In simplest terms, grading is how the ground slopes around the foundation/perimeter of the home. Proper grading helps to drain water away from the home’s foundation and prevents things like leaks, foundation cracks, and other costly problems. To ensure our homesites drain as efficiently as possible, we focus on four main attributes when preparing the land for your new home: Grading, Drainage, Lawn/Sod Maintenance, and Storm Water Maintenance.

HOMESITE GRADING

We have spent countless hours in the planning, design, and layout of each CraftMaster homesite. Professionally engineered grading and drainage plans are prepared, approved, and properly implemented in each of our communities, ensuring that homesites are cleared and graded so that water flows away from each home and homesite.

HOMESITE DRAINAGE

As a part of the community’s storm water management system, each homesite is designed to properly handle storm water by draining water away from the home’s foundation and into the storm drain system, which consists of swales, drains, yard inlets, catch basins, pipes, and ponds. In many cases, rain water from one homesite is intended to flow onto and through another, either down slopes or within shallow surface depressions, (called swales), to reach other key features of the storm water system.

LAWN SOD/GRASS MAINTENANCE

Once a home has been completed, the homesite is landscaped, and sod/grass is installed to establish the yard and stabilize the homesite, it is the homeowner’s responsibility to maintain the sod/grass to ensure that it grows and continues to prevent soil erosion. Developing and maintaining a healthy lawn is a process that involves watering, fertilizing, weed control, and other maintenance.

Information on sod/grass care, including proper watering, cutting, and fertilizing, can be found online at: https://virginiagreen.com/resources-for-your-lawn/watering/

STORM WATER SYSTEM MAINTENANCE

Proper maintenance of swales and storm drain yard inlets can minimize and/or eliminate minor drainage problems or more serious flooding conditions on a homesite. Homeowners are urged to maintain the grading of their homesite and swales, and for keeping the openings of yard inlets unobstructed.

We encourage homeowners to take grading and drainage into consideration when planning a homesite improvement project, such as the addition of landscaping, and/or home and yard improvements (including planting beds, berms, bed borders, retaining walls, house additions, patios/decks, fences, sand boxes, play sets, storage sheds, gazebos, and pools.) Making any of these changes, can affect the drainage pattern and impact both your and your neighbor’s homesite.

STANDING WATER

After irrigating and/or any rain event, water may collect in swales on a homesite, and standing water may last for several hours. During wet winter months, subsoil layers can become saturated and often will not allow excess surface water from rain or irrigation to soak in or infiltrate quickly. Combined with cooler temperatures and fewer hours of sunlight, this can cause surface water to stand for longer periods. However, no surface water should be expected to remain within 10 feet of a home for longer than 48 hours after a rainfall event.

In most cases adjusting irrigation/watering can help minimize and/or eliminate these problems.

DEALING WITH DRAINAGE PROBLEMS

Many drainage problems can be avoided if homeowners maintain swales and a healthy lawn. However, if you encounter issues that seem outside of the normal situations outlined above, you may reach out to our warranty department (804-739-0770) for assistance. Please be prepared to provide your contact information, address, the location of the water problem, the source of the water, whether from your home or adjacent property (if known), and the frequency of the problem.