Chicago Foundation Drainage and Swale Grading Project

Most homeowners know their sump pump is removing water from the house. What many homeowners overlook is where that water goes next.

Water that is discharged too close to the home often finds its way right back toward the foundation — creating the very problem the sump pump was supposed to solve.

That was the focus of this drainage project.

The goal was not simply to move water away from the house. The objective was to create a clear, functional path for water to travel across the property and away from the foundation without creating new wet areas along the way.

To accomplish that, we completed several drainage and grading improvements throughout the property, including:

• Reworking the grading around the home
• Creating a swale to guide water movement
• Installing underground drainage lines
• Improving the sump pump discharge routing
• Restoring disturbed areas with fresh sod after completion

What makes projects like this successful is not any one individual component.

• The sump discharge matters
• The grading matters
• The drainage system matters
• The final lawn restoration matters

Every part of the project has to work together properly.

Because water rarely causes problems where it starts.

Problems happen when water has nowhere to go.

As you go through the photos, you will see:

• The excavation process
• Underground drainage installation
• Swale and grading improvements
• Sump discharge modifications
• Final lawn and sod restoration once everything came together

The result is a property that:

• Moves water away from the home more effectively
• Helps protect the foundation from moisture issues
• Eliminates standing water concerns
• Improves the overall function of the yard
• Turns a problem area into a clean, finished landscape

If water is collecting near your foundation, sump discharge area, garage, or side yard, now is a good time to address it before a small drainage issue becomes a much larger problem.

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Please call 847.698.6868 or Contact Us

Tommy Pollina Landscape Company – serving Chicagoland since 1982.