Rain gardens and roof water
Where does the roof water go when it rains?
For most houses, down the downspout, across the yard and into the street. We turn that into a resource: the downspout feeds a planted basin or a swale, and the water soaks in where you want it.
We plan it from your roof and your slope, then dig it in and set the pipe.
Downspouts sent into the yard, away from the foundation
A rain garden, swale or dry creek bed to slow and spread it
A barrel or tank where you want to keep some
Four places it can go
Roof water has more than one destination
A rain garden
A shallow planted basin that fills in a storm and drains within a day or two.
Good where there is room and soil that drains
A swale or dry creek bed
A shallow channel that carries water across the yard and lets it soak in as it goes.
Good on a slope
A barrel or tank
Keeps some roof water for the dry months. Every opening is screened.
Good for watering by hand or by drip
Away from the house
Sometimes the job is to stop water standing at the foundation and move it somewhere better.
Good where the yard slopes toward the house
Sizing
We size it from the roof, not a guess
A roof sheds about 600 gallons for every inch of rain that falls on 1,000 square feet of it. That number, with your slope and your soil, decides how big a rain garden needs to be and whether a tank is worth having.
In our part of California the rain comes in the wet months, so we build over the dry ones. The system is in before the first storm, and the plants have time to settle.
How pricing works for roof water
What decides the price
Roof area and yard slope matter more than anything else, because they decide how much water arrives and where it can go.
Roof area feeding each downspout
Distance and slope to the garden or swale
Tank size, if you want to store water
What the estimate includes, and what it doesn't
The estimate lists downspout work, pipe, grading to the basin or swale, any tank and its screens, labor and any permit fee.
Left out unless listed: plants and rock
Left out unless listed: gutter repair or replacement
What happens at the visit
At the visit we look at each downspout, walk the slope and note where water stands after rain. We tell you the visit fee when you book, and it comes off the job if you hire us.
When you get the number
A fixed price, in writing, before work starts. If the soil turns out to be different from what we saw, we stop and tell you first.
Questions
Roof-water questions
Will a rain garden attract mosquitoes?
A rain garden drains within a day or two, which is faster than mosquitoes can breed. A tank is different, which is why every opening gets a screen.
Does it need a permit?
A barrel often does not, and a large tank or work near the house may. It depends on your office, so we ask before we quote.
What if my soil is clay?
Clay drains slowly, so the basin is wider and shallower, and we may add rock or a longer swale. We test how fast water soaks in before we draw anything.
Can you use my existing gutters?
If they are sound, yes. We check for leaks and slope when we visit, and we list any gutter work separately.
Can the tank water my vegetables?
Roof water collects whatever is on the roof. We use tank water for drip lines and ornamentals, and for edibles only where your office allows it.
Walk the yard with us
Tell us which downspouts worry you, and we will come and look.