Neighbor Yard Water Drainage Solutions, You love your home, or at least you used to. You got this idyllic spot with a perfect neighborhood, but then you realized that your yard is rather lower than your neighbors’. Well, even the most beautiful homes in the most serene towns can pose some real problems sometimes.
If your neighbor’s yard is higher than yours, then you probably already know the struggles that come with it. Erosion, pooling water, and blowing debris can be a constant problem. Neighbor Yard Water Drainage Solutions may even frustrate your efforts and money spent trying to make the yard beautiful and well maintained.
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Neighbors Yard Is Higher Than Mine: What to do?
When this is your fate, the good news is that there are a few things you can do to resolve the problem and even make sure water doesn’t flow into your yard.
This may involve talking to your neighbor to lower their yard or planting trees to soak up the water. Alternatively, you can build slopes or a barrier to prevent water from flowing through your yard. Continue reading to find out how to handle this situation effectively
Talk To Your Neighbor
Perhaps the first thing you can do is to talk to your neighbor to see whether they’re amenable to considering lowering their yard. They may not be aware that your yard is lower than theirs, and the issue might be resolved with a simple talk. In case they are not open to that, you may consider landscaping your own yard so that it is higher than your neighbor’s
Install a Barrier
Landscaping Your Yard
You may attempt landscaping your own yard to be taller than your neighbor’s if they are not amenable to that.
Planting Trees
You can also try planting trees or bushes on your side of the property line to make up for the height difference.
One more thing that is unlikely to occur. You can always accept that your neighbor’s yard will always be higher than yours and move on, i.e. if all else fails.
How Can You Manage Water from Your Neighbor’s Property
Many homeowners have experienced problems with waterlogged yards after a rainstorm, simply because their yards are much lower than those of their neighbors. There are various things you can try to keep your neighbor’s water out of your yard:
Install a French Drain
When your yard is always wet, it can be a challenge to have to worry about puddles and mud. Not to mention how difficult it can be to maintain your lawn grass and keep it green when there is stagnant water.
A French drain simply refers to an underground drainage system that can collect excess water and redirect it from your yard. It is installed to help reduce the unwanted water from the yard and prevent flooding in extreme weather conditions.
Make Sure Your Downspouts are Directing Water Away from Your Home
While downspouts are a common reason for water accumulation in basements, you should make sure that they’re redirecting the water away from your house into a storm sewer, lawn, field, or garden.
If you have installed gutters, make sure they are clean and free of debris so that they can serve as expected. You might also want to consider installing a French drain for collecting and redirecting unwanted groundwater away from your place. It can be an effective approach to getting rid of unwanted water and elements that comes from your neighbor.
Fill in Low Spots in Your Yard to Enhance Drainage
Filling any low spots in your yard can also help drain water and keep it away from your home. You can also consider installing gutters or extensions on downspouts to direct water away from your house.
Dry Wells
This is a method of backyard drainage where water is collected and then discharged through underground plastic wells. You can set it up by excavating a sizable hole and putting a drilled dry well into it. To ensure the effectiveness of this method, the dry wells should be buried at a lower level than that of the neighbor.
Alternatively, you can put up some berms. These landscape features will help direct rainwater away from your house and probably solve the issue between you and your neighbor.
What do the Laws Say About Draining Water to the Neighbor?
It is important to understand that the law requires you to manage your water problems without interfering with your neighbor. So if you and your neighbor are unable to reach an agreement, it is your responsibility to drain water without damaging their property.
That means you should make sure that the stormwater is connected to the legal discharge point. This can be accomplished by diverting the water to public drainages such as the kurb or gutter. Alternatively, you might use an inter-allotment drainage system to remove water.
Can You Sue Your Neighbor for Drainage Water into Your Property?
Solutions for Neighbor Yard Water Drainage You may be tempted to sue your neighbor over water draining from their yard. However, knowing if they’re doing it intentionally is crucial. If weather causes water to drain into your yard, suing them may not be the best option.
That said, you may sue your neighbor if they intentionally drain the water without your consent. You might want to speak with your lawyer to determine the best move on the way forward.
However, you should brace yourself for regular disagreements with your neighbor if you do this. Maybe that’s why it’s not always a good idea to file a lawsuit against a nosy neighbor. Instead, think about having a conversation with them to figure out the best course of action.
