Drainage & Grading · Stittsville, ON
French drains and yard drainage in Stittsville
Yard drainage and French drains for Stittsville homes, new lots and older ones. Many yards here still follow their original grading plan, and the fix keeps that plan working.
- Clear stone
- Filter fabric
- Perforated pipe
- Dimpled membrane
The local picture
Drainage & Grading in Stittsville
Nearly half of Stittsville’s homes are less than ten years old, and many lots still follow their original grading plan. The City expects owners to keep those grades and leave swales open. When water sits in a new yard, the first question is whether the ground still matches the plan, because a swale that has been filled or blocked stops carrying water.
Stittsville ground varies: about 37% of the Poole Creek catchment is mapped as surface bedrock and almost a third as soft organic deposits. Rock limits how deep a trench can go, and organic ground stays wet. Surveys also found moderate bank erosion along parts of Poole Creek, so yards near the creek keep runoff directed away from the slope.
Swales and catch basins in newer subdivisions
Fairwinds, Hartsmere, Fernbank and the older streets
Korvex Construction installs French drains and corrects yard grading for Stittsville homeowners, in Fairwinds, Hartsmere and the Fernbank area as well as the older streets near Stittsville Main Street. The first step is a free visit to the yard, and the written quote comes after we have seen where the water runs.
Subdivision lots are graded as a set. A swale along the rear lot line or between two houses carries water from several yards toward a catch basin or the street. The City’s lot grading FAQ says a backyard catch basin serves both your lot and the lots around it, must never be covered, and must never have anything poured into it, because it leads directly to a nearby waterway.
In a newer yard, the usual causes of standing water are changes made after the house was finished: a raised garden bed in the swale, a shed on the low line, a patio set a little high, thick sod over the catch basin grate. We give the swale its shape back first, then add a shallow French drain only where water still collects.
Where Stittsville water ends up
Poole Creek and the Carp River
Poole Creek starts in the Goulbourn Provincially Significant Wetland Complex near the Highway 7 and Hazeldean Road interchange and flows northeast to the Carp River, north of Maple Grove Road. About half of its catchment, 49.2%, is urban. The Mississippi Valley Conservation Authority’s survey noted stormwater outlets throughout the urban stretches, and erosion along a residential section where the shoreline lacks a natural buffer.
For a yard near the creek corridor, that settles two things. Collected water is spread where it can soak in on your lot, away from the bank, and the plants along the top of the slope stay where they are.
At the site visit
What we check on a lot in Stittsville
- 01
The grading plan for the lot, if the City has one on record, and how the yard compares to it today.
- 02
Rear and side swales: filled, sodded over, or blocked by a shed, fence or garden.
- 03
The backyard catch basin grate: open, or buried under mulch, sod or a bed.
- 04
Shallow rock or soft organic ground along the planned drain line.
- 05
Distance to the Poole Creek corridor and its bank.
- 06
How far each downspout extension carries water from the wall.
What we plan around
Local conditions in Stittsville
Each point links to the public source it was checked against. At the site visit we check how it applies to your lot.
- New homes, recent grading plans
Nearly half of Stittsville’s homes are less than ten years old, so many lots still follow their original grading plan. The City expects owners to keep those grades and leave swales open.
- Creek banks and runoff
Surveys found moderate bank erosion along parts of Poole Creek, including stretches in residential areas. Yards near the creek corridor keep runoff directed away from the slope.
How we build it
How a drainage fix is built
Every lot drains differently. The drawing shows the parts most of our drainage jobs use.
- Find the source
Roof water, runoff, a neighbour’s slope or a high water table: each needs its own fix.
- Outlet first
Chosen before digging. A drain with nowhere to discharge only moves the puddle.
- Protect the foundation
A dimpled membrane under the stone can steer water away from the wall.
- Grade the surface
Finished ground slopes away from the house, toward the drain.
- Clear-stone surfaceOpen stone over the membrane, so water gets off the surface fast and is carried away from the wall.Open and free-draining
- Filter fabricKeeps soil from washing into the stone and clogging it over time.Laid over the soil
- Perforated pipe, where neededCollects water in the trench and carries it to the planned outlet.Laid to fall
- Stone beddingSurrounds the pipe so water can reach it from all sides.Levelled across the area
- Graded native soilTrench bottom shaped to fall steadily toward the outlet.To firm ground
Projects
Drainage and grading we have built
Recent jobs from across Ottawa.
“Vlad and his coworkers are very hard working and professional with a realistic and fair pricing that cant beat any other company out there ! We just had a major leak in our basement and they efficiently waterproofed the foundation and created a french drain with outstanding finish of layering gravel and pavement reconstruction. They are the people to call for almost any kind of work on your house !! Thank you guys God Bless & Respekt!”
Gio Ivana Herrera · French drain after a basement leak
FAQ
Drainage & Grading in Stittsville: common questions
There is a catch basin in our backyard. Can a garden or patio go over it?
No. City of Ottawa lot grading guidance says a backyard catch basin must never be covered or blocked, because it removes excess water from your lawn and from the lots that border yours. Small gardens are allowed as long as they leave the intended drainage alone. We plan beds, patios and drains around the grate.
Water comes onto our lot from the neighbour’s newer house. Whose problem is it?
Each owner is responsible for keeping the grades from the lot’s original grading plan. If the water comes from a neighbour’s downspout, the City suggests talking with the neighbour first and calling 3-1-1 if that does not solve it. On your side of the line, a regraded swale or a shallow French drain can catch the water and carry it to an outlet on your lot.
Our new house has a wet backyard. Is it the grading?
It can be the grading, a blocked swale or roof water discharging too close to the house. For a newer home the grading plan is more likely to be on record with the City, and we compare the yard to it at the site visit. Then we propose the simplest fix that moves the water.
Do you work in Stittsville?
Yes. Korvex Construction builds fences, interlock, decks and drainage across Stittsville, from the streets near Stittsville Main Street to newer subdivisions like Fairwinds, Hartsmere and Fernbank. Many of these lots still follow their original grading plan, and the new work is set to keep it working. Request a free estimate or call 613-880-7679.
Why does my yard stay wet long after rain?
Much of Ottawa sits on clay, which drains slowly, so water that has nowhere to run stays near the surface. The usual causes are a low spot, a yard that has lost its slope, water arriving from a neighbour’s higher lot, or downspouts emptying onto the lawn. We walk the yard, ideally after a rain, find which of these it is, and fix that: regrading, a French drain to an outlet, or both.
Book a free drainage estimate in Stittsville
Tell us what you want built and send a few photos. We come out, look at what sits under the job, and give you the scope and the price in writing.