If your property has a drainage problem, the foundation of your home could be in danger. If the problem is far enough from your house not to cause danger, you may still have to deal with standing water in your yard every time it rains. If you're frustrated with the drainage situation on your lawn, talk to a residential land drainage contractor and find out if you have options.

The drainage improvement choice you decide on might be the method that is the least destructive to your yard or the least costly. Here's how a residential land drainage contractor might help.

1. Put In Drains

Yard drains let water flow in so rain can drain to the street rather than puddle up around your house. You can have a drain installed in your driveway near your garage door so water doesn't get in your garage, or you can have drains installed along the side of your driveway to keep water from standing on the asphalt or concrete.

You can even have a drain installed in your yard wherever it's needed. You can still route the drain to the street, but you might want to install a dry well that's a little closer. Another common use for drains is to put one along the foundation of your home. These are used when your basement gets wet. Instead of water getting into your basement, it flows into the drain and moves away from your foundation to empty in the street.

Installing these drains in your yard requires the residential land drainage contractor to dig a trench to hold the drain and a hole for the dry well if you'll install one of those too. A drainage trench is usually pretty deep. Your contractor may dig it deeper than the foundation of your house so rain is sure to fall in before getting near your home.

2. Grade The Land

Another way a residential land drainage contractor can improve drainage on your property is to grade the land so water rolls where it should go. This is initially a more destructive option, but it might be worth it if you don't have a lot of landscaping and healthy sod.

A land drainage contractor usually grades the soil on properties before the home is built. However, if you've moved soil for landscaping reasons or if rain causes soil to shift, the land might need to be graded again. However, the contractor may not need to move massive amounts of land around so your yard can be spared as much as possible. The goal is to create a slope in the area that collects rain so the rain rolls away from your house and toward the street or a swale.

Contact a company like H & I Excavating to learn more.