How to Fix a Yard That Floods

If your yard or lawn floods after every rainstorm or even after watering the lawn, it is not graded properly and retains water. Lawns that are flat or have a concave in the middle will retain water, causing the grass to "drown" from over-watering. The fix for a lawn that floods consistently is to grade the yard, allowing water to run off the lawn into the street after a rain or after watering.

Sod cutter

Wood stakes

Rubber mallet

String

Line levels

Top soil

Wheelbarrow

Landscaping rake

2-by-4 lumber

Lawn aerator

Set a sod cutter to cut under your grass, about 1 inch into the top soil. Run the sod cutter across the yard and roll up the grass as you go. You will be left with just soil in the yard.

Roll the cut sod off the lawn until you are finished grading the lawn.

Pound wood stakes into the ground next to the exterior of your house with a rubber mallet. Then, pound another set of stakes near the street and parallel to the ones next to the house.

Wrap string between the stakes near the house and those next to the street. Use line levels to allow the string to drop 1 foot for every 50 feet.

Dump top soil into a wheelbarrow and spread it across the bare yard with a landscaping rake, making the grade or slope of the soil match the strings.

Smooth the newly shoveled top soil with 2-by-4-inch lumber, then remove the strings and stakes.

Roll your sod back over the newly graded lawn and water it regularly for the next two weeks. The water should absorb into the lawn and the excess should run-off.