Landscaping in Washington is drainage and shade on the west side, and water supply plus winter on the east side. West of the Cascades, lawns go mossy, beds stay sour, and big conifers drop debris while their roots drink the runoff you wanted away from the house. Slopes shed water at foundations. East of the Cascades, summer irrigation is the difference between a yard and bare ground, and winter will kill plantings and crack work that ignored the freeze. Start with what the rain or the ditch does, not with a flower you liked.
Start at the house and move out. Grade should carry water away from the foundation, not into a crawl space or a downhill window well. Downspouts need somewhere to go besides the bed against the siding. On a wet west-side lot, a handsome bed that holds water is a plumbing problem wearing mulch. On a dry east-side lot, an irrigation line with no way to be emptied before winter is a spring surprise waiting under the soil.
Say what the slope does, what the soil looks like, and which trees own the light. A yard under firs will not behave like a yard in full basin sun. Say whether you want a lawn, a drier planting that asks less of summer water, or a fix for a path that never firms up. Regrading, a swale, and a wall that is leaning are part of this trade when the problem is water. Blooms can wait until the house is out of the path.
Mention pets, a steep drop, and any drain that already exists and has failed. If a claim involves a fallen tree or a washout after a covered storm, keep that separate from a yard you have been planning all year. Have the town ready and a plain description of where water sits after a hard rain. Hill lots and flat irrigated lots do not share a sketch.
Washington rain or Washington frost will test the grade the week after anyone touches it. Walk the low side of the house, then call with the town and whether the job is water, trees, or a yard that will not survive the season. Call the number on this page.