If you want to improve drainage around your house, but you want to do most of the work yourself, you may still want to hire an excavating contractor company to move the soil around and dig trenches. Digging is hard work, especially if you need to do a lot of it. If your soil is full of roots or hard clay, it may be nearly impossible to do much digging by hand. Here are some ways an excavating contractor company can help you improve yard drainage.

Dig A Trench For A French Drain

You may want to install a French drain beside your foundation to collect water before it gets into your basement. The excavator can dig the trench so that it's below the level of your foundation. They can leave the installation of the drain to you, and you can probably even backfill the trench yourself since shoveling dirt back in is much easier than digging it out of a trench.

Dig A Dry Well

A dry well is a hole in the ground that contains some sort of container that holds water and allows it to drain out slowly. If you need a place to empty the water from your French drain or gutter downspout, you can direct the water to a dry well.

The dry well allows the water to drain down into the soil slowly so it won't puddle up in your yard or roll toward your house. The excavator may also need to dig a trench that leads from your downspout or drain and connects to the dry well.

Create A Shallow Swale

If you don't want to build a dry well, you can have the excavator create a shallow swale. This is also called a dry creek since it may be dry most of the time. When it rains, water fills the swale and sinks into the soil.

A swale is a depression in the soil that you can line with rocks and plants to create a decorative rain garden. A swale could be an attractive addition to your property and help with drainage too.

Grade Your Soil

When your home was built, the builder graded the soil so rain would roll away from the house. Over time, the soil may have shifted, or you may have planted landscaping that keeps water from draining away.

If that's the case, your excavator can move the soil around on your property so it has the necessary slope to allow for drainage. This can be disruptive if you have to tear up your grass, but water damage to your foundation can be even more disruptive and expensive.

To learn more, contact a company like Triple J Excavating.