That time my French drain just made things worse

I dug a 30 foot trench around my back patio in Akron last spring thinking I was being smart... Tossed in the pipe and gravel just like every video showed. Well, the water pooled right against the house foundation instead of flowing away because I didn't slope it enough by maybe half an inch per foot. Had to rip it all out and redo it with a laser level I borrowed from a buddy. Has anyone else had a DIY drainage project backfire that bad?

3 comments

3 Comments

hollyg591mo ago

The laser level thing is smart, wish I had thought of that before my own mess. We did something similar with a dry creek bed in the front yard, but my husband figured we could eyeball the slope. Ended up with a little pond right next to the mailbox, all the gravel washed out into the street after a good rain. Neighbor's cat started using it as a personal water bowl, pretty sure he told the whole neighborhood about our drainage disaster.

elizabeth9001mo ago

Read somewhere that even a 1% slope matters for drainage. @hollyg59 that cat was probably judging

david_rivera41mo ago

Close. 1% slope is actually the minimum for paved surfaces, but for dirt or gravel you want more like 2%. That cat was definitely a critic. Probably had a whole feline homeowners association meeting about it.