By Jesus Burciaga, CP&M (Community Preservation & Management, Inc.)
Grading and drainage are critical aspects of both multifamily and single-family residential development that are often overlooked despite the importance of proper grading and drainage. Parking areas or common areas of multifamily developments sometimes are not adequately graded, resulting in damages ranging from shortened parking lot life to catastrophic building damage, even liability hazards such as:
- Heaving concrete
- Poor common area drainage
- Foundation damage
- Abnormal sloping toward a building
- Rear and side swales of building holding water
- Unsuitable high grading around the building
Poor grading/drainage is not always evident. When walking the property, the following can be a red flag that there are underlying issues:
- Unstable soil is caused by water absorption into the ground. The more water the ground takes on, the less stable the ground will be. The ground surface may look as it should but walking through the landscape may bring the waiting water to the surface.
- Landscape Drainage Issues – water will run towards the parts of the lowest and least protected landscape areas.
- Puddles/ponds indicate where your landscape fails to drain.
- Dying grass or landscape can rot plant roots due to excessive water.
- Mosquitoes – standing water is a breeding zone for mosquitoes.
A moderate amount of time is needed to address poor/negative grades to avoid significant property damage. Drainage corrections can consist of numerous solutions defined by specific grading and drainage issues.
- Xeriscape concepts help solve drainage problems, save water, and improve aesthetics.
- Laser leveling technique to grade
- Grass/Cobble/Surface drainage swales
- French Drain/underground pipes and area drain.
- Custom built chase or grate system protect drainage systems and drive water away from buildings and down into a rock-filled area. These rock areas blend in with landscaping and protect the buildings compromising landscape design.
- Concrete pans
- Infrared patching, crack sealing and seal coat to fix less damaged areas.
- Gutters and downspouts should be free of obstructions to stop pooling around the perimeter of the building.
- Waterproofing your foundation can keep water away from goods.
While doing annual walks to inspect exterior aspects of a community are an industry standard, grading and drainage are often overlooked during these inspections. Grading and drainage issues are not evident to the naked eye. Ensuring that someone is looking out for the above issues can help extend the life of your community and buildings and avoid costly damages created by negative grading and drainage.
Jesus Burciaga has been with CP&M (Community Preservation & Management, Inc.) and its many entities for over three years. Being part of the growth of CP&M, a full-service General Contractor along with its in-house roofing division, R3NG, has been a fantastic journey. CP&M specializes in providing solutions for Commercial Property Managers, HOA-managed multi-family & single-family communities, REO rehabilitation, apartment industries, and government housing entities.
