Yard Drainage issues

Question

We have clay soil so we had our landscaper/yard maintenance person come out to see what could be done for our drainage issues...there were many low spots in the yard & even when he stepped on them, he could feel the sogginess.

What he finally suggested might fix the problem is to just dig up our existing yard totally (backyard)...regrade it, then put down a layer of gravel/sand, put about 3 inches of topsoil on that, then put new grass seed in...He gave us an estimate of around $3750 to do this. But one of the issues I think we might have is that our gutters in the back come down & go into the concrete which is away from the house but could that be causing our soggy yard?

Where is that water going & how could that be tested to see? We want to the most cost effective thing we can do but still solve the problem...what should we be looking at and how do we know what to do?

Answer 1

Seems a little excessive to dig up the whole yard and not just add dirt. But to find out where the gutters drain just add some food coloring into the gutter drain and see where it pops up. It should come out a white 4 inch pipe at the curb but could be coming out a overgrown yard popup. FYI it is illegal to drain rain runoff into a sewer line if you happen to not be able to locate the outflow someone may have done a no no.