Who do I call for a wet yard, a landscaper or a drainage contractor?

Call the trade that matches the cause. A landscaper with a contractor licence is usually right for a small low spot, compacted soil or a wet bed that needs different plants. A drainage or excavation contractor is the call for buried pipe, long trenches, catch basins and dry wells. A yard that stays wet in dry weather may be a leaking pipe, which is a job for a plumber or the water utility. Working out which you have, before anyone quotes, saves money.

Start with what is causing the water

How long the water stays tells you a lot. If the yard dries out within a day or two after a rainstorm, the Northern Virginia Soil and Water Conservation District counts that as normal.^[1] Wet areas that last several days are commonly caused by improper grading, such as low spots or depressions, or by poor infiltration from compacted soil, soil with high clay content or a shallow depth to bedrock.^[1] Wet areas that last for months or never dry out are commonly caused by leaking water pipes or other sources, or by naturally high groundwater.^[1]

The district adds a warning worth remembering when you hire: the actual source of the wetness may not be where you see it on the surface.^[1] A good contractor walks the whole property in the rain or right after it, watches where the water comes from, and checks gutters and downspouts before quoting anything.

For a fuller checklist of causes, read why your yard floods when it rains.

When a landscaper is the right call

Many wet-yard problems are surface problems, and surface work is what landscapers do. For small wet spots, the district's own fixes are replanting with water-tolerant species, or filling the depression with soil, compacting it and grading it so water flows away from the foundation.^[1] For sunken spots in a lawn, the district says landscaping companies should be able to do most jobs.^[3]

A landscaper is a good fit for:

• filling and regrading a low spot, or regrading beside the house;
• loosening compacted soil and working in compost;
• replanting a soggy area with plants that tolerate wet feet;
• shallow swales and small rain gardens.

Not every landscaper is licensed for grading work. Virginia's Board for Contractors defines landscape service contracting as altering or improving a land area by excavation, clearing, grading, landscaping retaining walls or landscaping timbers, and lists the home improvement contractor specialty among those that also cover it.^[7] A mowing crew without either may not be the right hire for regrading.

When you need a drainage or excavation contractor

Buried systems are a step up: the fall of the pipe, the outlet and the buried lines all have to be right, and mistakes are hidden once the trench is filled. Where an underground spring has washed out a large area, the district suggests hiring a landscaping or drainage company to capture the flow with a French drain or catch basin and pipe.^[3] Its homeowner guide says plainly: "Larger projects may require permits or hiring a contractor."^[2]

Call a drainage or excavation contractor for:

• French drains and other perforated-pipe systems;
• catch basins and long buried runs from downspouts or a sump pump;
• dry wells and other underground storage;
• regrading that needs a machine, or any job near a foundation that is already letting water in.

When it is someone else's job

Some wet yards are not yours to pay for.

• A new subdivision. In a new development under bond, the builder may be responsible for fixing drainage problems that come from inadequate grading.^[2] If runoff from neighboring properties still under bond is causing problems on your lot, the builder of those properties may be responsible for repairs on yours.^[4] Your county's site inspection or public works office can tell you whether a bond is still in place.
• A shared problem. The district also notes that wet conditions often occur throughout a neighborhood, and that coordinating with neighbors and addressing problems at the source can save everyone time and money.^[2]
• A leak. If the wet spot never dries, ask the water utility or a licensed plumber to check for a leak first. Virginia law requires a master tradesman licence as a condition of licensure for plumbing contractors.^[8]

Who owes what when water crosses a property line is a legal question; for that, talk to the locality or a lawyer, not a contractor.

When to bring in an engineer or landscape architect

Most single-lot fixes do not need a designer. Large ones may. Virginia Cooperative Extension notes that an engineer or grading contractor might need to be consulted on larger, wider and longer swales, or on swales in property rights of way or easements.^[6] Virginia's definition of land surveying includes preparing incidental plans for grading, drainage on the surface, culverts and erosion control measures, and landscape architecture covers planning projects principally directed at the functional and aesthetic use of land.^[9] A plan from one of these professionals makes sense when the work needs a permit, sits near a stream or floodplain, or has to move a lot of water.

Free advice often comes first. Local soil and water conservation districts help homeowners with drainage. The Northern Virginia district, for example, offers site visits for its cost-share programs and gives every site visit recipient a list of designers and installers.^[5]

When to call a licensed pro

Whoever you call, check the licence. Virginia licenses contractors by the size of the job: Class C covers a single job over $1,000 but less than $30,000, Class B from $30,000 to less than $150,000, and Class A $150,000 or more.^[8] Check the name and licence number on DPOR's License Lookup^[12] and confirm the specialty fits the work.

Before any digging, your contractor is responsible for contacting Virginia 811, and you should confirm they have done it.^[11] Residential contractors must use a written contract signed by both sides before work starts or payment is accepted.^[10]

Ask each one what they think is causing the water, what they would do first and why, and where the water will end up. To compare their plans, read how a French drain works and what a French drain costs in Virginia.

Browse drainage and French drain businesses or landscape design and installation businesses, find excavation businesses in Blacksburg, or see more excavation answers.

Describe the wet yard once, and licensed local businesses that do this work quote it.