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Landscape planning

What to Document When Water Collects in a Landscape

Published · Blue Claw Associates

Water collecting in a yard can look different from one storm to the next. A useful brief describes the site without guessing at a cause or prescribing a drainage system.

This guide prepares a useful first conversation while leaving diagnosis, engineering, product selection, price, schedule and suitability to site-specific review.

Photograph the full area

Take wide photographs showing the affected area in relation to the house, driveway, walls and planting beds, followed by close photographs of visible water, wet soil or debris lines. Review landscape construction for service context.

Record timing

Note the date, rainfall timing, when water became visible and how long it remained. Use plain observations rather than conclusions about underground conditions.

Map nearby surfaces

List roofs, downspouts, driveways, patios, walkways and slopes. If walls are nearby, include the masonry service in the conversation.

Include access information

Record gates, narrow passages, sensitive plantings and available surveys. The outdoor project brief can organize the notes.

Bring a concise list

Include wide and close photographs, dates, duration, nearby surfaces, recent changes and access limits.

Review the relevant service areas, then contact Blue Claw Associates to discuss the appropriate next step.