Yes—push water away fast: extend downspouts, set a 5% slope for 10 feet, open the soil, and add a French drain or rain garden where needed.
Taking action when my yard holds water
Start with fast checks, then match the problem to a fix. You’ll stop most puddles by handling roof runoff and restoring slope. The rest comes from soil limits or buried surprises that call for drains, dry wells, or a planted basin.
Quick match: signs and fixes
Use this table to spot the likely cause and jump to the right step. Work from the top down: roof, ground, soil, and then hardware.
| What You Notice | Likely Cause | Fix To Try |
|---|---|---|
| Water sheets off the roof and ponds by the walls | Short downspouts or missing gutters | Add extensions or buried lines to daylight or a pop-up emitter; aim discharge well into the yard |
| Puddles form along the house line | Ground slopes toward the foundation | Regrade to a 5% fall for the first 10 ft; add a shallow swale if space allows |
| Wide, shallow ponds in the lawn after storms | Compacted clay or thin topsoil | Core-aerate, topdress with compost, repeat each season; route extra water to a rain garden |
| Strip of soggy turf halfway across the yard | Subsurface flow from uphill neighbors | Install a French drain on the uphill edge and carry flow to a safe outlet |
| Water sits for days in one pit | Low spot with no exit | Regrade or add a dry well with overflow to a swale or rain garden |
| Basement sump runs during rain and the lawn floods | Sump discharge too close to the house | Extend the discharge line to a pop-up emitter far from the walls |
| Soil never dries near a tree line | Shade and roots, plus dense subsoil | Switch to water-tolerant plants there and move runoff away before it reaches that zone |
Find the cause in minutes
Step 1: map where water starts
Watch one storm. Snap photos at peak flow. Trace roof lines, downspout outlets, driveway edges, and the low path across the lawn. Mark the lowest point; that’s your overflow target.
A quick sketch on grid paper speeds planning and helps you measure runs and materials. Mark trees, fences, and the safe exit you’ll use for big storms. If daylight is impossible, plan a dry well or a rain garden with a shallow spillway that guides extra water across lawn.
Step 2: fix roof runoff first
Clean gutters. Add downspout extensions or a buried solid pipe to carry water to daylight, a dry well, or a pop-up emitter. Keep outlets clear of beds and mulch dams. For how far to carry water, many builders aim well past the planting strip. The goal is simple: keep that surge away from walls and footings.
Step 3: check the slope by the foundation
Set a string line 10 feet out from the wall. Measure the drop. A best-practice target is 6 inches of fall in those 10 feet (a 5% grade), which aligns with IRC R401.3 drainage slope. If you’re short, add soil and scrape a shallow swale that guides water sideways to open lawn.
Step 4: run a simple infiltration test
Dig a hole about a foot deep where puddles form. Fill it with water and let it soak once. Refill and measure how far the water drops in an hour. If it barely moves, the soil is tight and needs help or a place to send excess. If it falls fast, the issue is grading or a blocked path, not soil.
Step 5: mark utilities before you dig
Any trench, dry well, or rain garden can hit lines. Use Call 811 before you dig. It’s free and keeps you clear of gas, power, and data lines.
What to do if your yard holds water after rain
Work in this order. Each step makes the next one easier and cheaper.
Route roof water farther
Surface extensions
Snap-together extensions are fast. Aim them across the grade and into turf, not beds. Add splash blocks to spread the flow.
Buried solid pipe
Use 4-inch solid PVC or HDPE, pitched at 1% or more, with a cleanout at the elbow and a pop-up emitter at the end. Avoid tight bends. Keep the outlet visible so you can check performance after storms.
Regrade and add a swale
Bring in clean topsoil and shape a gentle trough that runs to daylight. Keep the bottom of the swale smooth and grassed. Tie each downspout to that path. Near walls, hit the 5% target again so splash and wind-driven rain can’t creep back.
Help the soil drink
Core aeration
Run a core aerator when the lawn is moist. Leave the plugs on the surface. Repeat each growing season until puddles shrink.
Compost topdressing
Spread a thin layer of screened compost after aeration. It feeds microbes and opens clay over time. Pair this with deep-rooted turf or native bunching grasses to keep pores open.
Install a French drain
When subsurface flow feeds a soggy strip, a French drain intercepts it. Dig a trench that slopes at 1% toward a safe outlet. Lay non-woven fabric on the trench floor and sides. Add 2–3 inches of clean gravel, then a 4-inch perforated pipe with a sock. Add more gravel, fold the fabric over the top, then backfill with soil and sod. Keep the outlet lower than the trench and add a screen to stop critters.
Add a dry well or seepage pit
In tight soil, a dry well stores a surge and bleeds it into the ground. Use a manufactured chamber or a large drum with side holes wrapped in fabric and set in stone. Give the well an overflow to a swale so it can’t back up during big storms.
Build a rain garden
Pick a spot down-slope, at least 10 feet from the house, where water can safely spread. Size the basin to match the roof and driveway area that feeds it, then fill with a mix of sand, topsoil, and compost. Plant species that love wet-dry cycles. For siting, sizing, and plant lists by region, see the EPA rain garden guide.
Extend a sump discharge
If your pump runs during storms, send that flow out to a pop-up emitter in open lawn. Keep the outlet well away from walks and property lines and make sure the pipe drains down after each cycle so it can’t freeze in winter.
Design details that keep water moving
Set real slopes
Pipes need at least 1% pitch from inlet to outlet. Swales need a steady fall, even if it’s slight. Check with a level and revisit after the first heavy rain; soil settles.
Mind the fabric
Use non-woven geotextile to separate gravel from soil. Wrap the pipe with a sock or use slotted pipe with a sock. Don’t line the trench like a burrito; let water in from the sides while keeping fines out.
Give water an exit
Every system needs a visible, low outlet. Daylight to a slope, a rock pad, a dry creek bed, or a curb cut where local rules allow. A hidden, buried end invites clogs.
Plan for winter and leaves
Add cleanouts at high points. Keep emitters clear of mulch. Where it freezes, avoid flat spots in pipes and add a small weep hole near the pump check valve so the line drains.
Costs, time, and upkeep
Prices swing by region and access, so treat these as ballpark numbers that help with planning. DIY can trim costs; a pro brings trenchers, lasers, and compactors for larger jobs.
| Fix | Typical Cost | Care Needed |
|---|---|---|
| Downspout extensions | $10–$60 each DIY; $150–$400 installed | Clean seasonally; check aim after storms |
| Buried solid outlet to pop-up | $200–$600 DIY; $800–$1,800 installed | Flush yearly; keep outlet visible |
| Regrade with swale | $800–$3,500 depending on yard size | Reseed; mow the swale a bit higher |
| Core aeration + compost topdress | $100–$400 per round | Repeat 1–2 times per year |
| French drain (per 50 ft) | $600–$2,500 DIY materials; $2,500–$5,000 installed | Flush at cleanouts; watch the outlet |
| Dry well | $300–$1,200 DIY; $1,500–$3,500 installed | Rake debris off inlet; refresh rock pad |
| Rain garden (150–300 sq ft) | $500–$2,400 DIY; $1,800–$6,000 installed | Weed and mulch yearly; cut back perennials |
| Sump discharge extension | $150–$600 DIY; $700–$2,000 installed | Test pump; keep outlet clear in winter |
Smart layouts that work on most lots
Classic ranch or bungalow
Two or three downspouts feed a single side yard. Run a shared pipe along that side, tie in a French drain where the lawn stays damp, and end at a pop-up in the back corner. Set a shallow swale across the rear fence line so big storms keep moving.
Split-level on a slope
Surface water slides from the uphill neighbor. Build a collector French drain along the uphill edge and tie roof lines into that trench before sending everything to daylight at the low corner. Keep the trench three feet from property lines and put a rock splash pad at the outlet.
Small city lot
Space is tight, so go vertical. Use slim gutters, send downspouts under the walk to a dry well, then overflow to a curb cut if your city allows it. If curb cuts are banned, add a narrow rain garden against the front fence with an underdrain to the alley.
Common mistakes to skip
Skipping the utility locate
Call 811 before any trench, stake, or dry well. Strikes are costly and dangerous, and many services sit shallow near curbs and beds.
Letting water cross a property line
Keep flow on your lot unless you have an approved tie-in. Aim outlets across open lawn or into features designed to spread and soak.
Back-pitched pipes
A level pipe fills and goes stagnant. Check slope with a string and a line level before backfilling. Recheck after the first big rain.
Too little outlet protection
An emitter that pops into bare dirt will rut. Add a rock apron or a short dry creek bed to spread the flow and stop erosion.
No overflow for basins
Dry wells and rain gardens need a safe spillway. Carve a shallow notch to direct extra water away from beds and fences.
Trenching through big roots
Curve trenches around the outer half of a tree’s canopy. If a root larger than two inches is in the way, move the line.
Seasonal care so puddles don’t return
Before big storms
Empty leaf baskets, clear emitter lids, and walk the swale. Make sure nothing blocks the low point you picked as your escape path.
Spring and fall
Clean gutters, redo the compost topdress after aeration, and seed thin turf. Patch any settled soil along the house to keep that 5% fall.
Once a year
Flush buried lines from a cleanout toward the outlet. Check the dry well and add rock if you see fines. Refresh mulch in the rain garden and cut back spent stems.
When to bring in a pro
Large grading jobs, curb cuts, and tie-ins to public storm lines need permits and gear. A licensed contractor with the right equipment can shoot grades, haul soil, and finish a swale in a day. If your yard sits on a high water table or water seeps from the ground, an engineer or a drainage contractor can size underdrains and choose the right outlet.
With the steps above, most homes can turn spongy turf into firm, usable lawn. Handle the roof surge, set real slope, help the soil, and give heavy rain a path and a backup. That’s the whole plan.