Landscape Drainage Solutions

Problems With Standing Water? - We Can Help!

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We Can Help You Fix Pooling Water On Your Lawn Or Landscape

We install and repair landscape drainage systems

Drainage System Installations And Repairs
We install and repair landscape drainage systems

One of the keys to keeping your landscaping (and property) in good shape is ensuring you have proper drainage in place.  Drainage issues can cause premature erosion, property damage, damage to buildings and foundations, and they can be very expensive to repair.  Central Florida receives over 50 inches of rainfall annually.  Wet conditions like this will bring your drainage problems to the forefront quickly.

In our area of Central Florida, drainage problems can be compounded with our soil.  This soil type can range from heavy clay to very sandy and coarse textures.  Clay is fairly stable, it's the sandy, course, material that is very prone to erosion.  Without a proper drainage system in place soil erosion, water damage to your landscape, and potentially water damage to your home, will be an on-going risk.

Tree Of Life Landscape & Design is a landscaping contractor in Central Florida. We serve Volusia County, Orange County, and Seminole County.  We also serve clients in the following cities: Deltona, Orange City, Lake Mary, Longwood, Maitland, Oviedo, Winter Park, Daytona Beach, New Smyrna Beach, Ormond Beach, Port Orange, and Osteen.  We specialize in installing landscape drainage systems including drainage swales, french drains, dry creek beds, downspouts, catch basins, and more.  We offer real drainage solutions for properties with a constant drainage or standing water problem. 

What Type Of Drainage Problem Do You Have?

  • Is there water pooling up on your property?
  • Does your property have soil erosion due to heavy rain?
  • Do you have soft spots in your lawns or gardens?
  • Do you have standing water around your foundation?
  • Is your driveway or parking area a wet mess when it rains?

Without proper drainage in place your landscaping and lawn areas can be prone to flooding, it can drown out your expensive plants, erode away expensive hardscaping, and even cause damage to your structures and their foundations.

Many of our clients properties suffer from poor drainage or have drainage systems that just weren't implemented correctly from the start which has led to significant erosion problems, water pooling, soft spots, and flooding in their lawns, gardens and landscapes.  We can help solve these problems by developing a solid drainage plan for your property.

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Drainage Solutions We Provide

We incorporate expert drainage solutions in every landscape we design and build.  We can incorporate proper drainage systems into an already existing landscape.

French Drains

What Is A French Drain?

A French drain might sound intricate, but it's actually a simple yet effective solution for many homeowners facing drainage issues. Essentially, a French drain is a slightly sloped trench filled with gravel or rock, containing a perforated pipe that redirects surface water and groundwater away from specific areas. It's an ingeniously simple concept that has been used for centuries to combat excess water.

Functionality of a French Drain

The core idea behind a French drain is its ability to capture and divert water. When water enters the trench, it quickly seeps through the gravel and into the perforated pipe. This pipe then channels the water away from your property, often to a more suitable drainage area like a street, a ditch, drainage swale, or a storm drain.

Common French Drain Applications Around Residential Properties

Preventing Water Accumulation Around Foundations: One of the most popular uses of a French drain is to prevent water from pooling around a house's foundation. Water near the foundation can lead to serious issues like structural damage or basement flooding. By installing a French drain, this water is efficiently rerouted, safeguarding your home's integrity.

Managing Water in Soggy Yards: For yards that tend to get soggy or have standing water after rain, a French drain can be a game-changer. It helps in quickly moving the water away, keeping your yard dry and usable.

Facilitating Drainage in Hardscaped Areas: In areas where hardscaping like patios or walkways prevents natural absorption of water, French drains can provide an alternative path for water, preventing pooling and potential damage or slipping hazards.

Garden and Landscape Protection: Gardens and landscaped areas can suffer from too much water. A strategically placed French drain can help regulate the moisture level in these areas, ensuring that plants don't get waterlogged.

Resolving Slope-Related Drainage Issues: If your property is on a slope, managing runoff can be challenging. French drains can be part of a comprehensive solution to control and direct the flow of water, preventing erosion and landscape damage.

Drainage Swales

What Is A Drainage Swale?

A drainage swale is a shallow channel or depression that is designed to carry and manage stormwater runoff. It is typically found in landscaped areas, such as along the side of a road or where a culvert outflow is located.  Swales are used to intercept and convey excess water from storms or other sources to a drainage outlet, such as a storm drain or a natural waterway.

Drainage swales are often used as an alternative to traditional stormwater management systems, such as underground pipes, because they can be more visually appealing and have a variety of additional benefits, such as providing habitat for wildlife and helping to reduce erosion. Drainage swales are typically lined with river rock or with vegetation, such as grasses or native plants, which helps to filter pollutants and sediment from the water as it flows through the channel.

Understanding the Swale's Function

The primary purpose of a drainage swale is to control water flow. During heavy rains or snow melts, water can accumulate and move rapidly, causing erosion and potential damage to your landscape. A swale acts as a natural conduit, controlling the speed and direction of water flow. It's a subtle yet effective way to manage excess water without the need for complex plumbing or electrical systems.

Common Applications Around Residential Properties

Preventing Water Accumulation: Swales are particularly useful in preventing water from pooling in low-lying areas of your yard. By directing water away, they help in maintaining a drier, healthier lawn and garden.

Safeguarding Foundations: Much like French drains, swales can be used to divert water away from your home's foundation, protecting it from potential water damage.

Landscaping and Garden Protection: Strategically placed swales can enhance the drainage around gardens and landscaped areas, ensuring that plants are not overwhelmed by excess water.

Enhancing Aesthetic Appeal: While primarily functional, swales can also be integrated into your landscape design. With the addition of grass or other vegetation, they can add a natural, visually appealing element to your yard.

Erosion Control on Sloped Properties: For properties situated on a slope, swales can be crucial in minimizing soil erosion. By slowing down the speed of water runoff, they help in preserving the integrity of your landscape.

Eco-Friendly Water Management: Swales are an environmentally friendly solution for water management. They can facilitate the replenishment of groundwater and reduce the burden on stormwater systems.

A Natural Solution for Your Landscape

Drainage swales represent a harmony between functionality and nature. They provide a cost-effective, low-maintenance solution to several common drainage problems faced by homeowners. By incorporating a drainage swale into your landscape, you can protect your property from water damage in an eco-friendly and aesthetically pleasing manner.

Dry Creek Beds

What is a Dry Creek Bed?

In the world of landscaping and drainage solutions, a dry creek bed stands out as a blend of functionality and natural beauty. A dry creek bed is essentially a man-made channel or gully, often lined with stones and rocks, designed to mimic the look of a natural dry stream. The key purpose of this feature is to provide an effective and aesthetic way to manage and direct the flow of water across your property.

The Aesthetic and Functional Blend

A dry creek bed is more than just a practical drainage solution; it's a landscaping feature that can significantly enhance the visual appeal of your outdoor space. Carefully selected stones and thoughtful placement create a natural-looking waterway that blends seamlessly with your garden and yard.

Common Applications Around Residential Properties

Erosion Control: For properties with sloped terrain where water runoff causes erosion, a dry creek bed can be a savior. It channels the water flow, reducing erosion and preserving the integrity of your landscape.

Rainwater Diversion: During heavy rainfall, dry creek beds effectively divert excess rainwater away from sensitive areas like foundations, gardens, or lawns, directing it to a more appropriate drainage area.

Addressing Soggy Areas: In yards where water tends to collect and create soggy patches, a dry creek bed can provide an escape route for this water, keeping your yard drier and healthier.

Aesthetic Enhancement: Beyond its functional role, a dry creek bed can be a striking landscape feature, adding a unique and natural charm to your outdoor space. It can be a focal point or a subtle addition, depending on your preference.

Wildlife Attraction: Interestingly, dry creek beds can attract wildlife, providing a habitat for birds and beneficial insects. The varying sizes of rocks and the layout can create microhabitats that are appealing to small wildlife.

Integrating with Your Landscape

The beauty of a dry creek bed lies in its versatility and adaptability. It can be designed to suit any landscape style, from a rustic, woodland look to a more modern, minimalist approach. With the right design and placement, a dry creek bed not only solves drainage issues but also elevates the overall aesthetics of your property.

A Sustainable Approach to Drainage

Embracing the concept of a dry creek bed is not just about solving water runoff issues; it's about doing it in a way that respects and enhances the natural environment. This eco-friendly solution is a testament to how functional landscaping can be both effective and beautiful.

Drainage Solutions Can Also Include

There is no one-size-fits-all drainage solution for every single property.  Often, it takes a few different solutions working together to solve your drainage problems.

Drainage System Repairs: Maintenance and repair services for existing drainage systems, including clearing blockages, fixing leaks, and ensuring optimal functionality.

Drain Box and Catch Basin Installation: Placement of catch basins and drain boxes at low points to collect surface water, effectively preventing pooling and directing water into drainage systems.

Downspout Drainage Systems: Integration of downspouts with the landscape drainage system to efficiently channel roof runoff away from the building foundation, reducing soil erosion and water damage.

Drainage Problem Correction: Diagnostic and corrective measures to address and resolve issues with existing drainage systems, ensuring they effectively manage water runoff and protect landscape integrity.

Grated Trench Drains: Installation of linear drains with grates, ideal for capturing runoff on hard surfaces like driveways and sidewalks, and directing it to safer discharge areas.

Rain Garden Construction: Design and creation of rain gardens that use native plants and soil amendments to capture, filter, and slowly absorb rainwater, reducing runoff and improving water quality.

Permeable Paving Solutions: Implementation of permeable paving materials that allow water to percolate through the surface, reducing runoff and recharging groundwater.

Roof Runoff Management Systems: Systems designed to capture, store, and repurpose rainwater from roofs, incorporating rain barrels or cisterns for landscape irrigation or other uses.

Erosion Control Measures: Strategies and installations like vegetation, mulches, and terracing to prevent soil erosion by stabilizing areas prone to runoff damage.

Retaining Wall Systems with Built-in Drainage: Construction of retaining walls that incorporate drainage features to manage water pressure and prevent moisture buildup behind the wall.

Channel Drains: Shallow channels that capture surface water over larger areas, such as pool decks and patios, efficiently directing it to drainage outlets.

Bio-retention Cells: Engineered systems that use vegetation and soil to capture and treat stormwater onsite, promoting infiltration and reducing pollutants.

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Does Your Property Have Water Drainage Problems?

Drainage issues should be addressed during the landscape design process and before your actual landscape is installed.  Because every property we work on is different a good landscape designer will take the time to understand how water may flow from your property, what type of soil conditions you have, and they will also know and understand the rainfall in your area and/or how high the static water table might be.  Knowing all of these factors can help us plan out an effective drainage solution for your specific property.

It's often during sustained and heavy rainfall when a drainage problem will surface.  After a few days of rain, a property with poor drainage will become obvious.  You'll visibly see water pooling in low spots, your lawn or gardens will be muddy, you may see erosion taking place, and a host of other problems.  If the water table (sub-surface water) is high in your area, then rainfall only makes the problem that much worse.

Drainage Problems We Can Help Solve

High Water Tables

A high water table can pose a challenge for any landscape. The water table is water that lies close to the soil surface.  It can vary depending on where you are located.  If you have a high water table then the low lying areas of your landscape can often have pooling water.  Often the best solution for a high water table is to plant appropriate trees, shrubs, and other plants that are capable of handling these wet, boggy, conditions.  These are often plantings that natively grow in riparian areas.

Another option to solve a high water table drainage problem is to raise the lawn areas or planting and garden bed areas up.  You can do this by mounding up areas with additional soil and appropriate plantings to keep it held together or you can even used raised garden beds.

Excess Water Pooling On The Surface

If your property has clay-based soil then you may have problems with surface water pooling up.  Clay is a very dense material and doesn't allow for good drainage.  Surface water issues can often be solved by properly grading the property away from the home and into a swale or french drain that can channel the water away from your property and into an existing storm drain or drainage ditch of some type.

One of the most popular and effective drainage systems to install for a surface water problem is the French drain.  This is a time-tested drainage solution that gathers water and channels it to a place underground (usually a trench filled with gravel and perforated pipe) where the water can take its time percolating down through the soil.

More Ideas For Solving Your Drainage Problems

Careful Construction Practices - Often drainage problems surface after extensive construction or site-work has been completed on a property.  Activities such as removing and placing fill, property grading, and digging of foundations or footings can alter the drainage on a property.  When construction occurs on your property care must be taken to avoid compaction of the soil and also to make sure that your property is graded to channel water away from low-lying areas and your home or buildings foundation.

Regulate Your Irrigation System - Many irrigation systems are setup to deliver water to a lawn, garden, or landscape over a set period of time rather than on the needs of those specific plants.  It's a good idea to set your irrigation to meet the needs of your specific landscape rather than set it on a timed schedule.  For example, if you're irrigation system runs for an hour in the evening, but the plantings are sufficiently watered within 15 minutes, that extra 45 minutes of watering doesn't make much sense and likely contributes to the poor drainage issues.

Check For Broken Plumbing Or Sewer Lines - In some cases, poor drainage, or pooling, standing water can be the symptoms of a broken, clogged, or corroded sewer or drain line.  If your drainage issues are accompanied by a foul sewage smell, then this could be part of your problem. We also see pooling water caused by broken municipal water pipes or sprinkler pipes.  The broken piping causes the excess water to pool near the surface.

Adapt Plantings To Site Conditions - If your property is continually suffering from drainage problems due to a high water table then it's a good idea to make sure your plantings are "drinkers" you want to carefully select plants, trees, and shrubs that require lots of water or that thrive in excess moisture.

If you'd like to schedule a consultation to discuss your drainage system or to correct drainage issues you might be experiencing with your property we'd be happy to meet with you.  Please call (407) 506-8339 or fill out our online form and we'll get right back to you.

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What Our Customers Say...

Orange Pop
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Orange Pop
February 24, 2024

I'll be honest, I was a bit skeptical at first. Not because of the quality of work because I read the reviews. I was wondering if it would be worth the money that I was spending. Micheal assured me that it would be. His knowledge of landscaping is unmatched. His professionalism is TOP TIER. Tree of Life Landscape and Design turned my disaster of a yard into something I can be proud to show off to friends and family.

Mary Synk
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Mary Synk
February 22, 2024

I can't say enough good things about Michael and Tree of Life Landscaping. I needed to redesign my back patio area because the existing landscaping encroached on my neighbor's property. Michael helped me re-design the area. I wanted to re-use as much of the current plants and hardscape materials as I could, and he was wonderful about doing that. He never tried to "upsell" me, but rather worked with me to transplant healthy plants and re-use bricks, wall stone and pavers. A lot of landscapers wouldn't do that -- they just want to pull out the old and put in all new. I had to do the project in "phases", and Michael was very flexible accommodating my schedule. He let me do the pieces I wanted to do myself, and brought in his team for the pieces where I needed professional help. I highly recommend his services.

JeepinItReal
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JeepinItReal
February 9, 2024

From day one, Michael and team went above and beyond to create the backyard paradise of our dreams. Attention to detail, professionalism, craftsmanship, clear communication and flexibility are just some of the qualities that have us excited and eager to complete more projects with them. While Michael was always open to our suggestions and ideas, he brought plenty of his own (and often better) to the table. The job site was kept clean, project phases were completed in a timely manner and on budget (which was reasonable). As much as we want Michael and team available for our projects, we highly recommend them for yours.

Nancy Davis
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Nancy Davis
September 14, 2023

Michael is very professional he makes sure that he understands what you want and gives you design ideas. With his help we were able to customize a beautiful patio. We were so happy we had him take out the builder grade landscaping in the front of our home and design a custom landscaping with lighting. We love his work!!

FLSunshineGirl
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FLSunshineGirl
May 23, 2023

Mike and I partnered up in 2021 two years after the purchase of my home. While the property was beautiful, it was quite overgrown and unmanageable. Tree of Life came in for a major yard cleanup, which included the removal of many very large agave plants and light tree trimming. In 2022, another cleanup project began in the front yard to remove a "forest" of overgrown palmetto bushes and masses of unwanted ferns. With each cleanup project, my visions of a more beautiful landscape became clearer. Then, in May 2023, Mike accepted the challenge of deconstructing old (and dangerous) concrete step system, converting it into a safe path from one elevation to another that matched the casual feel of my yard and home. Using my general ideas, Mike's creativity kicked in. Before and after pictures highlight the stages of this particular project. As each new project is completed, Mike knows I look forward to working with Tree of Life for the next phases of my yard transformation. I will continue to call on Mike for all of my landscape projects. All of the previous reviews are 100% accurate. I highly recommend Mike. Allow him an opportunity to help you bring new life to your landscape!

John Dedes
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John Dedes
May 22, 2023

Michael and team at Tree of Life transformed our front yard like my wife has always wanted. He came out and worked with us to come up with a great design but was very flexible once the installation got underway. We made some design and plant changes easily which turned out great. He brought samples of rocks to allow us to select and made excellent design recommendations. He also installed new low-voltage lights which really make our yard "shine" at night. Finally, Michael extended our driveway with additional pavers and pressure washed/sealed them as well. There were a few minor hiccups but Micheal kept us informed and was always very level-headed even when things didn't go as planned. He's a great person to work with. We'd definitely use this team again and are very happy with our results (before and after pictures included).

John Copeland
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John Copeland
May 21, 2023

We are extremely pleased with the landscape design and water feature installation Michael and his team provided. They went above and beyond with creating brilliant solutions for our unique needs. If you want it done right and at a good value, Tree of Life Landscape & Design is the company to hire. (Please ignore the exterior walls in desperate need of pressure washing and painting - that's next)

Dennis G
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Dennis G
May 21, 2023

Michael was great to work with he took care of our needs with designing and installing our front landscaping design. I would recommend him his company to everyone.

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