10041 Polk Street NE Minneapolis, MN 55434

Outdoor Drainage Project Example

Regrading around House for Proper Drainage

Examples of KG Landscape's Drainage Repair Work - Before, During & After Pictures of a Project in Minneapolis, MN

The Outdoor Drainage Problems and Symptoms

Foundation Grading issues around the house labeled for drainage solutions MN

The Drainage Problem: Water pooling near house & leaking into basement after rainfalls

After heavy spring rains, water was getting into the basement by coming in at the front left corner of the house and causing moisture and leakage in a basement bedroom. This customer has a finished basement and the water intrusion caused water/moisture damage to their carpet, wood framing, trim work and sheetrock.

Identifying the Exterior Drainage Problem

During KG’s on-site drainage consultation with this customer, we identified several significant issues with the grading around the house, which we have highlighted in the photo above.

The most concerning problem was the soil elevation against the foundation. In multiple areas, the ground level was too low and, in some spots, even had a negative slope, directing water back toward the house instead of away from it. Additionally, the yard adjacent to the problem area—where water was seeping into the basement—was far too flat. This lack of proper slope caused water to accumulate near the foundation rather than draining away. As a result, during heavy rainfall or spring snowmelt, excess water had nowhere to go, ultimately finding its way into the basement.

These grading flaws made the home more vulnerable to water infiltration, highlighting the importance of proper drainage solutions to protect the foundation and basement from future water damage.

Check out our outdoor drainage page to learn more about all of the drainage solutions we offer.

Our Recommended Drainage Solutions for This Project

Here's exactly what was included in our estimate for the homeowner

Remove rock/edging and plants marked in the yellow areas below as well as the bedspaces and plants marked in red, regrade within the sections outlined in green below to provide slope away from the foundation for proper drainage (removing and disposing of roughly (12) cubic yards of soil/sod/rock, then install new poly edging where outlined in black as well as a small single layer boulder wall (with soil and poly fabric behind it) to help kick water out and around the basement window and further away from the foundation in that corner.

Then new poly non-permeable fabric will be installed within the bed spaces outlined in yellow and new 1-1/2” river rock will be installed within the bedspaces marked in yellow. The areas marked in green where grading work is performed will have grass seed raked in and then they will be covered with seed blankets and stapled securely to help prevent erosion. Seeding Note: Seed blankets should be removed once the new grass reaches 1-2” tall (about 3-4-weeks after installation).

Color Key:

yellow = area where rock/plants/edging will be removed and new foundation grading work will be done
red = plants and stumps to be removed
black = new edging line and small boulder wall
green = yard sections to be regraded
blue = shows how we will slope the yard for new drainage away from the house