I recently had Mike Orlando, owner of DaVinci Plumbing contractors, complete an ambitious flood relief project in my backyard and garage. After enduring flooding over 30+ years, I was finally compelled to act, as standing water in the yard has become an increasing problem with the growing intensity of our storms. My backyard neighbor claims the high ground which, of course, means that I receive ALL of their runoff, too. It had gotten to the point that I measured 6â of standing water at the low point of the yard in the most recent spring rains. In addition, the water now covered nearly the entire backyard making it impossible to grow grass let alone enjoy it because water sat for days on end. Other problems that I was forced to address included a downspout that serviced the entire backyard roof, but which had no point of discharge except for the water to pond under my wood deck until it found its way into the attached garage, issues related to chronic flooding in my drive-down garage from the floor drain (muddy water bubbling up), and from water that stacked up outside of the garage door until it seeped in from underneath. Mike described a plan that addressed all of this, but what impressed me the most was the way he described the care that he would take in protecting my side garden, the flagstone steppers, wood deck, shrubs, trees and work around buried low voltage landscaping lights and overhead phone service while operating an excavator and bobcat to dig an 8â deep x 4â wide hole that would receive multiple concrete sections that would form the water basin with sump pump. He also described how he would connect the downspout to the water basin by tying in pvc pipe, and install a new driveway-wide drain tile to replace an inadequately sized box drain that couldnâÂÂt handle the volume of rainwater. He and his able crew: Louie, Bobby, and Chico worked with impressive precision and efficiency. Louie drove the bobcat back and forth through the side yard without damaging my landscaping. Mike was on the excavator digging with the precision of a surgeon to avoid the overhanging phoneline, trees and low voltage landscape lights. Bobby was in the middle of all of the toughest work from leveling out the pit 8â below ground, to handling the finish carpentry on the deck, and pouring and trimming the concrete to set the driveway drain tile. Chico was the able assistant who worked as BobbyâÂÂs second. It was two full days of work and since they left there have been two heavy downpours. For the first time EVER, my back yard has not ponded over. Do you know what a relief it is to finally see a dry yard after a storm? After the first rainstorm, water did re-emerge from the garage floor drain, and when I called Mike about it, he was genuinely distressed. He immediately had his crew back the first thing the next morning and they re-rodded all of the lines thoroughly a second time. It rained that night and I was so pleased to finally s