See what people are saying about Drainage and Erosion
 
Paul Krein (Leesburg, VA)
Drain pipes, landscaping, flagstone walkway and stoop
 
Paul hired you as a Soil, Drainage and landscaping in 2007 and hired you more than once
Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, High Integrity
 
“Ken's has helped us on many projects, from designing a complex drainage solution for our house, to beautiful stone and drainage work integrated seamlessly into our landscaping. His crew is very efficient, friendly, and always willing to go the extra mile. They are on time, clean up well after themselves, and make useful suggestions to help us maintain our property. Ken also runs a tight ship of professionals, and is a pleasure to work with. We look forward to our next project with Ken and his team.” March 2, 2011
 
Heather Naples, Owner, Brown Construction Services, Inc. (business partner)
Drainage design for condominium complex
 
“Ken is very knowledgeable about drainage issues. He recently walked a community site with me and suggested cost-effective measures to address water infiltration issues at building foundation walls and site retaining walls. In addition to his technical knowledge, Ken is very responsive to e-mail messages and phone calls. I have referred owners and property managers to Ken in the past for their drainage issues and will continue to do so.” March 2, 2011
 
Laura Poole, Loudoun Management Associates (Leesburg, VA)
Various drainage designs and an asphalt pathway for an HOA
Laura hired you as a Drainage in 2008 and hired you more than once
Top qualities: Expert, On Time, High Integrity
 
“Ken's company has provided excellent services to my clients. His solutions have proven to be successful and his crew worked clean and on time. His approach to each client was customized and sensitive to budget constraints. I highly recommend his service.” March 2, 2011  
Peter Gomez (Leesburg, VA)
Flagstone patio, drain pipes, landscaping
Peter hired you as a Landscaping in 2007 and hired you more than once
Top qualities: Great Results, Expert, High Integrity
 
“We relied on Ken's company for several major landscaping projects for our home, including a slate patio; stacked-stone retaining walls; pop-up drains, and the planting of trees, and shrubs, and perennials. The team was very personable, professional, and informative. We remain very pleased with the results after several years. Additionally, Drainage and Erosion Solutions installed a beautiful asphalt path for our HOA that is enjoyed by residents every day.” March 4, 2011

Drainage & Erosion Solutions Earns Coveted Angie’s List Super Service Award

Award reflects company’s consistently high level of customer service

Drainage & Erosion Solutions, LLC has been awarded the prestigious 2010 Angie’s List Super Service Award, an honor bestowed annually on approximately 5 percent of all the companies rated on the nation’s leading provider of consumer reviews on local service companies.

“Our Super Service Award winners are the cream of the crop when it comes to providing consistently high quality customer service, as judged by the customers who hired them,” said Angie Hicks, founder of Angie’s List.

Drainage & Erosion Solutions was founded in 2003 by two friends, Ken Fraine, a licensed professional engineer, and Mark Lane, a landscape designer. Ken and Mark discovered that their two fields could be merged into the area of drainage design and construction and decided to create a unique service company to help homeowners with both engineering consultation and design system installation, all while creating an aesthetically pleasing result.

Angie’s List Super Service Award winners have met strict eligibility requirements including earning a minimum number of reports, an exemplary rating from their customers and abiding by Angie’s List operational guidelines.

Service company ratings are updated daily on Angie’s List, but members can find the 2010 Super Service Award logo next to company names in search results on AngiesList.com.

Angie’s List collects consumer reviews on local contractors and doctors in more than 500 service categories. Currently, more than 1 million consumers across the U.S. rely on Angie’s List to help them make the best hiring decisions. Members get unlimited access to local ratings via Internet or phone, exclusive discounts, the Angie’s List magazine and help from the Angie’s List complaint resolution service. Take a quick tour of Angie’s List and view the latest Angie’s List news.

NEWLY INSTALLED SOD

• Water immediately after installation
• 90 degree weather - water HEAVY once a day in the early morning
• Lower temps (70's) - water moderately every other day

You can check the sod to ensure proper watering by gently peeling back a corner of the sod.  Make sure the soil and the soil pad (under grass) is wet.  This shows that the watering is effective and is penetrating through the soil.  Another way to check your soil is by using a screwdriver.  If the soil is too dry, the screwdriver will not be able to penetrate through it.  You want the screwdriver to go in easily without coming out muddy.  You want the water to go down deep so the roots will follow the water.  If the water stays on top, then roots will too.

ESTABLISHED SOD - (ALREADY ROOTED)

• Once the sod is rooted (generally about 2 weeks after installation), water every 2-3 days depending on the weather conditions.
• Continue to provide adequate watering at least every other day, early in the morning.  Especially when experiencing dry and HOT conditions!

Snow Melt: What can you do to prevent surface water infiltration from snow melt?
 
There are several preventative measures that you can take both before and after a snow event.
 
Before it snows:
 
1. Before it snows, be sure that the ground surface around the perimeter of your foundation wall has a positive grade (i.e., sloped away from the wall).
 
2. Check your gutters and keep them clear.  We highly recommend installing buried downspout extensions to take water from melting snow on your roof a safe distance away.
 
After it snows:
 
1. Keep the end of your downspouts clear so water can flow freely.
 
2. Avoid piling up snow along the foundation walls.
 
 
The "X-FACTOR" is below-grade foundation wall waterproofing.  Even with proper grading and downspout extensions, if you foundation wall isn't properly water-proofed below grade then water seepage can occur.  This is especially true for older CMU block walls as the blocks and mortar joints around them are fairly porous.  You should consult a DES engineer if you have a concern about foundation waterproofing.

Here's a picture of some significant concrete spalling on the interior face of a foundation wall of a older home in Purcellville, VA.  This is the result of decades of water infiltration through the wood framing and plywood covering the access panel.  This problem can be fairly easily solved by simply installing a new window that is properly sealed.  The concrete wall itself is still intact and shows no other signs of damage.  
Spalling can also be the result of the freeze/thaw cycle, ground shifting, rebar corrosion, exposure to corrosive elements, or improper installation of concrete during the original construction.  Materials used for this type of repair include two-component, epoxy-based mortars that utilize silica and/or aggregate, polymer-modified cements or hydraulic cements, as well as additional materials specific to the customer’s repair needs.
 
Our recommendation to the homeowner was to install a new, properly sealed window and repair the concrete face as described above.

A very common problem that we see is severe erosion under area way basement steps.  The cause of this problem is a combination of a complete lack of a proper compacted gravel subbase to prevent erosion and using uncompacted soil backfill directly under the concrete as it's being placed.  We solve this problem by excavating a loose material from under the steps, placing a compactable gravel subbase (typically VDOT 21-A when in Virginia), re-grading the surface for positive drainage away from the structure, and stabilizing the ground surface with either sod or a decorative stepping stones and gravel.  It's also important to install a buried downspout extension, if there happens to be a downspout in the area, which often aggravates the situation if the downspout is allowed to drain the gutter water next to the steps.

Drainage & Erosion Solutions design and constructed this project in Alexandria, VA where we installed a drainage swale to carry surface water flow from the backyard, demolished and reconstructed the retaining walls along the driveway, installed and new drainage system under the new asphalt driveway, and constructed new brick paver steps and lead walkway.

Here's a stacked stone window well DES constructed in McLean, VA.  This added a lot more light to the basement and made the outside view a lot more enjoyable.