If you own a home in New Orleans, you already know this, even if you don’t think about it every day.
Water runs the show here.
It doesn’t matter how nice the house is.
It doesn’t matter how new the landscaping is.
If water doesn’t have a clear place to go, it’s going to sit somewhere it shouldn’t.
Most of the drainage calls we get don’t start with someone saying, “I think I need a drainage system.”
They usually start with frustration.
“My yard never really dries out.”
“My grass keeps dying in the same spots.”
“Every time it rains hard, we get puddles by the house.”
And a lot of homeowners assume that’s just part of living in New Orleans. That it’s normal. That nothing can really be done.
That’s not true.
Drainage problems are common here, but they’re not unavoidable. They just don’t get addressed correctly most of the time.
New Orleans gets a lot of rain. Sometimes all at once. Sometimes for days in a row. Older neighborhoods especially weren’t built with modern drainage in mind, and over the years, lots have shifted. Additions get added. Patios get poured. Landscaping changes. All of that affects how water moves across a property.
Or how it doesn’t move.
What usually happens is water finds the lowest spots and just stays there. In lawns. In beds. Near foundations. Along walkways. And at first, it’s just annoying.
The lawn feels squishy.
Shoes get muddy.
You avoid certain areas after it rains.
Then the plants start telling the story.
Roots sit in water too long and start to suffocate. Plants struggle even though they’re being watered and cared for. Mulch washes out of beds. Soil erodes. Things stop holding their shape.
This is where homeowners start replacing plants.
Over and over again.
And nobody tells them the real problem isn’t the plants at all.
It’s the water.
One of the biggest misunderstandings we see is the idea that drainage is a surface issue. Like if you just add some dirt here, or cut a little trench there, it’ll solve the problem.
Sometimes that helps for a short time.
Sometimes it actually pushes the water somewhere worse.
Professional drainage isn’t guesswork.
We don’t just look at where the water is pooling. We look at the entire property. Where water is coming from. How it moves. Where it should be going. Grading, elevation, soil type, runoff paths, downspouts. All of it matters.
A lot of New Orleans homes sit on lots that have been altered dozens of times over decades. Each change affects drainage. And those effects add up.
Drainage systems need to be designed, not patched.
That might mean regrading part of the yard.
It might mean installing subsurface drainage.
It might mean catch basins, French drains, or a combination of systems.
There isn’t a one-size-fits-all solution, and that’s where a lot of drainage work goes wrong. Someone installs a generic fix without understanding the bigger picture.
And then the homeowner calls us later when it doesn’t work.
Good drainage should be boring.
That’s something we say a lot.
If a drainage system is noticeable, it probably wasn’t done right. When it works, you don’t think about it. You just notice that the yard dries out faster. The plants look healthier. The lawn holds together better. You stop stressing when the forecast shows heavy rain.
Drainage also plays a huge role in protecting the home itself.
Water sitting near the foundation is never a good thing. Over time, it can contribute to soil movement, cracking, and moisture issues that show up inside the house. Those problems usually don’t start inside. They start outside, quietly.
Fixing drainage early is a lot cheaper than fixing foundations later.
Drainage solutions also protect landscaping investments.
High-end landscaping isn’t cheap. Custom beds, mature plants, hardscaping, turf. Without proper drainage, all of that breaks down faster than it should. Drainage extends the life of everything built on top of it.
It also makes the yard usable.
Nobody wants to deal with standing water days after a storm. Or tiptoe around soggy spots. Or avoid parts of their own yard. Proper drainage gives homeowners their outdoor space back.
One thing we talk through with clients a lot is expectations.
Drainage doesn’t mean the yard will be bone dry five minutes after a downpour. This is New Orleans. Water happens. The goal is controlled movement and proper exit. Water should move away from the house, away from beds, and off the property efficiently.
When drainage is done correctly, everything else works better.
Grass grows more evenly.
Plants establish faster.
Beds keep their shape.
Hardscapes stay level longer.
It becomes easier to maintain the yard because you’re not constantly fighting moisture issues.
In New Orleans, drainage isn’t a luxury upgrade.
It’s not an add-on.
It’s a foundation.
If it’s not right, nothing else really performs the way it should, no matter how nice it looks at first.
Most homeowners don’t think about drainage until something goes wrong. That’s understandable. It’s not exciting. It’s not decorative. You don’t show it off.
But it’s one of the most important parts of a healthy, long-lasting landscape in this city.
When drainage is handled professionally, the yard finally starts working the way it should. And that’s when homeowners stop reacting to problems and start actually enjoying their outdoor space again.
