problem for approx. $300.00 for many years.

Trencher rental here is $125 for a half day. A 100' roll of 3" corrugated, perforated pipe is 30 bucks at Menards. A 4" wide ditch, 100' long, and 12" to 16" deep, could be filled with approx. 8 tons of 6" - 8" of #8 pea gravel. A 3' X 50' roll of premium landscape fabric, cut to 12" wide, then folded over makes a great silt barrier, between gravel, and dirt, when you finish filling the ditch. Excess dirt can be spread along side the building to help shed water away from the building. I'm seeing a gap below the bottom purlin, and soil line that in my mind should be filled anyway.

Gravel and delivery will be your biggest expense, other than the trencher. I bought 8 tons last Fall for a trenching project myself, and IIRC, it was around $12 per ton. I had the advantage of having my own 1-ton dump truck. Still had to make 2 trips, but did it on less than a tank of gas, so approx. another $40 in fuel. I have my own backhoe, so maybe $10 in fuel for it.

Well worth the money to put a drain in the lower part of the garden area, that would hold water for a few days with all of the rain we've had the last couple of years, drowning plants. Now, with a few heavy downpours we've had this winter, water only stands there for at most 2 hours now. And it's 16" down to the top of the gravel, so I wouldn't hook into it with the plow.

Proper drainage is always money well spent..!!

 

[Hay Dude]

You have a giant rain catcher (barn roof)
Can you install a 5 commercial gutter and downspout and trench a pipe beneath and across the driveway OR dig a large pit and run the pipe into it (dry well)?
Looks like the field on other side of driveway is lower than yard next to barn? Get the water over there.
If you put dirt against foundation timbers and steel siding, you’ll rot them out.

I had a similar situation with a house that was set too low in the ground and used downspouts into dry wells with great success.

 

[jjk454ss]

Thanks for the replies. I talked to a guy with a mini excavator, I’m thinking of having him come for a couple hours at $65/hr to dig some trenches. Then I can go shred and run some drainage pipe. I may still go with some plants too, especially if I can find something nice that I can just let grow and not mow that area.

 

[DJ54]

You may not be amazed, but rather hopefully pleasantly surprised at what some drainage pipe, and gravel if you choose to use it will do for that area. Let us know how it works out for you..!!