Last year, we spent time discussing various projects for our one-acre yard, including fixing the drainage issues. We needed to live with the yard and see what happened over a year’s time.
We have 2 water issues happening. The water from the gutters goes into underground pipes which empty away from the house. In 2 spots, these underground pipes empty onto our lawn, causing erosion in the lawn and beds. The other issue is a lack of grading leading to more erosion in the lawn.
I started on a smaller project this week to learn how to create a dry creek bed for proper drainage. We need to do a large dry creek bed next to the woodland area. Before we tackle that, I wanted to do a small project in an area where I could work on it slowly and make mistakes and messes out of sight.
This somewhat buried black pipe drains the downspout on the corner of the house. The pile of rocks behind the opening used to be spread out in front of the opening. It looks like the rocks were simply laid in front of the pipe for about 4 feet.
Unfortunately, we’re going to be working in a tight spot due to the existing shrubbery. That also means lots of roots in the area we need to excavate to create the dry creek bed.
So, my first step is to finish removing the stones. Then, I’ll dig a trench about a foot wide and about a foot deep. We have landscaping fabric which I removed from another bed which will be laid down in the trench. Over the top of the fabric, I’ll lay the rocks. I have a feeling I’ll need to do a fine gravel layer at the bottom with the current rocks over top.
To learn more about creating dry creek beds, check out this post from the Spruce.
2 dogs and a house 
Leave a comment