The battle between sustainability and usability
Regain hero status with the kids by being able to connect and play as you should.
The Problems
You want to help save the environment, but you also wish to have usable space to play and enjoy your outdoor space.
So, to save our fish and wildlife, you now need an unsafe looking facility that takes up what feels like all your usable yard space. You want to get your space back but don’t want to damage the storm system or have anyone suffer adverse effects so you can kick a ball around the yard or play frisbee without falling in a hole. Everyone can agree that giving up a prominent part of their yard to harvest and clean rainwater sucks.
We think it’s horrible to not get the most out of our outdoor spaces.
We Can Help
We too thought this was an unavoidable obstacle in the way of creating meaningful spaces for our clients. It turns out it’s not! We’ve researched the code and worked with the city of Seattle and have found a solution that allows us to move this water cleaning process underground, giving you back your space.
In most applications mitigating an over the ground facility like a Rain Garden or Bioretention Cell is possible.
The Plan
With registered Landscape Architects on staff and competent construction managers, we can help you design and build something less intrusive. These endeavors require permitting and field inspection, which we can help you navigate. It’s also helpful and reassuring to know the work will be reviewed and approved by a third party.
Conclusion
Drainage changes require SDCI approval so if you’re committed to reclaiming space do it legally. Always avoid risky changes to permitted work that can land you in trouble and make selling your house difficult. Find a competent designer who can provide drainage plans to the city and a qualified Side Sewer Contractor to do the work.
External Resources
The City of Seattle Stormwater Manual holds requirements and design specifications for every kind of stormwater management.
The City also hosts a Stormwater page with links to the code, a training presentation, forms, documents, design checklists, and tips.