We're putting together a bid for a project at a condo association to deal with their stormwater, and I've been asked to help with conceptual drawings. I visited the site today, located in the Seward neighborhood, and took lots of pictures and mental notes. I also made a sketch, based on my and my boss' ideas for the space.
The footprint of the site is very small, making landscaping and stormwater management a difficult task. There is almost zero grade, and in some places, a negative grade, so that water runs back into the foundation. As it stands now, there are downspouts on only one side of the buildings, and they direct water straight down into small areas a few feet from the foundation.
The condo association is looking to install French drains in those areas, but are open to other, more creative ideas. Soils and proximity to the foundations make it questionable as to whether French drains are the best option. So, we're proposing a way of incorporating the downspouts with arbors and rain chains to direct water into rain gardens.
Tight spaces and tree roots illustrate the difficulty of grading and creating areas large enough to hold rainwater. Other factors that further influence the bid include the cost of hauling away yards of excavated soil from the site, and the skilled labor to excavate around mature tree roots.
We're putting together a bid for a project at a condo association to deal with their stormwater, and I've been asked to help with conceptual drawings. I visited the site today, located in the Seward neighborhood, and took lots of pictures and mental notes. I also made a sketch, based on my and my boss' ideas for the space.
The footprint of the site is very small, making landscaping and stormwater management a difficult task. There is almost zero grade, and in some places, a negative grade, so that water runs back into the foundation. As it stands now, there are downspouts on only one side of the buildings, and they direct water straight down into small areas a few feet from the foundation.
The condo association is looking to install French drains in those areas, but are open to other, more creative ideas. Soils and proximity to the foundations make it questionable as to whether French drains are the best option. So, we're proposing a way of incorporating the downspouts with arbors and rain chains to direct water into rain gardens.
Tight spaces and tree roots illustrate the difficulty of grading and creating areas large enough to hold rainwater. Other factors that further influence the bid include the cost of hauling away yards of excavated soil from the site, and the skilled labor to excavate around mature tree roots.
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