So Remus did go to the show and did do well. I have media etc. but first today I want to talk about drainage and barn issues. UGH. Remus fun stuff to come later this week. For now, HELP.
When we first moved in our paddock area was a muddy gross mess. We got gravel laid down and that has fixed that issue pretty much. Almost 2 years later it still works fine.
So then I had the bright idea of graveling the front of the barn area. It made sense. I park my trailer there, it gives us extra parking and should help with the water gathering. Right? WRONG.
This is not the person who did all the work for us that caused this. He has come back numerous times to help try to make this work. But for some reason the erosion and lay of the land has made the water go into my barn aisle. MANY TIMES. And now it is going into the front stall (first stall as you walk in on the right). Twice in the last two weeks. Water standing. It is gross. And annoying. And I am tired of it.
So I am reaching out to ideas from you all. I can’t stand this. The water SEEMS to sit on the right of the gravel laid out if you are facing the barn and then drains into the stall under the wall. As well as it goes thru the door threshold into the barn aisles and wrecks that area too. I have old hay bags and flood sandbags in the doorway to help. They do not help. Sigh.
Burke came back again and dug a trench into my paddock which drains some of the water away but it still gathers and goes into the barn. Now to be honest, Tennessee never has nice drizzle. It is either NO RAIN or BALLS TO THE WALLS RAIN THAT WILL NOT STOP and we get 3-4 inches in an hour. But I got to do something.
When we bought this place this didn’t happen at all. Even regrading out front of barn did not help. Adding more gravel did not help. I am at my wits’ end. Also pardon how bad my barn aisle looks I have to put old hay down to soak up water and it has been so many rain storms lately that it never dries up so I can never seem to get it cleaned up again. Maybe I should raise rice, tropical fish, or koi? I don’t know!
Anyone else have this kind of issue. UGH. What a mess!
Fat Buckskin in a Little Suit 
That sucks. 😢
Water will find its level, and it would seem that your barn might be downstream of some natural flow. You do say it is a recent issue, so maybe there is hope that you can proceed with the current location of the barn? Otherwise, maybe moving the barn to a higher elevation would be best.
Other options include moats, ditches, and drainage underneath the ground around the barn. All are pretty expensive options.
While we dont have your rain issues, we have spring thaws that melt thousands of cubic feet of snow around the barn and make a mighty mess, especially as it flows towards the barn. We dig trenches, and surround the paddocks and barn with sand (drainage sand).
The UK also has extensive rain/drainage issues and they might have some technology solutions that would fit your use case.
Good luck and keep us posted on your findings!
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thank you! Also I just looked at some of your last blog posts and you WIN! 🙂 hahahah i could not deal with all that ice and melting wow. 🙂 I will keep you posted on what we do. More rain coming this week. Joy! NOT 🙂
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I was going to also recommend drains around your barn but it does seem like moving quite a bit of dirt. Texas is like Tennessee in that we love getting absolute downpours or else it’s a drought for months. I hope you get some good advice!
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Oh no – sorry you are dealing with this. Flooding sucks. The gravel must have changed the flow of water enough to push it inside the barn. My parent’s house when I was growing up had no issues until the lot next door got built on then their basement flooded every time it rained. They ended up putting in a french drain system and it fixed it. Expensive, but effective.
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Idiots built my barn on the bottom corner of the property. They did put in a swale, but when it rains super hard, the swale fills and then sends water cascading down my aisleway. A french drain helped, but you have to be very careful not to drive the tractor, etc. over it or you can crush the drain.
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We had this problem at a previous property…our end solution was that we moved!
Maybe look into a French drain? That would have been our next step if we would have stayed. Good luck, it is such a frustrating problem to have!
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I love that you said your solution was you moved 🙂 Thanks so much for the input! 🙂
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Oh man- I can’t even begin to tell you about the flooding problems I had at my old barn!!! I swear it was built on top of a small well or something b/c every time it rained in the winter one of the stalls would flood from below! It wasn’t rain draining into the stall it would come up from under the barn- and it only did it in the winter when the surrounding trees were dormant and not sucking up water constantly. Oh and then it would flood “downhill” into the other stall where it would sit until it seeped back into the dirt floors. I solved the problem by moving 😛 hehehe But otherwise French Drain is probably your best bet- you might be able to get away with just the trench and gravel? But someone with more drainage expertise would have to tell you about that!
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that is #2 suggestion to move the F away 🙂 thanks! 🙂
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It won’t be cheap… but curtain drains are probably what you’ll need to do. Sorry you’re dealing with this, what a PITA!
Or…. take that first stall, put a drain in it, and make it a wash stall!
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