Lake Station sits where the Deep River bends through town on its way north, and that river shapes almost everything about landscaping here. The old East Gary neighborhoods of 46405 spread out along I-80/94, Riverview Park follows the water, and a lot of these lots sit low enough that the water table is never far below the surface. Add the heavy Lake County clay that refuses to drain, and you get a town where managing water is the whole game. Romes Property Maintenance knows this ground well.
The most common Lake Station call is standing water — a backyard that turns to mush after every storm, a side yard that never fully dries, a low spot that breeds mosquitoes all summer. Near the Deep River and the flatter stretches by the interstate, runoff has nowhere to go once the clay saturates, and our freeze-thaw winters keep reworking the surface. We solve it with real drainage: French drains, dry creek beds, and re-graded swales that pull water away from the house and off the lawn. Once the ground is dry enough to work with, we can build on it — level a base, lay sod that will actually root, and set plantings that hold up. Turf-type tall fescue handles our clay, and tough natives like little bluestem tolerate the damp-then-dry swings better than fussy nursery stock.
Lake Station's yards: local context
Lake Station was East Gary until 1977, and a lot of the housing still reflects that era — solid, established homes on 46405 lots that sit low along the Deep River and the I-80/94 corridor. Riverview Park traces the water through town, and the closer a yard sits to the river or the interstate flats, the shorter the trip down to the water table. Layer heavy Lake County clay over that, and drainage becomes the defining challenge of nearly every property in town. When the clay saturates, runoff has nowhere to go, so it sits — and freeze-thaw winters keep reworking the surface year after year, opening low spots that weren't there the season before. Reading exactly where the water wants to move, and where it stalls, is the first thing we do on any Lake Station lot.
Our Landscaping Services in Lake Station
Low, river-adjacent lots need water handled first. Lake Station homeowners count on us for:
- Drainage and grading solutions to move standing water off low, wet lots
- Retaining walls to hold banks and level yards near the Deep River
- Lawn installation with sod and seeding once the ground drains right
- Hardscaping and paver patios built on a base that won't sink
- Mulching and shrub removal to clear and refresh soggy, overgrown beds
- Pressure washing to clean silt and grime off walks and driveways
Why Lake Station homeowners choose Romes
Lake Station homeowners hire Romes because the fundamentals are all in place:
- 70 Google reviews at a 4.8-star average from Region homeowners
- 8+ years working wet, river-adjacent Lake County lots
- Locally owned and operated by owner Rome Romero, with a hands-on crew
- Licensed and insured, with a free written estimate before we start
- One crew that handles the drainage, the build, and the cleanup
Folks here tell us the same thing our reviews do: we show up, work fast, price it fair, and leave the place clean. On wet Lake Station lots that also means we don't just slap sod over a swamp — Rome's crew fixes the water first so the fix actually lasts. We've regraded backyards that ponded after every rain, hauled out overgrown brush, and pressure-washed the mud off driveways when the job wrapped. Will keeps things moving, and the honest, up-front approach is why neighbors near Riverview Park keep passing our name along.
Ready to dry out your yard?
Whether you're along the Deep River or up near the interstate, we'll find where the water goes wrong and build a real fix. We also serve neighboring Hobart and Gary. Reach out through our contact page to request your free on-site estimate, and we'll come read the lot.
Lake Station landscaping FAQs
My Lake Station backyard floods after every storm. Can it be fixed?
Yes, and it's the job we do most in town. Low lots over saturated clay hold water, so we install a French drain, a dry creek bed, or re-grade the yard to give runoff a clear path away from the house. We check the fix during the next real rain.
Can I put in a patio if my yard stays wet?
You can, but the base has to be built right. On damp Lake Station lots we handle drainage and grading first, then set a compacted, well-drained paver base so the patio doesn't sink or heave. Skip that step and it will move with the clay.
Will new sod survive on a low, wet lot?
Only if the drainage is sorted out first. We correct the grade and the water, then lay sod or seed with turf-type tall fescue that can root in Region clay. That order is the difference between a lawn that takes and one that rots.
Is spring the best time to fix drainage on a Lake Station lot?
We tackle Lake Station drainage year-round, and honestly a soggy spring lot is the easiest to diagnose — the standing water shows us exactly where it stalls. As long as the ground isn't frozen solid, we can cut a swale, set a French drain, or build a dry creek bed and route the water off your property.