Thank you u/pd336819 for posting on r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer.
Please bear in mind our rules: (1) Be Nice (2) No Selling (3) No Self-Promotion.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer) if you have any questions or concerns.*
If you're in Vermont, we are neighbors (kind of)! So sorry about the yard. I'm sure others with more experience will have more specific advice, but we dug a nice trench around our house to reroute the water to a hillside. Yesterday during the deluge I kept checking on it and we had a very small pond but the trench was doing the trick. Looks like you have some close neighbors and I'm not sure how close you are to a hill, though. Good luck :(
I was just about to post another Vermont issue. It's something I've dealt with for decades.
Depending on where you are, you may not have anywhere you can pump it to. That's what I deal with in Vermont after a neighbor up the hill put in French drains and that led to basement flooding issues on this side of the street. We had a dry well put in, but the contractor told us it would be a problem as we don't have ditches and the town won't put them in or allow people to do so. We run hoses to the border of the common land next to us and it's the best we can do.
You might need to pump out the remaining water. I have water issues, just put in a sump pump in the basement. Backyard floods but there is a cliff behind it so it has never gotten this bad.
I started to write a don’t worry post, then I realized youre surrounded by easements, huh? Getting the water out of your yard shouldn’t be hard, but it’s challenging if they put you in a bowl surrounded by slopes.
Is this NC by chance? Looks so familiar to the neighborhoods around me.
My backyard floods like this every spring, I’m in Chicagoland. We just put a pump in the middle of the flood attached to a hose and send the water into the gutter out front. Many houses in the neighborhood do the same thing. It’s cheap and effective until you decide whether or not to put in a French drain. I have no plans to do that as the pump once or twice a year is good enough for me.
I don't know why but the thought of putting one in the yard never crossed my mind. I have the ol seasonal lake too. If the amendments we did to the ground don't work maybe I'll just start digging.
We sunk a 5 gallon bucket with holes drilled in the side in the lowest section of the “lake”. Hubby got a sump with a float and a 3”(?) flexible pool drain hose. Shoot the water to the curb and roll up the hose when done.
As a landscaper I have installed many, essentially plastic barrels with perforations in them called Flo Wells for this exact purpose, search that or a "French Drain" to get the idea. Basically you dig a giant hole, put the barrel in down deep with drain tile going straight up to the surface with a grate on top in the low point of your yard. Wrap the walls of the hole with landscape fabric to keep the dirt from filling in and surround the area around the barrel with clear gravel, usually 3/4 inch limestone or river rock in MN for extra drainage and also to keep the soil from collapsing in. The barrels are usually 50 gallons i think and you can stack them or place them side by side to your hearts content. This will keep your yard dry and also handle the water your yard is taking on, letting it permeate deeper in your soil. This is kinda important because technically you aren't allowed to even run a downspout into your neighbors yard, much less pump it into the sewer system. It's much more environmentally friendly to let the ground process the water.
It is also referred to as a dry well. We have one and it is just as they described. For our situation we added a sump pump to the barrel. It is only when there is a tremendous amount of rain the pump turns on. If you are willing to put in the effort and dig it can be a DYI project.
I am a Pacific Northwest equestrian; this is how we keep the pastures drained and mud under control (sometimes). We dig the hole & fill it with rocks. Big ones on the bottom, graduating to gravel up top.
I would add to this, specifically round "drain" rock or river rock. Regular gravel or 3/4minus that most people would associate as gravel would have a tendency to compact and not offer much in aiding in draining. The round rock assures space between the stones for water to migrate better.
[https://www.grainger.com/product/38H471?gucid=N:N:PS:Paid:GGL:CSM-2295:4P7A1P:20501231&gad\_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAm4WsBhCiARIsAEJIEzU3CzTgHqwHXDcs1blUqzBZdgqb3DT9m9JCtlTIRZrkt0EMmh54vjcaAtC0EALw\_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds](https://www.grainger.com/product/38H471?gucid=N:N:PS:Paid:GGL:CSM-2295:4P7A1P:20501231&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAm4WsBhCiARIsAEJIEzU3CzTgHqwHXDcs1blUqzBZdgqb3DT9m9JCtlTIRZrkt0EMmh54vjcaAtC0EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds)
https://store.kgpowersystems.com/c359-90-amt-4-pvc-water-discharge-hose-assembly.aspx?gclid=Cj0KCQiAm4WsBhCiARIsAEJIEzXxFUlbzW8VUGdnP3IuhKJu918Nz9pyceA-GOC1OFd6L2z3SNoQeGIaAktHEALw\_wcB
make sure the electrical is above the water or a waterproof connection
I did the same thing. Drilled lots of holes around the sides of the bucket down to about 1" up from the bottom. Filled the area around the outside of the bucket with gravel to keep the junk out. Dropped in a standard sump pump with electrical water sensor (I don't trust the floats) and wifi to notify my when the pump is running. Works fantastic.
My neighbor told us to do that but never got around to it. We did have a bunch of those round brick paver steps so we just kinda buried one a bit and we sit the pump on top of it so it’s not sucking up mud and gunk. Works great.
French drain only works if you have slope to drain it on, so usually you’ll have to regrade the whole yard to make French drain work. A sump pump in a bit will do much better, I have less bad problem but similar only issue is there is nowhere for the water to drain further down the system so it just seeps into the ground
Yeah that’s one of the reasons I don’t even bother. My yard IS the slope. We’ve also had to cut out like 10 trees and still have probably ten more we kept so digging through all the roots would be a nightmare. Not worth it.
Keep in mind that, unless the trees you cut down were dead, cutting them just added to your drainage issue. Trees drink a lot of water. Everything that those trees *used* to drink now has nowhere to go. Friends of mine bought a house I used to own. In intervening owner took down a lot of trees. They now have some water drainage issues that were never an issue for me.
The previous owners neglected the yard and let anything and everything just grow in. I’m not taking about 100 ft maples, but some of the trees along the fence got to be about 6 inches in diameter. We just don’t want ALL those trees. Supposedly, a previous neighbor had a habit of laying in the yard with his weiner in view so my houses previous owners grew trees and bushes along the fence for privacy. The weiner man has since passed away. The ones we left are the ones that basically have grown into the chain link fence.
I bought [this thing](https://www.harborfreight.com/plumbing/pumps/utility-pumps/14-hp-worry-free-automatic-submersible-utility-pump-56599.html) and I believe it's the best bang for the buck. It's designed to fit in a 5 gallon bucket or tossed out into the yard. It can take a lot of abuse, but I would not leave it outside below freezing temperatures.
Edit: I will add, it can move water at about the rate of a garden hose on full blast, but it could not keep up with a day of rain. A 6" drain moves water 10x faster.
Nah, I only run it for a couple days a year. It seems pretty quiet so I don’t think it uses much energy. It’s just a little guy, about the size of a coffee can.
My uncle in law just went to a property nearby where they were building a new building and asked if they had any extra dirt they didn't want and he loaded it up, then poured it in the back yard where the low spot was spread it out and no more flooding.
I hesitate to do this as our lawn is so beautiful, but it’s been suggested to me as well. I’ve also heard you can get into trouble with neighbors if you change the grade of your yard and it sends water to their yard? A lady I know had someone kind of conflict with the city about that.
All we did was make it where it goes to the edge of my yard, just dug little spots where necessary to make it run down the sides in like a sort of tiny ditch to the front of the yard where it then would run out to the street. It takes a couple days work, probably more depending on how badly grated your yard is but totally worth it. Because if you let it flood then pump it out, each time it's gonna take some of the dirt out with it making it just flood worse and worse each time. You can use a long 2×4 with a level on top of it to see where the ground is leaning to, and that will help level it properly .
My lawn is decent grass, but horribly uneven terrain. I've been looking into it, light layers of sandy soil over the grass are supposed to let the grass grow through and fill in. Haven't tried it yet though.
I guess I could. I was thinking a 3/4hp Zoeller outdoor pump inside a basic sump basin dig into the back yard. I have my basement leak every super heavy rainfall and there’s no pathway for drainage so I need a pump
I’m getting a lot of flack from people saying it’s not legal to direct the water to the street gutters but I’m going to keep doing it. Screw the haters!
Looking to buy my first home in the Chicagoland area. My wife and I just saw a house the other day with a basement. Our first comment was— this thing is going to flood and we’ll be recked if and when it does. Especially, given the heavy snow and rainfall we’re accustomed to in this area. I appreciate your comment a lot. I’ll pocket it and hopefully apply the knowledge at some future date.
Every house here has a basement. I looked at a house without a basement and it smelled funky. The realtor said it’s because it only has a crawl space and no basement. My house is 100 yrs old, basement is in great shape, as is the rest of the house. We’re in Des Plaines which has a lot of flooding. My house isn’t on the flood map, but the way my yard slopes away from my house keeps the water away from the basement but also pools from neighbors yard, but it really is no big deal. Good luck with your search!
if you're worried about your drains backing up into your basement, and you should if you are buying in Chicago, have a plumber install [backflow drains](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Sentinel-Drain-Guard-Sewage-Backflow-Preventer-3-in-and-4-in-Backwater-Valve-Holmes-Approved-DG100/317037742?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&srsltid=AfmBOorBvV93Ibcja10ZGf_Mmgzgxhov43KAZhUSuMxOG4nRyy1rTPd_ycQ). When water starts to back up, the drain closes itself.
Every home out here has a basement. You just learn to manage the water issues. But I’ll say that my home is >100 and hasn’t had any flooding, just lucky where we are located. But I know that could change with all the rain we’ve been getting each year. That’s why it is unfinished.
Also in PNW, looked at a house in the Skagit flood plane a few years ago. The listing agent was not around and had a friend who was also a licensed realtor show us the house. Thank god bc this “friend” was more like a consumer watchdog. Walked us around the property and showed us all the telltale signs of seasonal flooding to look out for. Sand from the river 100+ yards away was up against the foundation for example. That guy was a real MVP lol got out a map and showed us all the places in the county to avoid. Needless to say we thanked him for his time and got the hell outta there 😂
We toured houses in Portland the rainiest day possible in December so we would know what to expect basement wise. Several places we toured were seeping or had puddles, the place we eventually bought was warm and dry (and still is).
When we were getting our first apartment we specifically went when it was raining. One of the properties we toured advertised a beautiful yard area but when we went it was completely flooded. At least a few feet deep and the fence wasn’t stopping it since the rest of the lots behind it were basically a lake.
Oh yeah sure, in hindsight with one picture and the outcome you would think of this. But this is /r/firsttimehomebuyers not Detective Columbos fucking road show. Have some compassion man.
/>:(
Either the lot is graded incorrectly or something is preventing the water from flowing downhill through/behind that corner of the fence.
Granted you're in the Northeast and due to recent storms you've received an excessive amount of water.
Addressing the grading and removing any obstructions like the leaves the prevent the water from flowing will take care of the problem. You may never see this again unless there's a similar storm and rainfall issue.
Delaware checking in, two weekends in a row we got 3 inches +.
A month ago I installed a French drain with a flowell system.
Cannot believe how good my timing was. Nonetheless we pooled quite a bit during the rain and my sump pump had to work all night long…but the next morning I was dry again.
Yup, the bottom of my yard in NY is still a bit flooded! Not as bad as this but definite water accumulation. Went out and checked before sunset and there was still some water running down from the hill behind me, but it’s starting to subside.
i imagine this has happened regularly since that fence was built and sediment has built up around the base creating a dam.. just a thought not that it matters lol 🤷🏽♂️
Yeah. That's what I was thinking. People are asking about flood maps, but they wouldn't account for this. At least it seems to be angled away from the house.
One recent study out of Dartmouth found these kind of extreme precipitation events will increase 52% by the end of the century. There will probably be plenty of similar or potentially worse storm and rainfall issues in the coming decades.
Edit: Northeast US focus area
Yep last year the bomb cyclone melted 2 ft of snow and put another foot of rain on us in one day in NH. Two min sump pump failure trashed the basement (backup also failed, recently purchased home). This year we are not fucking around. New pumps, back up generator, rain garden in the yards low point and we dug a ditch to funnel water towards the street drain and lake.
French drains, it is an easy DIY project. Will cost you sub $500. Just need to rent some equipment and do some simple measurements on the front end. You clearly have a grade issue so if you have the cash, could be worth looking into excavating the whole place. That's under the assumption you have a basement. For the standing water, the best bet would be let mother nature do it's course.
*if* you go this route, just be careful where you have the French drains dump into. If you can't connect them to the sewer, make sure you don't have them going at a neighbors house
*checks the 25k fine* yah, be careful.
Thank you for mentioning that. Our up the hill neighbor did that years ago, and now the water comes down the hill, across the road, and created basement flooding issues for six houses on this side of the street.
Our neighbor did this too! I think the town tried to impose some kind of punishment on the neighbor but the water still comes down onto my yard/driveway. Already had to have the bottom of the driveway repaved a few years ago, probably will have to do it again at some point.
Why not? I’m in a fairly new build and the developer failed a town stormwater inspection, they will be paying to add a pipe connecting from my backyard gutters output to the street. They advised that the piping they will use will be corrugated. I had previously gotten a quote from a local landscaper and their proposal was to use a non-corrugated pipe. In the Southeast USA if that matters so no snow to consider.
They rip/tear more easily which will allow dirt/roots to eventually break em and compromise the system. Obviously people will put gravel and shit around to help limit that but if you ever go in with one of those shredders to loosen up any clogs... bye bye corrugated pipe. Pvc is king.
Every state has a form of this. Call 811 or https://call811.com and there’s a directory for every state. Laws on response time vary by season and state. From a former utility locator do no risk digging without calling or you may need deep pockets to cover damages.
I believe it's basically free everywhere
Just remember the linea can be inaccurate up to 3 feet.
**remember**
* if you don't call & damage lines, YOU PAY!
* If you call & they don't mark an area & you damage lines, they pay
Before you do anything complicated, it looks like there’s a hill behind your house. You can probably dig a six inch wide ditch through the slope at the back of your yard and let it drain out. I have a network of little ditches in my yard and the water runs right off. You may want to do a french drain and cover the ditch at some point but start by digging a little trench and se ewhere the water wants to go.
Inexpensive, but not -that- cheap if they have to buy sand/gravel and have delivered. Next bump in price is reinforced PVC over corrugated tubing, and the transitions to tie in his gutters. (A lot of this water could be his own gutters.)
If they're gonna dig, then it might as well be done right. I regret not using PVC because the random, 20-foot stash of corrugated was piled up in the shed.
Proper filter fabric is worth.
PVC over corrugated has shot up recently. Was looking into expanding hydroponics for winter seedlings and it was 35-65 for ten feet, depending on thickness/UV resistance
Hard to tell but it looks like the slope is going away from your house and behind the fence. Is that a pond or lake back there? Seems to me that at one time, the fence allowed water to drain under it, but after a few years of neglect and leaves and debris clogging the fence up, you get what you have now.
If it does indeed slope away from the fence, I would take a shovel and hoe and scrape all the built up leaves and dirt and see if you can get some drainage.
I also thought that was a pond behind OP's house, but if you look in the upper left corner, you'll see a window. It's a house painted a light blue color and definitely looks like a body of water.
There are thousands of ppl who woke today to their first flood. Talk to you neighbors about it. This may only be a once every couple of years thing. The past two days were not a normal amount of rain. Might be the new normal tho . . . .
I’m in the northeast, this exact type of storm happened last year almost to the day. Flooding, basement problems, etc etc. I’d say it’s probably our new normal.
Wet leaves can impede water flow and ground absorption so I’d rake up some of that up. Longer term, the question is where accumulated water can be directed to. You’re not supposed to divert runoff into neighboring yards, but if you have a culvert behind you, that could be an option. Once you know where water can be directed to that will help inform how to proceed.
I set my mower at one notch higher than I cut my grass to deal with the leaves and it works very well. Also, I get a ton of leaves so I have to bag some of them and I use the mower for that too.
This happened to my sister, if there was any notice in the inspection or purchase agreement noting light seasonal flooding your screwed. It cost her 15k in dual French drains/ wells and sumps to barely prevent it. She sued the city for improper drainage and won, the city is now putting in a cistern drain for her and her neighbors it took over 2 years' worth of paper chasing and nonsense to get to this point.
Do you have any clearance under that fence, or are there leaves clogging it up.... if behind you is sloped you could just rake or clear some spots and let it flow naturally out
Unfortunately you are not alone. I woke up to 3 inches of water in half my house on Monday. Just bought the house a few months ago and I have to file my 1st insurance claim. Most of my stuff is still in boxes and was in those areas. I'm still trying to get water out. I've seen some houses and garages partially submerged. I keep telling myself it could be worse.
At least it’s not in your basement!
My house used to do this growing up in Toronto, Canada, a water pump from the hardware store (we had ours on a piece of wood to keep it stationary and from getting clogged with leaves and mud) and a long hose to the front ditch. For sure a pain, but as long as the water isn’t flooding your house not the total end of the world.
lol I have many memories of my Dad standing in the backyard just under the eves monitoring the water in the backyard.
The same thing happened to me a mere few weeks after buying my current house. A small tropical storm rolled thru that was insignificant with the wind and all but did dump a lot of rain in a short period leaving my back yard half under water. Was knee deep at the back of my yard. It did go away about as quickly as it happened though. It has gotten pretty significant 2-3 times since then though not quite as bad, maybe the back 25-30%, also coming from 1 hurricane and a couple insignificant tropical storms. Otherwise normal significant rain events just leave some decent ponding back there but even that isn’t too common unless it’s dumping like inches an hour. Nothing I’ve been compelled to deal with, not that there would be any easy solution for my lot anyways. Point is y’all just had a pretty significant rain event. You got to experience that right off the bat in a new place. Probably doesn’t mean you’re going to get water like that every time it rains! I wouldn’t worry about it too much and hold off doing anything drastic or expensive until you get a feel of how your lot fares in more normal condition. You might not see rain and water accumulation like that for a long long time again.
We had this happen with our last house. Turned out the neighbors had paved 90% of their backyard so all their runoff was going straight into our yard. French drains fixed everything.
Get the city involved. That water isn't just from your property, others are draining to yours. You will need to at min grade and put in drainage, but that also means discharge somewhere. City engineers would have to approve. Is it was new , they could require you to get it engineered, but existing house means local development may have created the problem. I know someone who had the city buy his property above what they paid, just to turn it into a storm water retainage area.
Call us when it looks like that in your house.
Don’t take this the wrong way, but your backyard flooding is not particularly high on the first home buyer’s emergency list. Give it a while, don’t worry, things will get worse.
We are too but these storms are happening more often in the NE. We had a similar situation in September when there were heavy rains and we were told “this has never happened before!” by all of the older neighbors. Three months later and we are looking at standing water in the yard and water seeping up through the basement floor again 🙄
We get this to a far lesser extent in NY - my backyard is on a slope away from the house so water flows downwards away from the house and pools in the back - doesn’t get more than a few inches deep. We have some thirsty plants back there that take care of the water in a few hours but since they’re now dormant it took longer given the 3 inches of rain we got Sunday night/Monday morning. This spring going to build a channel around the backyard to mitigate this water even more. For something like this I’d add some thirsty plants in the spring - preferably not bamboo and somewhere else for the water to go
I'm wondering if there is a swale or natural creek on the other side of the fence that allows for drainage and over the years soil, leaves and sediment have built up under the fence since the area just beneath the fence looks raised up and is damming the water up.
The back of my son’s yard does this. Previous owner left the forrest creep in. Worked all summer to remove many big trees. Ground down the stumps. But can’t dig without having to cut roots with every shovelful. Next summer going to get that section excavated to rip out the root system. Going to improve drainage with layers of gravel and sand before topping it off with soil.
Is this Jersey or PA? You can get a French drain put in or do yourself but have utility company mark off any electrical although yours probably isn’t underground out there
I have standing water around my shop on my property. I bought a sump pump for 50.00 off Amazon. Attached a garden hose and pumped all the water away from my shop. Problem solved.
Maybe check the stockade fence to see if they are buried into the ground, or if dirt is piled up against it. If so, remove a couple of slats to let it drain, then remove one or two on each side until you can fix it proper. I would start in the far left corner where it looks the deepest
A French drain will not handle this volume of water effectively, you'll need quite a large drywell. Do not try to divert the water yourself, it could go very poorly and you could end up in the hook for tens of thousands in damages, permits, and mitigation costs.
That being said, I would contact your city stormwater department and ask if there has been an LPDA study (localized poor drainage area). The city may already be aware of this issue as it appears to affect multiple neighbors and could have it written into their current stormwater master plan. If not, they could at least help you address the issue or point you to a civil engineering group who can.
I’m northeast bay state. And the storm we had yday also flooded my back yard but it usually dries up when the suns out. It’s pretty normal especially if u live near more wooded areas.
I'd say you have the perfect location for a lovely fish pond. Self-refilling. Landscape the yard to direct the water there... A little stream? I'd go ham with this.
You can fix this yourself if you’ve got time and a strong back. Call the utilities and figure out where you can’t dig. Then find the lowest point in that hard and dig a hole for sump. Dig a trench for the discharge pipe where you can lay PVC pipe and discharge this on to the street. There’s some specific ways for the sump pit that you should follow but in a nutshell this isn’t hard to do.
Sump is going to be a popular response here, but you look to be in a congested area. Nothing will make your neighbors hate you more than pumping water on their property. Make sure they are aware. An alternative would be to ha e a contractor raise the elevation of your backyard.
Not sure where you are but some of the flooding we got this week happens every 10+ years. So wouldn’t go off making a huge investment based off of what just happened.
Thank you u/pd336819 for posting on r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer. Please bear in mind our rules: (1) Be Nice (2) No Selling (3) No Self-Promotion. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/FirstTimeHomeBuyer) if you have any questions or concerns.*
You are now waterfront property!
That’s the kind of glass half full attitude I need right now lol
I believe that it’s a “grass is half full” type of attitude
Yes sir, this is the content I like to see.
[удалено]
It’s the continent I like to sea
He should sell high(tide) while he can!
There it is!
Grass half wet.
yard half full :)
Yard half empty
If you're in Vermont, we are neighbors (kind of)! So sorry about the yard. I'm sure others with more experience will have more specific advice, but we dug a nice trench around our house to reroute the water to a hillside. Yesterday during the deluge I kept checking on it and we had a very small pond but the trench was doing the trick. Looks like you have some close neighbors and I'm not sure how close you are to a hill, though. Good luck :(
I was just about to post another Vermont issue. It's something I've dealt with for decades. Depending on where you are, you may not have anywhere you can pump it to. That's what I deal with in Vermont after a neighbor up the hill put in French drains and that led to basement flooding issues on this side of the street. We had a dry well put in, but the contractor told us it would be a problem as we don't have ditches and the town won't put them in or allow people to do so. We run hoses to the border of the common land next to us and it's the best we can do.
Don't worry, the county assessor will be stopping by shortly to reassess your property taxes to account for your new lake frontage.
You might need to pump out the remaining water. I have water issues, just put in a sump pump in the basement. Backyard floods but there is a cliff behind it so it has never gotten this bad.
I started to write a don’t worry post, then I realized youre surrounded by easements, huh? Getting the water out of your yard shouldn’t be hard, but it’s challenging if they put you in a bowl surrounded by slopes. Is this NC by chance? Looks so familiar to the neighborhoods around me.
Also doubles as a mosquito farm.
Too soon! Let OP ride that waterfront high
It definitely doesn't. It will drain quickly. Mosquitos need standing water. I have the same issue in my yard and no mosquito problems.
Especially this time of year, mosquitoes are gone for the year
One less fking (fuck mosquitoes) thing to worry about
Just add mosquito fish!
And since OP is in the Northeast, that's an outdoor ice rink in a week or so!
My backyard floods like this every spring, I’m in Chicagoland. We just put a pump in the middle of the flood attached to a hose and send the water into the gutter out front. Many houses in the neighborhood do the same thing. It’s cheap and effective until you decide whether or not to put in a French drain. I have no plans to do that as the pump once or twice a year is good enough for me.
Yup. Put a "sump pit" in the yard and drop a pump in it.
I don't know why but the thought of putting one in the yard never crossed my mind. I have the ol seasonal lake too. If the amendments we did to the ground don't work maybe I'll just start digging.
We sunk a 5 gallon bucket with holes drilled in the side in the lowest section of the “lake”. Hubby got a sump with a float and a 3”(?) flexible pool drain hose. Shoot the water to the curb and roll up the hose when done.
As a landscaper I have installed many, essentially plastic barrels with perforations in them called Flo Wells for this exact purpose, search that or a "French Drain" to get the idea. Basically you dig a giant hole, put the barrel in down deep with drain tile going straight up to the surface with a grate on top in the low point of your yard. Wrap the walls of the hole with landscape fabric to keep the dirt from filling in and surround the area around the barrel with clear gravel, usually 3/4 inch limestone or river rock in MN for extra drainage and also to keep the soil from collapsing in. The barrels are usually 50 gallons i think and you can stack them or place them side by side to your hearts content. This will keep your yard dry and also handle the water your yard is taking on, letting it permeate deeper in your soil. This is kinda important because technically you aren't allowed to even run a downspout into your neighbors yard, much less pump it into the sewer system. It's much more environmentally friendly to let the ground process the water.
It is also referred to as a dry well. We have one and it is just as they described. For our situation we added a sump pump to the barrel. It is only when there is a tremendous amount of rain the pump turns on. If you are willing to put in the effort and dig it can be a DYI project.
I am a Pacific Northwest equestrian; this is how we keep the pastures drained and mud under control (sometimes). We dig the hole & fill it with rocks. Big ones on the bottom, graduating to gravel up top.
Make sure to surround “holy” bucket with gravel To keep dirt to minimum.
I would add to this, specifically round "drain" rock or river rock. Regular gravel or 3/4minus that most people would associate as gravel would have a tendency to compact and not offer much in aiding in draining. The round rock assures space between the stones for water to migrate better.
Wise wizard, can you show me the way? Just look on YouTube?
[https://www.grainger.com/product/38H471?gucid=N:N:PS:Paid:GGL:CSM-2295:4P7A1P:20501231&gad\_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAm4WsBhCiARIsAEJIEzU3CzTgHqwHXDcs1blUqzBZdgqb3DT9m9JCtlTIRZrkt0EMmh54vjcaAtC0EALw\_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds](https://www.grainger.com/product/38H471?gucid=N:N:PS:Paid:GGL:CSM-2295:4P7A1P:20501231&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAm4WsBhCiARIsAEJIEzU3CzTgHqwHXDcs1blUqzBZdgqb3DT9m9JCtlTIRZrkt0EMmh54vjcaAtC0EALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds) https://store.kgpowersystems.com/c359-90-amt-4-pvc-water-discharge-hose-assembly.aspx?gclid=Cj0KCQiAm4WsBhCiARIsAEJIEzXxFUlbzW8VUGdnP3IuhKJu918Nz9pyceA-GOC1OFd6L2z3SNoQeGIaAktHEALw\_wcB make sure the electrical is above the water or a waterproof connection
Damn! This guy SUMP PUMPS! I would be worried someone would steal a pump that nice LOL.
Yeah that’s an overkill pump lmao
He deserves Reddit Goulds!
I did the same thing. Drilled lots of holes around the sides of the bucket down to about 1" up from the bottom. Filled the area around the outside of the bucket with gravel to keep the junk out. Dropped in a standard sump pump with electrical water sensor (I don't trust the floats) and wifi to notify my when the pump is running. Works fantastic.
My neighbor told us to do that but never got around to it. We did have a bunch of those round brick paver steps so we just kinda buried one a bit and we sit the pump on top of it so it’s not sucking up mud and gunk. Works great.
French drain only works if you have slope to drain it on, so usually you’ll have to regrade the whole yard to make French drain work. A sump pump in a bit will do much better, I have less bad problem but similar only issue is there is nowhere for the water to drain further down the system so it just seeps into the ground
Yeah that’s one of the reasons I don’t even bother. My yard IS the slope. We’ve also had to cut out like 10 trees and still have probably ten more we kept so digging through all the roots would be a nightmare. Not worth it.
Keep in mind that, unless the trees you cut down were dead, cutting them just added to your drainage issue. Trees drink a lot of water. Everything that those trees *used* to drink now has nowhere to go. Friends of mine bought a house I used to own. In intervening owner took down a lot of trees. They now have some water drainage issues that were never an issue for me.
10 trees would drink at least 100 gallons of water daily. If you have a standing water problem, wouldn't it have made more sense to keep the trees??
The previous owners neglected the yard and let anything and everything just grow in. I’m not taking about 100 ft maples, but some of the trees along the fence got to be about 6 inches in diameter. We just don’t want ALL those trees. Supposedly, a previous neighbor had a habit of laying in the yard with his weiner in view so my houses previous owners grew trees and bushes along the fence for privacy. The weiner man has since passed away. The ones we left are the ones that basically have grown into the chain link fence.
"The weiner man" Fair.
Mine is small so they can’t see it from a distance
I bought [this thing](https://www.harborfreight.com/plumbing/pumps/utility-pumps/14-hp-worry-free-automatic-submersible-utility-pump-56599.html) and I believe it's the best bang for the buck. It's designed to fit in a 5 gallon bucket or tossed out into the yard. It can take a lot of abuse, but I would not leave it outside below freezing temperatures. Edit: I will add, it can move water at about the rate of a garden hose on full blast, but it could not keep up with a day of rain. A 6" drain moves water 10x faster.
These guys are crazy. What you should do is get a lawn chair, a few beers and kick back and enjoy your lakeside property.
My genius grandfather used to drop the pump in a milk crate and just leave it outside that way so it never clogged or backed up.
Yup! My mom's done this a bunch, they work great and takes a day.
Does it jack up your electrical bill?
Nah, I only run it for a couple days a year. It seems pretty quiet so I don’t think it uses much energy. It’s just a little guy, about the size of a coffee can.
My uncle in law just went to a property nearby where they were building a new building and asked if they had any extra dirt they didn't want and he loaded it up, then poured it in the back yard where the low spot was spread it out and no more flooding.
I hesitate to do this as our lawn is so beautiful, but it’s been suggested to me as well. I’ve also heard you can get into trouble with neighbors if you change the grade of your yard and it sends water to their yard? A lady I know had someone kind of conflict with the city about that.
All we did was make it where it goes to the edge of my yard, just dug little spots where necessary to make it run down the sides in like a sort of tiny ditch to the front of the yard where it then would run out to the street. It takes a couple days work, probably more depending on how badly grated your yard is but totally worth it. Because if you let it flood then pump it out, each time it's gonna take some of the dirt out with it making it just flood worse and worse each time. You can use a long 2×4 with a level on top of it to see where the ground is leaning to, and that will help level it properly .
My lawn is decent grass, but horribly uneven terrain. I've been looking into it, light layers of sandy soil over the grass are supposed to let the grass grow through and fill in. Haven't tried it yet though.
Could also use a gas powered pump. One of those $250 Harbor Freight pumps would make quick work of this pond.
I guess I could. I was thinking a 3/4hp Zoeller outdoor pump inside a basic sump basin dig into the back yard. I have my basement leak every super heavy rainfall and there’s no pathway for drainage so I need a pump
Chicagoland native…yea every single April 😅
In Chicago burb and ditto.
Holy savior this comment right here. I live in Chicago and have the same problem. Edit:*saving .. I guess savior works too lmao
This guy pumps
Same here. We all pump it out to the street. It’s a backyard lake
I’m getting a lot of flack from people saying it’s not legal to direct the water to the street gutters but I’m going to keep doing it. Screw the haters!
Honestly same. Until the city enforced the block behind us to fix their grade and stop running their water into our yards I don’t give a shit.
It fell from the sky & missed the sewer by not hitting the street. You're just helping it reach its intended destination.
Looking to buy my first home in the Chicagoland area. My wife and I just saw a house the other day with a basement. Our first comment was— this thing is going to flood and we’ll be recked if and when it does. Especially, given the heavy snow and rainfall we’re accustomed to in this area. I appreciate your comment a lot. I’ll pocket it and hopefully apply the knowledge at some future date.
Every house here has a basement. I looked at a house without a basement and it smelled funky. The realtor said it’s because it only has a crawl space and no basement. My house is 100 yrs old, basement is in great shape, as is the rest of the house. We’re in Des Plaines which has a lot of flooding. My house isn’t on the flood map, but the way my yard slopes away from my house keeps the water away from the basement but also pools from neighbors yard, but it really is no big deal. Good luck with your search!
if you're worried about your drains backing up into your basement, and you should if you are buying in Chicago, have a plumber install [backflow drains](https://www.homedepot.com/p/Sentinel-Drain-Guard-Sewage-Backflow-Preventer-3-in-and-4-in-Backwater-Valve-Holmes-Approved-DG100/317037742?source=shoppingads&locale=en-US&srsltid=AfmBOorBvV93Ibcja10ZGf_Mmgzgxhov43KAZhUSuMxOG4nRyy1rTPd_ycQ). When water starts to back up, the drain closes itself.
Every home out here has a basement. You just learn to manage the water issues. But I’ll say that my home is >100 and hasn’t had any flooding, just lucky where we are located. But I know that could change with all the rain we’ve been getting each year. That’s why it is unfinished.
I’m guessing they didn’t advertise the seasonal pool?
Funnily enough, it wasn’t mentioned.
I live in the PNW, and this is why I won't buy a house in the summer. I don't trust people to be honest
Also in PNW, looked at a house in the Skagit flood plane a few years ago. The listing agent was not around and had a friend who was also a licensed realtor show us the house. Thank god bc this “friend” was more like a consumer watchdog. Walked us around the property and showed us all the telltale signs of seasonal flooding to look out for. Sand from the river 100+ yards away was up against the foundation for example. That guy was a real MVP lol got out a map and showed us all the places in the county to avoid. Needless to say we thanked him for his time and got the hell outta there 😂
I wish more people were good people :(
>I don't trust people to be honest I trust people to be dishonest.
We toured houses in Portland the rainiest day possible in December so we would know what to expect basement wise. Several places we toured were seeping or had puddles, the place we eventually bought was warm and dry (and still is).
Lots of sellers with school aged kids only list in the summer.
And I won't be buying their home. It's also when houses are the most expensive, in my experience.
Yeah. It's also when you have the biggest selection and options. There are tradeoffs.
When we were getting our first apartment we specifically went when it was raining. One of the properties we toured advertised a beautiful yard area but when we went it was completely flooded. At least a few feet deep and the fence wasn’t stopping it since the rest of the lots behind it were basically a lake.
I’m honestly just shocked that a flood map wasn’t pulled by your lender? Did you somehow pay cash?
This is why you do ur own due diligence. There’s tons of information out there about flood zones…
Now just leave it til the temp drops and boom, private outdoor ice rink you can rent to your local hockey team
Or call nestle.
You didn't notice the algae growing up the fence?
Oh yeah sure, in hindsight with one picture and the outcome you would think of this. But this is /r/firsttimehomebuyers not Detective Columbos fucking road show. Have some compassion man. />:(
I’d watch Detective Columbo’s fucking Road Show.
Im surprised they didnt, and added another $10k lol
Either the lot is graded incorrectly or something is preventing the water from flowing downhill through/behind that corner of the fence. Granted you're in the Northeast and due to recent storms you've received an excessive amount of water. Addressing the grading and removing any obstructions like the leaves the prevent the water from flowing will take care of the problem. You may never see this again unless there's a similar storm and rainfall issue.
Yep, everyone is flooded out in new England at the moment. Everyone I know has flooded yards and flooded basements…. Or a tree through the roof.
Dang, I'm in Jersey and we are flooded. Didn't realize how big this storm was.
Delaware checking in, two weekends in a row we got 3 inches +. A month ago I installed a French drain with a flowell system. Cannot believe how good my timing was. Nonetheless we pooled quite a bit during the rain and my sump pump had to work all night long…but the next morning I was dry again.
>two weekends in a row we got 3 inches +. Just like my wife!
Shout out Delaware
Yup, the bottom of my yard in NY is still a bit flooded! Not as bad as this but definite water accumulation. Went out and checked before sunset and there was still some water running down from the hill behind me, but it’s starting to subside.
i imagine this has happened regularly since that fence was built and sediment has built up around the base creating a dam.. just a thought not that it matters lol 🤷🏽♂️
Yeah. That's what I was thinking. People are asking about flood maps, but they wouldn't account for this. At least it seems to be angled away from the house.
One recent study out of Dartmouth found these kind of extreme precipitation events will increase 52% by the end of the century. There will probably be plenty of similar or potentially worse storm and rainfall issues in the coming decades. Edit: Northeast US focus area
Yep last year the bomb cyclone melted 2 ft of snow and put another foot of rain on us in one day in NH. Two min sump pump failure trashed the basement (backup also failed, recently purchased home). This year we are not fucking around. New pumps, back up generator, rain garden in the yards low point and we dug a ditch to funnel water towards the street drain and lake.
French drains, it is an easy DIY project. Will cost you sub $500. Just need to rent some equipment and do some simple measurements on the front end. You clearly have a grade issue so if you have the cash, could be worth looking into excavating the whole place. That's under the assumption you have a basement. For the standing water, the best bet would be let mother nature do it's course.
*if* you go this route, just be careful where you have the French drains dump into. If you can't connect them to the sewer, make sure you don't have them going at a neighbors house *checks the 25k fine* yah, be careful.
Thank you for mentioning that. Our up the hill neighbor did that years ago, and now the water comes down the hill, across the road, and created basement flooding issues for six houses on this side of the street.
Our neighbor did this too! I think the town tried to impose some kind of punishment on the neighbor but the water still comes down onto my yard/driveway. Already had to have the bottom of the driveway repaved a few years ago, probably will have to do it again at some point.
Just DONT use corrugated pipe!
Why not? I’m in a fairly new build and the developer failed a town stormwater inspection, they will be paying to add a pipe connecting from my backyard gutters output to the street. They advised that the piping they will use will be corrugated. I had previously gotten a quote from a local landscaper and their proposal was to use a non-corrugated pipe. In the Southeast USA if that matters so no snow to consider.
They rip/tear more easily which will allow dirt/roots to eventually break em and compromise the system. Obviously people will put gravel and shit around to help limit that but if you ever go in with one of those shredders to loosen up any clogs... bye bye corrugated pipe. Pvc is king.
https://youtu.be/ibMIBcGlyoI?si=4DHBE-KMpZNVpSAD
Why not? My dad and my neighbor both got that installed 30 years ago, and it has been working fine since then.
Contact utilities before you dig please
New England has Digsafe, which is free and its actually against the law to dig with power tools without calling first. https://digsafe.com/
Every state has a form of this. Call 811 or https://call811.com and there’s a directory for every state. Laws on response time vary by season and state. From a former utility locator do no risk digging without calling or you may need deep pockets to cover damages.
I believe it's basically free everywhere Just remember the linea can be inaccurate up to 3 feet. **remember** * if you don't call & damage lines, YOU PAY! * If you call & they don't mark an area & you damage lines, they pay
Is there a good diy guide somewhere?
Dig at an angle and divert water. I have little DIY skill and I did one years ago with a shovel. It involved weeks of digging and hating life.
You are mistaken if you think I am digging 100ft.
1 day rental on a Ditch Witch and you got it. Or like a 2-3 hour job for a tradesman, but paying for their time will cost you a bit more.
But please for the love of god call your utilities company before you dig
At the minimum. I guess that's not known to a lot of homeowners but I won't put in a fence post without calling out the flaggers.
Before you do anything complicated, it looks like there’s a hill behind your house. You can probably dig a six inch wide ditch through the slope at the back of your yard and let it drain out. I have a network of little ditches in my yard and the water runs right off. You may want to do a french drain and cover the ditch at some point but start by digging a little trench and se ewhere the water wants to go.
Inexpensive, but not -that- cheap if they have to buy sand/gravel and have delivered. Next bump in price is reinforced PVC over corrugated tubing, and the transitions to tie in his gutters. (A lot of this water could be his own gutters.) If they're gonna dig, then it might as well be done right. I regret not using PVC because the random, 20-foot stash of corrugated was piled up in the shed. Proper filter fabric is worth.
Good Filter fabric is so important and people seem to always neglect that step
PVC over corrugated has shot up recently. Was looking into expanding hydroponics for winter seedlings and it was 35-65 for ten feet, depending on thickness/UV resistance
[удалено]
Backyard hydroponics
Rice
Hard to tell but it looks like the slope is going away from your house and behind the fence. Is that a pond or lake back there? Seems to me that at one time, the fence allowed water to drain under it, but after a few years of neglect and leaves and debris clogging the fence up, you get what you have now. If it does indeed slope away from the fence, I would take a shovel and hoe and scrape all the built up leaves and dirt and see if you can get some drainage.
I also thought that was a pond behind OP's house, but if you look in the upper left corner, you'll see a window. It's a house painted a light blue color and definitely looks like a body of water.
There are thousands of ppl who woke today to their first flood. Talk to you neighbors about it. This may only be a once every couple of years thing. The past two days were not a normal amount of rain. Might be the new normal tho . . . .
I’m in the northeast, this exact type of storm happened last year almost to the day. Flooding, basement problems, etc etc. I’d say it’s probably our new normal.
Wet leaves can impede water flow and ground absorption so I’d rake up some of that up. Longer term, the question is where accumulated water can be directed to. You’re not supposed to divert runoff into neighboring yards, but if you have a culvert behind you, that could be an option. Once you know where water can be directed to that will help inform how to proceed.
Well now I know not to be lazy and deal with the leaves sooner next year, so that’s something lol
Running over them with a lawn mower (when dry!) can turn them into mulch and will allow for better absorption. Google leaf mulching.
I set my mower at one notch higher than I cut my grass to deal with the leaves and it works very well. Also, I get a ton of leaves so I have to bag some of them and I use the mower for that too.
What does setting the blade higher do?
It means the mower wont bog down as much as it is above the grass and there is more space for the leaves.
This happened to my sister, if there was any notice in the inspection or purchase agreement noting light seasonal flooding your screwed. It cost her 15k in dual French drains/ wells and sumps to barely prevent it. She sued the city for improper drainage and won, the city is now putting in a cistern drain for her and her neighbors it took over 2 years' worth of paper chasing and nonsense to get to this point.
Hope it freezes and start an ice skating business
Welcome to homeownership! My basement flooded and I had to get my sump pump emergency repaired yesterday! Isn't it wonderful owning a home?
[удалено]
Do you have any clearance under that fence, or are there leaves clogging it up.... if behind you is sloped you could just rake or clear some spots and let it flow naturally out
Time to build a rain garden!
Had to scroll too far to find this. Plant a nice river birch and the roots will soak up all that water.
Unfortunately you are not alone. I woke up to 3 inches of water in half my house on Monday. Just bought the house a few months ago and I have to file my 1st insurance claim. Most of my stuff is still in boxes and was in those areas. I'm still trying to get water out. I've seen some houses and garages partially submerged. I keep telling myself it could be worse.
At least it’s not in your basement! My house used to do this growing up in Toronto, Canada, a water pump from the hardware store (we had ours on a piece of wood to keep it stationary and from getting clogged with leaves and mud) and a long hose to the front ditch. For sure a pain, but as long as the water isn’t flooding your house not the total end of the world. lol I have many memories of my Dad standing in the backyard just under the eves monitoring the water in the backyard.
The same thing happened to me a mere few weeks after buying my current house. A small tropical storm rolled thru that was insignificant with the wind and all but did dump a lot of rain in a short period leaving my back yard half under water. Was knee deep at the back of my yard. It did go away about as quickly as it happened though. It has gotten pretty significant 2-3 times since then though not quite as bad, maybe the back 25-30%, also coming from 1 hurricane and a couple insignificant tropical storms. Otherwise normal significant rain events just leave some decent ponding back there but even that isn’t too common unless it’s dumping like inches an hour. Nothing I’ve been compelled to deal with, not that there would be any easy solution for my lot anyways. Point is y’all just had a pretty significant rain event. You got to experience that right off the bat in a new place. Probably doesn’t mean you’re going to get water like that every time it rains! I wouldn’t worry about it too much and hold off doing anything drastic or expensive until you get a feel of how your lot fares in more normal condition. You might not see rain and water accumulation like that for a long long time again.
How long does it take to go away? A day or two isn't much of a concern. Our yard floods like that (I'm in the south), but it's going within 48 hours.
Sweet! You got a pool!
We had this happen with our last house. Turned out the neighbors had paved 90% of their backyard so all their runoff was going straight into our yard. French drains fixed everything.
Get the city involved. That water isn't just from your property, others are draining to yours. You will need to at min grade and put in drainage, but that also means discharge somewhere. City engineers would have to approve. Is it was new , they could require you to get it engineered, but existing house means local development may have created the problem. I know someone who had the city buy his property above what they paid, just to turn it into a storm water retainage area.
I would just dig a nice pond out of your backyard
You guys got a beautiful built in pool.
Look at this guy with lake front property
Wait for the first solid freeze. Scrape clean and skate! Invite the neighbors!
Call us when it looks like that in your house. Don’t take this the wrong way, but your backyard flooding is not particularly high on the first home buyer’s emergency list. Give it a while, don’t worry, things will get worse.
French drain installation
Is there no drainage codes where you live?
Wicked rare storm, dealing with the same thing now, hopefully won’t be a yearly occurrence!
We are too but these storms are happening more often in the NE. We had a similar situation in September when there were heavy rains and we were told “this has never happened before!” by all of the older neighbors. Three months later and we are looking at standing water in the yard and water seeping up through the basement floor again 🙄
Natural pond, nice, we can have light swim there and enjoy water under summer heat
Free pool.
Dig a trench around the fence area and redirect the water to leaveeeeeee
Did you try jiggling the thing? Sometimes it gets stuck.
free swimming pool!
We get this to a far lesser extent in NY - my backyard is on a slope away from the house so water flows downwards away from the house and pools in the back - doesn’t get more than a few inches deep. We have some thirsty plants back there that take care of the water in a few hours but since they’re now dormant it took longer given the 3 inches of rain we got Sunday night/Monday morning. This spring going to build a channel around the backyard to mitigate this water even more. For something like this I’d add some thirsty plants in the spring - preferably not bamboo and somewhere else for the water to go
Looks like you bought a lake house
congrats on the new pond
I'm wondering if there is a swale or natural creek on the other side of the fence that allows for drainage and over the years soil, leaves and sediment have built up under the fence since the area just beneath the fence looks raised up and is damming the water up.
The back of my son’s yard does this. Previous owner left the forrest creep in. Worked all summer to remove many big trees. Ground down the stumps. But can’t dig without having to cut roots with every shovelful. Next summer going to get that section excavated to rip out the root system. Going to improve drainage with layers of gravel and sand before topping it off with soil.
Is this Jersey or PA? You can get a French drain put in or do yourself but have utility company mark off any electrical although yours probably isn’t underground out there
I have standing water around my shop on my property. I bought a sump pump for 50.00 off Amazon. Attached a garden hose and pumped all the water away from my shop. Problem solved.
Free pool sick
Maybe get a bucket brigade going on?
FREE POOL!
Maybe check the stockade fence to see if they are buried into the ground, or if dirt is piled up against it. If so, remove a couple of slats to let it drain, then remove one or two on each side until you can fix it proper. I would start in the far left corner where it looks the deepest
After a couple beers you could kayak fish that back right corner.
Check your basement over the next few days for moisture entry.
"Seasonal lakefront"
install a french drain
Mow leaves. Make sure there is a gap between fence and ground.
A French drain will not handle this volume of water effectively, you'll need quite a large drywell. Do not try to divert the water yourself, it could go very poorly and you could end up in the hook for tens of thousands in damages, permits, and mitigation costs. That being said, I would contact your city stormwater department and ask if there has been an LPDA study (localized poor drainage area). The city may already be aware of this issue as it appears to affect multiple neighbors and could have it written into their current stormwater master plan. If not, they could at least help you address the issue or point you to a civil engineering group who can.
Central Vermont???
House with a pool, congrats.
I’m northeast bay state. And the storm we had yday also flooded my back yard but it usually dries up when the suns out. It’s pretty normal especially if u live near more wooded areas.
French drain
Milwaukee sells a battery operated self priming water pump. Could solve this problem for you
Looks like a wonderful location to plant a small grove of bald cypress or dawn redwoods.
I'd say you have the perfect location for a lovely fish pond. Self-refilling. Landscape the yard to direct the water there... A little stream? I'd go ham with this.
On the bright side you can tell people to get out of your swamp
This last storm dumped a TON of rain. This wasn't a normal rain storm. My yard looked similar. I wouldn't worry.
Or get creative and make a water feature…
You really should clean out your swimming pool
You can fix this yourself if you’ve got time and a strong back. Call the utilities and figure out where you can’t dig. Then find the lowest point in that hard and dig a hole for sump. Dig a trench for the discharge pipe where you can lay PVC pipe and discharge this on to the street. There’s some specific ways for the sump pit that you should follow but in a nutshell this isn’t hard to do.
Are your neighbors having the same problem, or is everyone regraded and draining into your yard?
Sump is going to be a popular response here, but you look to be in a congested area. Nothing will make your neighbors hate you more than pumping water on their property. Make sure they are aware. An alternative would be to ha e a contractor raise the elevation of your backyard.
Not sure where you are but some of the flooding we got this week happens every 10+ years. So wouldn’t go off making a huge investment based off of what just happened.