# My Big Drainage Project!



## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

We bought this home in the summer of 2015. It was the first house in the neighborhood. Everything was fine until homes were built on 3 sides. We started getting standing water, a little bit here and there. Then it flooded the middle of the yard. Then it flooded the entire yard. It didn't leave for days on end. I counted seven days for water to clear out on several occasions. We threatens the builder with suits, they band-aided the problem, like they always do. I was naive, this was our first purchase of a new-build home.

In April of 2018 I hired a contractor on the recommendation of someone we knew. They installed downspout connections to two 4" pipes and ran them to the street, also put in a 16" drainage basin and ran that to the street, as well. I got two pallets of sod and 4 yards of topsoil to regrade the back yard. We thought all our problems were fixed! Woohoo!

Here's what they attempted in the following images...

*Failed* drainage fix in spring of '2018:


*Failed*attempt to get water out of yard with corrugated 4" pipe:


New sod and catch basin from previous attempt that just became money down the drain:


A few weeks after they finished I realized it was worse. It started off collecting water here and there, then the lake resurfaced in the middle again. The contractor disappeared and is unreachable now. We have almost taken on water through the back door several times. If we weren't built 1-brick-high over the back patio, it would be in the house already.

*May 2019 after a 30min hard rain, the rain didn't stop for hours and without my standalone utility pump, the house likely would have flooded:*
[media]https://streamable.com/8lt4j[/media]

Around two months ago I started working with a drainage-only contractor to formulate a plan to tackle this problem. I gave him free reign to design something that will handle our volume of water.

*New drainage system install began on 7/8/19!! *

*New system construction day #1, contractor got to see the problems first hand when it rained on him, this was about 20min of decent rain: *


*Revamped the downspout connections to solid pipe and will be connected to their own 6" pipe for run to the street:*


*Progress after day 2, French drain main run is through the middle of the low point in our grading, the catch basin bottom right is for a stream of water that comes from neighbors downspouts and yard flow: *




*Found the irrigation system mains directly in the center of the French drain run... next task is to move those over: *


Can't wait to get home tonight and check the progress while I've been out of town.

Stay tuned, I'll keep this updated!

TL;DR: yard floods like crazy, will flood house. Spent 4 years and a truckload of money to fix this. Hopefully it works.


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## TN Hawkeye (May 7, 2018)

717driver said:


> We bought this home in the summer of 2015. It was the first house in the neighborhood. Everything was fine until homes were built on 3 sides. We started getting standing water, a little bit here and there. Then it flooded the middle of the yard. Then it flooded the entire yard. It didn't leave for days on end. I counted seven days for water to clear out on several occasions. We threatens the builder with suits, they band-aided the problem, like they always do. I was naive, this was our first purchase of a new-build home.
> 
> In April of 2018 I hired a contractor on the recommendation of someone we knew. They installed downspout connections to two 4" pipes and ran them to the street, also put in a 16" drainage basin and ran that to the street, as well. I got two pallets of sod and 4 yards of topsoil to regrade the back yard. We thought all our problems were fixed! Woohoo!
> 
> ...


I bet you're the only person on here that can't wait for a massive rain. Good luck. I hope it works out. I'm just glad you didn't mention your wife in this update. :lol:


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## Jimefam (Jun 22, 2018)

I feel your pain. Bought a new home last year and moved in. One week later woke up to this.



Lot next door would flood into mine. Spome to the builder they made up some bs and told me it will dry in a few days its just water. I put a playground in with a small retaining wall to keep the water out and it mostly works. Cept now the builder wants to build on the lot next door but he cant because its a pond. Came over claiming I had to remove the playground so the lot could drain. Told them it will dry eventually. Now supposedly they are going to fix it on their dime but they want to half *** it just like your guy did at first. I told them it needs to be at least 8" pvc buried at least 2 feet deep or I wont let them do it. We shall see.


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## Sbcgenii (May 13, 2018)

In for updates.


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## Batsonbe (May 9, 2019)

Good luck. Hope it works out for you. I'm a first time home owner and I've been burned 3x in about 6 months for various things. Unfortunately with no money to spare and being disappointed in the quality of jobs I were getting it has helped us develop more patience and I have done all of our fixes and repairs to my standards, which I've been told are over kill but I'm fine with that.


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

Batsonbe said:


> Good luck. Hope it works out for you. I'm a first time home owner and I've been burned 3x in about 6 months for various things. Unfortunately with no money to spare and being disappointed in the quality of jobs I were getting it has helped us develop more patience and I have done all of our fixes and repairs to my standards, which I've been told are over kill but I'm fine with that.


Thanks for the kind words! We're hopeful as well. We learned a lot from this and can only cross our fingers to see how it does the first time it rains. We're overbuilding it to _hopefully_ ensure it works as desired. Hopefully your projects are going well too! I'm in agreement with you, doing it yourself gets you the results you want. I wish I had the time to undertake this one on my own, I just don't this summer.

I'll keep posting pictures of the build, if nothing more than for my own record keeping... which reminds me, I should start a lawn journal...


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

Sbcgenii said:


> In for updates.


Thanks, @Sbcgenii! I won't let you down! 

@Jimefam, I was laughing about your retaining wall approach a few weeks ago when you posted it. That's absolutely genius. I hope it forces their hand to fix it. I'm not real happy with home builders at this point in my life, I can tell you're feeling similar. Why does it have to be this hard?? :bandit:

@TN Hawkeye, hahaha! She's more excited than I am, I think! When I'm out of town for work, she won't have to take the dog out front on a leash when it's potty time while the backyard floods every time it rains! We'll see!


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## RDZed (Jul 13, 2018)

Damn man, that sucks.

In hindsight, bringing in an independent Civil PE that specializes in drainage at the first sign of an issue would have been a best first move.


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

Progress as on Monday 7/16/19, starting to get final slope into the trench with some gravel, He's going to glue up the perforated pipe sections and get an extension onto the top of that basin to raise to grade for today's tasks. Afternoon we'll try to dig the next section of pipe run around the corner. Biggest obstacle down there will be the electric utilities that run across that area. Should be easy digging once we get going straight out to the street.









We didn't hit these, just have to cut and reroute.


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## SwBermuda (Jun 9, 2019)

Man. This looks like some serious work. Praying this is the fix you need. Certainly looks like it will work!


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## flynavy812 (May 15, 2019)

Really makes me want to stop complaining about my drainage issues. I did decide to pull the trigger on a local drainage guy for 1275.00 though, full drain from low spot to curb, tie in all gutters, and add 4 catch basins. Really hope this helps fix your problem, this would drive me nuts.


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## JRS 9572 (May 28, 2018)

@717driver if those wide trenches, the right rock, pipe, and fabric don't fix your issue, then I don't know what the fix is. Good luck. Hoping for the best for you.


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## drewwitt (Jun 25, 2018)

Was there no rock and fabric in the first attempt?


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## Dawg1419 (Jun 26, 2019)

Jimefam said:


> I feel your pain. Bought a new home last year and moved in. One week later woke up to this.
> 
> 
> 
> Lot next door would flood into mine. Spome to the builder they made up some bs and told me it will dry in a few days its just water. I put a playground in with a small retaining wall to keep the water out and it mostly works. Cept now the builder wants to build on the lot next door but he cant because its a pond. Came over claiming I had to remove the playground so the lot could drain. Told them it will dry eventually. Now supposedly they are going to fix it on their dime but they want to half @ss it just like your guy did at first. I told them it needs to be at least 8" pvc buried at least 2 feet deep or I wont let them do it. We shall see.


#1 He can't dump water off his lot on to yours.

#2 If the water is still sitting in your yard 48hrs after a rain he has to fix it.

#3 He can attempt to fix it his way but refer back to #2 if it doesn't work.

I know this as I own a landscape company here in Walton county GA. Just ask the building inspector. If he doesn't want to fix it contact the Secretary of State where he gets his builder license from. They will make sure he does the right thing. Keep records and take pictures to go with the records. Keep in contact with the county inspector. Don't be a prick just know what you want and get it.


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

SwBermuda said:


> Man. This looks like some serious work. Praying this is the fix you need. Certainly looks like it will work!


Thanks, we're really hopeful about it. It's been miserable worrying about any amount of rain for the last 4 years. Time to be done with that! I appreciate the kind words!



flynavy812 said:


> Really makes me want to stop complaining about my drainage issues. I did decide to pull the trigger on a local drainage guy for 1275.00 though, full drain from low spot to curb, tie in all gutters, and add 4 catch basins. Really hope this helps fix your problem, this would drive me nuts.


Good luck with your fix! Hopefully it is a simple job once they start digging. The way our roof lines are down here creates a HUGE surface area that drains into the yard, so tying in the downspouts will make a big change too.



drewwitt said:


> Was there no rock and fabric in the first attempt?


That is correct, although they didn't use those pipes to collect any water underground, they were solid corrugated and only drained collected water from the basin and downspouts to the street.

We're ripping those out and running the pvc out to the street this time! No rock once it crests the hill out of the backyard and perforated becomes solid after the crest too.


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

*7/16/19 Update*

*Small progress yesterday, rerouted the irrigation lines and finished pipe assemblies were dropped in. The basin in the middle will have an extension added to raise to grade. Dug another 10ft toward the bottom of the picture, starting to round the corner off, as well:*


Please excuse the shadowy picture, got out there too late and then the lighting was funky. Pipe on left side is fully perforated the entire length, pipe on right is perforated after the basin all the way to the wye.

We're hoping to finish connecting the new irrigation lines to the existing ones and splice that wire back together. After that then filling in the trench with gravel and starting the dig to the front down the side yard, should be a good day!

Base of trench has 2.5"-3" of gravel, then the pipes, then we're going to fill in to within 3" of grade then sand/soil on top to grade.


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## Two9tene (May 27, 2018)

Following this thread... wow


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## FranksATX (May 7, 2018)

That is an extensive drainage project!

Its hard to tell how much slope you have, but it looks flat to uphill going to the street.

With that volume of water to be evacuated and the low slope to the street I think a high flow basin pump would really help dry out your yard quicker than a gravity system. Again, its hard to tell from the pics.


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

FranksATX said:


> That is an extensive drainage project!
> 
> Its hard to tell how much slope you have, but it looks flat to uphill going to the street.
> 
> With that volume of water to be evacuated and the low slope to the street I think a high flow basin pump would really help dry out your yard quicker than a gravity system. Again, its hard to tell from the pics.


You're absolutely right, it is uphill out of the backyard. The original plan was to be a pump-based system with the sump pit and pump to be installed over by the corner of the patio and the house, sort of to the left of that most recent picture I uploaded. We revised this idea after watching the sheer amount of water we took on and how quickly the yard entirely filled up, The size of the pit needed would've been absolutely huge.

I guess what I didn't include in these pictures is the pretty good downhill slope once you make it out of the fence into the front yard that goes down to the street. Again, you're 100% correct if it were flat like the rest of pictures or even uphill to the street, we'd never be able to gravity flow it out and would be stuck using a pump.

As designed with smooth 2x6" or 8" pipe, we can handle 300-400gpm on a 2% slope, theoretically anyway. The pipe should surface around 1/4 down the front yard and pick up the slope to the street from there.

It'll be over by the fence line on the far side of the picture.


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

*7/18/19 Update*

Overall project overview:




Irrigation repairs along the way






*New progress on the relief line trench today:*


Biggest hurdle now is getting past the electrical lines. ArkUPS says 20-24" depth, I'm hoping for the 24" level because then we can slide by on top. Otherwise we're going to be doing some serious critical thinking.


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

*7/20/19 Update: *

We made it down the front slope to the sidewalk, all done with the major excavating. Found some
More irrigation along the way that got butchered, but mostly he said it was the hard sedimentary rock that slowed him down the most. 


I'm so excited that we've reached the point of getting the pipe in and sloped properly then filling it in! He managed to stay over top of the buried electric lines, even though we reached 26-30" deep through that portion. This is a majorly deep trench and I'm hopeful that this can move some serious water out of the backyard.


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## Tmank87 (Feb 13, 2019)

Is that 6" PVC?


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

Tmank87 said:


> Is that 6" PVC?


It sure is. The dual french drain setup flows into single 6" solid smooth wall PVC. The downspouts will be on their own 4" solid smooth wall and they will merge at the bottom of the hill before the outflow opening.


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## Tmank87 (Feb 13, 2019)

Awesome. That should work great.


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## twolf (Jan 25, 2019)

I see popup discharge on last picture. With your expected gpm - did you think to discharge right on the street?
I saw (youtube, etc) pipes through curbstone. Might require several small pipes to discharge your 6".


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

twolf said:


> I see popup discharge on last picture. With your expected gpm - did you think to discharge right on the street?
> I saw (youtube, etc) pipes through curbstone. Might require several small pipes to discharge your 6".


Yeah, we did. City won't allow it without some absurdly expensive adapter and permit (in the $2,000-$3,000 range :shock. I mean we could've just gone for it sans permit and asked for forgiveness later (like one of my neighbors did), but I'm not that kind of risk taker. I'm already about $5,000 beyond my expected cost, so that wasn't really in the cards for now, unfortunately. :bandit:

I would've loved to daylight the pipe out of a retaining wall or something onto some rocks, but my layout didn't allow for it.

Good idea though! Thanks for asking!


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

Quick update this afternoon, got called into work, but I'll try to get better pics later this evening.

Filling 'er back in! Dug out and added the "arm" of the French drain this morning to capture more water coming from the corner of the yard. The 6" pipe is now mostly buried and the 4" from the small basin and downspouts are added. Once the new arm of the French drain gets gravel and pipe, it'll Tee-in then we'll be good for full burial and sand and sod. Couple of irrigation repairs to make in the front yard still to go, as well. It finally feels like the end is near!





My grass though. 😮😢


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## weevil07 (Jun 12, 2019)

I bet you'll actually be excited first time it rains! Looks slightly over - engineered so should be just fine


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## soju40 (Jul 25, 2019)

Thank you


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## Bmossin (May 31, 2018)

Did I miss it, how much $ are you in all this for?


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## flynavy812 (May 15, 2019)

Bmossin said:


> Did I miss it, how much $ are you in all this for?


He mentioned he's already 5000 over expected cost... hurts to even think about that.

I'm having my small system finally installed in a few weeks. After 4 weeks of absolutely 0 rain, its bitter sweet. I know I need the system to protect my side yard, but considering this was a record year (for my first year, of course) of course I'm questioning myself now.


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

weevil07 said:


> I bet you'll actually be excited first time it rains! Looks slightly over - engineered so should be just fine


Haha, oh yeah. Deep down, I love over-engineering. It would be lying if I said I didn't encourage it a little bit when he brought decisions about pipe sizes or design aspects along the way. It'll payoff in the end I think. I may never need 500gpm, but that one rainfall where I do (Harvey, Katrina2.0, etc) I'll be happy it can handle it!



Bmossin said:


> Did I miss it, how much $ are you in all this for?


I spent $3,400 last year on that corrugated job with the downspouts and grading/sod. This one will come in just shy of $10k. The trench got exponentially deeper and the drain portion doubled in width. That added most of the cost to it beyond what we quoted initially. My contractor was pretty fair along the way with costs, I think. My lot was dang near solid rock underneath, a jackhammer attachment would've been better suited than the Bobcat's bucket.

In summary: It. Was. Expensive. :shock:



flynavy812 said:


> Bmossin said:
> 
> 
> > 1564155509[/url] user_id=1716]
> ...


Yeah, gonna take a while to fill the account back up after this one, lol.

You'll be happier with the system in. What I've learned from this experience, don't be afraid to ensure you're getting what you need. If they gotta dig deeper to get the pipe slope you need, make them do it. They work for you!

I believe every house should have a drainage system unless you're on a mega hill with amazing grade all around the property. If we all had good drain systems it would make quality-of-life great again!


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## flynavy812 (May 15, 2019)

It's not letting me tag you but I'm sure you'll see this. If this was a home I'd be in longer, I'd be over the moon knowing 1200 is fixing my issue. But since I only plan on being here 3 years it stings a little knowing how much this and all the other little projects are adding up to. If I don't rent this house out I have a feeling I won't see much return at the end.


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## ThomasPI (May 18, 2019)

Nice work, we break ground next month on a new house and will do this upfront to be safe, it's a forever house so worth the cost.


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## quadmasta (Apr 3, 2019)

Looks familiar


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

Almost "done", we'll leave it vague for now. Hopefully it gets fixed the rest of the way.









No pictures from the front yet today, contractor is refusing to grade it down because of "too many rocks".


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## ctrav (Aug 18, 2018)

Congrats on almost done. Hopefully this time next year grass will be filled back in...


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## Batsonbe (May 9, 2019)

I believe I'm going to do underground piping for my down spouts as well next year. 
I'm plumbing in a sump pump and going to tie into 1 down spout to see how it functions this winter. 
Hate that I couldn't get this done before seeding my yard but next year is a new year to get it done.


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## SC Grass Loon (Jun 7, 2019)

I did something similar in my yard for the downspouts and surface drains. Also added a sump pump for one area that I could not get enough fall in the line. When it finally rains heavy and the water problems are not there anymore it is a great feeling! It looks like they may have you taken care of.


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## Two9tene (May 27, 2018)

Keep at it brother! Thanks for sharing with the rest of us!


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## FranksATX (May 7, 2018)

Looking good! We need another update the first big rain you have!


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## Two9tene (May 27, 2018)

FranksATX said:


> Looking good! We need another update the first big rain you have!


Here here, Absolutely! I would love to see that system in action. It looks extremely robust...


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

ctrav said:


> Congrats on almost done. Hopefully this time next year grass will be filled back in...


Thanks! Going to be a long road to lawn recovery, going to use sod as much as I can, but it's going to take a full leveling job to correct most of it.



Two9tene said:


> Here here, Absolutely! I would love to see that system in action. It looks extremely robust...





Two9tene said:


> Keep at it brother! Thanks for sharing with the rest of us!


Thank you, @Two9tene!! I'm excited! Hopefully we get a good one! I'm going to park a lawn chair out there by the pop-ups to watch it.



FranksATX said:


> Looking good! We need another update the first big rain you have!


I'll give one for sure!! I have all the neighbors excited about it too.



SC Grass Loon said:


> I did something similar in my yard for the downspouts and surface drains. Also added a sump pump for one area that I could not get enough fall in the line. When it finally rains heavy and the water problems are not there anymore it is a great feeling! It looks like they may have you taken care of.


Awesome!! I'm glad to hear it's working for your home. I truly believe everyone should collect and remove their downspout runoff, it can be a huge hazard to the foundation. Could you share some pictures? I love this stuff now.



Batsonbe said:


> I believe I'm going to do underground piping for my down spouts as well next year.
> I'm plumbing in a sump pump and going to tie into 1 down spout to see how it functions this winter.
> Hate that I couldn't get this done before seeding my yard but next year is a new year to get it done.


It's the best thing you can do for your foundation. Nearly everyone should have that setup, unless you're lucky enough to have a castle on a hill with slope away in all directions. Good luck!! We almost ended up with a pump, but I had concerns with it since we were in a potential flooding situation. If it was just to remove downspout runoff, then I would've stuck with the sump. Good plan!


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## JRS 9572 (May 28, 2018)

Time will tell. But looking at how you did it, and what you used it should kick @#$. If it doesn't, then I don't know what will.


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

Any updates?


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## Carrie-Waltz (Jul 16, 2019)

Wow, that's costly, I assume


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

How's the project coming along? Pics pls


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

mha2345 said:


> Any updates?





GrassAndWater12 said:


> How's the project coming along? Pics pls


I apologize for leaving this as a cliffhanger. We ended up disagreeing over what is considered within the scope of the project. This went on for a week or so before we settled the dispute and he agreed to come back and finish the job after discussing with his business attorney.

I'll post an update with some more pictures this afternoon.


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## Two9tene (May 27, 2018)

717driver said:


> mha2345 said:
> 
> 
> > Any updates?
> ...


I am assuming the grass was the source of contention? Nonetheless, looks like you won that argument! Looking forward to witnessing the progress!


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

Two9tene said:


> 717driver said:
> 
> 
> > mha2345 said:
> ...


The front yard was more of the issue. He didn't want to handle any of the rocks you see in the middle picture. He thought leaving it like that was good enough to call it finished. He graded it out now and hauled off a trailer full of rock. It's better now. :bandit:

He did manage to find the worst sod ever, though.


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## mha2345 (Mar 30, 2019)

Sorry to hear it ended up having to come to all of that, but hopefully this solves your problems moving forward!


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

From yesterday evening, it's starting to blend in a bit now. Aside from the major crab grass infestation, I've already gotten it greening up and filling in. It'll take a boatload of sand to fix this to TLF specs, though.


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## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

Isn't it funny how so many contracts do a great job right up to the end...and then fumble on the one yard line and lose the game? That's happened to me with my last three contractors. They're doing a great job and then screw up something, refuse to fix their mistake, and then it spirals out of control and they're fired. Your final impression is how much of an idiot they were...instead of how professional they were at the start.


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

hsvtoolfool said:


> Isn't it funny how so many contracts do a great job right up to the end...and then fumble on the one yard line and lose the game? That's happened to me with my last three contractors. They're doing a great job and then screw up something, refuse to fix their mistake, and then it spirals out of control and they're fired. Your final impression is how much of an idiot they were...instead of how professional they were at the start.


Yeah! What's up with that? Why is it so hard to follow through to the end of the project? It frustrates me to no end. If someone did this to their lawn or home, would they just accept it as-is?


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## ktgrok (May 25, 2019)

717driver said:


> hsvtoolfool said:
> 
> 
> > Isn't it funny how so many contracts do a great job right up to the end...and then fumble on the one yard line and lose the game? That's happened to me with my last three contractors. They're doing a great job and then screw up something, refuse to fix their mistake, and then it spirals out of control and they're fired. Your final impression is how much of an idiot they were...instead of how professional they were at the start.
> ...


And after all the hours of work they did, THIS was their line in the sand? I mean, how long did it take them to scrape/scoop those rocks up and fill it in properly? Couldn't have been long, with the right equipment, compared to everything else they did!


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

*Another update:*
Things were going smoothly, until they weren't. This is where we are now. What should I do to get it the best I can before the end of the season? I've got a landscaper coming out tomorrow afternoon to quote me addressing the clay and rock situation and sod down the front. I think it's still going to be beyond what we have left to spend. I want to do what I can myself, but I feel like it's an uphill battle to get this thing to where I'd consider it looking decent again. Scraping it all off and bringing in yards of quality top soil is the best option, but we're out of money at this point.











This area looks terrible, I am trying to aggressively let it fill in by feeding nitrogen and I'm going to dig that sod row down a bit so it sits more flush. 


I spent all the money we had and this is what we're left with. Disheartened and devastated is what I'm feeling now. Any advice would be graciously accepted and appreciated at this point.


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## ktgrok (May 25, 2019)

How deep is the rock? Is it from them putting in gravel, or native rock? Can you call around for price of "fill dirt" rather than good topsoil? Fill dirt is more likely to match the rest of the yard anyway, and is usually cheaper I'd think. I paid $30 for a pickup truck full which would fill a lot of that in. Then cut plugs from the backyard to fill in the front? Or even cut some sod squares from the back to make the front look good?


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## hsvtoolfool (Jul 23, 2018)

Maybe build a 4' x 4' x 1' screen box that lets the small stuff fall through? Put it on 2' legs and move it down the line as you go?


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## RDZed (Jul 13, 2018)

As a PE that has done this for 20+ years, and 35 years in construction, yall need to not go with the cheapest way out.

Get a certified PE in there and have a set of drawings/plans developed to submit to the contractor for bid. Quit relying on a contractor to design/build. They will do the absolute MINIMUM and walk away. They know that the permit process has been bypassed so they'll bone you at the end.

If they have a set schedule and deviate from it, its 100% on them.


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## RDZed (Jul 13, 2018)

If the grade and water egress doesn't work out according to the plan, it's on the PE.


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

Update.... new landscape contractor who was supposed to come in and grade out the rocks and lay new topsoil and sod, no-showed.

I'm beginning to understand that DIY is the only type of work you can count on.

Does anyone else experience anything like this or is it just me? No one ever shows up when they're supposed to or completed as specified. I don't want to start being a jerk to everyone, but I'm feeling taken advantage of. At least I'm not out money yet. I think it has to do with the abundance of work around here in NW AR, there isn't any competition and there is always a bigger job to score.


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## GrassAndWater12 (Jan 5, 2019)

Completely agree! I went through a house renovation and had to call nearly every single contractor back to do what was supposed to be done correctly. And like you said, some ended up being a no show, not returning my calls, or just repeated attempts to try to fix what they screwed up. I could go on all day with the experiences I have had. But yes there are still some good hard working contractors out there, they are just hard to find.

But other than the last issue did it solve the drainage problem?


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

GrassAndWater12 said:


> Completely agree! I went through a house renovation and had to call nearly every single contractor back to do what was supposed to be done correctly. And like you said, some ended up being a no show, not returning my calls, or just repeated attempts to try to fix what they screwed up. I could go on all day with the experiences I have had. But yes there are still some good hard working contractors out there, they are just hard to find.
> 
> But other than the last issue did it solve the drainage problem?


Yes, the system works perfectly. I have no standing water in my yard now and it drains at the sidewalk, as expected. Still getting used to being able to use the yard after a rain! It's a bummer that the first contractor was so masterful at the drainage system design and execution that he tainted his work with the sub-par finish and landscaping work.

Turns out that I'm likely going to be moving this fall after all of this. :bandit: I feel better knowing that we don't have a disclosure about a flooding issue and that the next folks who live here will have a dry yard.


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

Close to the end... the new landscaper ended up coming out yesterday, machine broke down on another job. I understand that sometimes stuff just happens. Communication isn't his specialty, but I appreciated the effort to come out first thing yesterday morning. They scraped off the rocks, graded down for the sod and are bringing in a bit of dirt to set up the bed for sod today.









*9/19/19*
*SOD IS HERE!!!!* It's decent looking too, not the crab and goosegrass infested garbage the original contractor laid down. I'm excited that this saga is coming to a close.


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## driver_7 (Jun 28, 2018)

It is finished! Finally! Hopefully there is still some growing season left and I can get this sod to root in before it turns for fall. It's decent sod, I'm expecting the color to bounce back with water and some starter fertilizer I applied. The crew did an outstanding job digging to fit the pieces instead of just laying it on top of high spots and hoping for it to settle correctly.











I'll provide another update of it once it starts to grow in and if I can catch a really good rainstorm during daylight, I'll shoot some video of it in action. I've had zero standing water in the yard so far, really happy with the outcome!

Thanks for coming along on this journey, it's been great to share with others who enjoy this type of stuff. My dad and neighbors are bored the second I open my mouth about the lawn... :lol:


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## flynavy812 (May 15, 2019)

Looking good! Couldn't agree more about the no show. After 3 months of rescheduling and ghosting all emails and calls my project fell through. I sent one last email of my timeline to the owner and employee hoping they could see how ridiculous it's been and was still 100% on board with them doing it, and what do I get? A call from a very nice sounding lady who said they will not be doing any work for me and promptly hung up before I could even speak. I'm trying super hard to cut my losses and find someone else but it's driving me crazy and I want them to take responsibility. Hopefully as I get older and mature I can learn to let things go, just pisses me off to no end/end rant.


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