Uploaded September 2020 | Updated September 2026, 7 hours ago
One of the most common problems in residential landscaping is improper drainage. Having a properly drained landscape is every bit as important as having a properly watered landscape.
Improper drainage can result in foundation problems, leaky basements, moisture seepage into your home’s walls, problems with mold and mildew—not to mention the inconvenience and discomfort of having to deal with a perpetually muddy yard.
The problem we encountered in the home featured in our story was, as our landscape expert Tom Presenza pointed out, “a classic situation that calls for a French Drain”.
The “swale”, or common low spot between the two houses was not properly graded when the homes were built. The grade was level, not sloping gently toward the street. Other factors compounded the problem—lack of direct sunlight on the affected spot and a thick, relatively impermeable soil with a high clay content.
A French Drain simply applies the laws of physics to your landscape: Increase the permeability of the area that needs to be drained so that the water can sink below the surface, then channel that water into a long sub-surface pipe set at a slope that will allow gravity to carry the collected water away from the drainage area.
The basics of installing a French Drain are simple, but it is a labor-intensive project that usually requires either heavy shovel work or the application of trenching equipment. Unless you are a committed do-it-yourselfer, we recommend that you call in a landscape professional to do the job.
Our French Drain was installed with the assistance of the professionals at Complete landsCulpture of Dallas, Texas.
The crew dug a trench that was approximately one foot wide and eighteen inches deep. They then lined the trench with a special landscape filter fabric and installed a four inch perforated PVC drain line that sat on a slight bed of gravel. The bed of gravel was then measured with levels to be sure that there was a suitable “fall”. The rule of thumb is that you need one inch of “fall” for every ten feet of drainage pipe to ensure proper water flow.
Once the “fall” was established and the pipe was resting securely on the bed of gravel, the crew backfilled the trench with gravel and wrapped landscape fabric all the way around the gravel to prevent the surrounding soil from infiltrating the gravel and impeding the flow of water.
The crew then tested the system to be sure that the French Drain was working, then replaced the sod.
It is essential to remember that before you, or a landscape crew, begin to dig trenches in your yard, you must contact the utility companies to determine where your underground utility lines run. One should NEVER dig without completing this important step.
If your yard has a sprinkler system, you will be responsible for determining the location of underground pipes and valves. Utility companies will not have this information.
MORE FROM YOUR NEW HOUSE
Featured videos:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2eiqktEDbaQunVDuiTidxPxd
Great DIY Projects from Your New House:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ejNSy9ywo1mKiGaSXuTsEgE
Quick Tips - easy tips to make your projects (and life) better:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2eh4zI-dJCevBTEdY5ioSAPQ
Gardening and Landscaping:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ejdcWzNkAARBzUQDvT3W1ME
Adventures in Homebuilding - Home info with a smile:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ehA9bTrvQ58AHfE_utaBCLc
Choosing and Using Tools with Carmen Ciricillo:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2eisLdRjyue3eVZT-qjM9B6I
Factory Tours and Product Testing:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ej6wLU1NAVlWhcvVWL1ynJQ
Al Carrell - The Super Handyman:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ehFhy7mXnyX_pe4v03DrqfS
One of the most common problems in residential landscaping is improper drainage. Having a properly drained landscape is every bit as important as having a properly watered landscape.
Improper drainage can result in foundation problems, leaky basements, moisture seepage into your home’s walls, problems with mold and mildew—not to mention the inconvenience and discomfort of having to deal with a perpetually muddy yard.
The problem we encountered in the home featured in our story was, as our landscape expert Tom Presenza pointed out, “a classic situation that calls for a French Drain”.
The “swale”, or common low spot between the two houses was not properly graded when the homes were built. The grade was level, not sloping gently toward the street. Other factors compounded the problem—lack of direct sunlight on the affected spot and a thick, relatively impermeable soil with a high clay content.
A French Drain simply applies the laws of physics to your landscape: Increase the permeability of the area that needs to be drained so that the water can sink below the surface, then channel that water into a long sub-surface pipe set at a slope that will allow gravity to carry the collected water away from the drainage area.
The basics of installing a French Drain are simple, but it is a labor-intensive project that usually requires either heavy shovel work or the application of trenching equipment. Unless you are a committed do-it-yourselfer, we recommend that you call in a landscape professional to do the job.
Our French Drain was installed with the assistance of the professionals at Complete landsCulpture of Dallas, Texas.
The crew dug a trench that was approximately one foot wide and eighteen inches deep. They then lined the trench with a special landscape filter fabric and installed a four inch perforated PVC drain line that sat on a slight bed of gravel. The bed of gravel was then measured with levels to be sure that there was a suitable “fall”. The rule of thumb is that you need one inch of “fall” for every ten feet of drainage pipe to ensure proper water flow.
Once the “fall” was established and the pipe was resting securely on the bed of gravel, the crew backfilled the trench with gravel and wrapped landscape fabric all the way around the gravel to prevent the surrounding soil from infiltrating the gravel and impeding the flow of water.
The crew then tested the system to be sure that the French Drain was working, then replaced the sod.
It is essential to remember that before you, or a landscape crew, begin to dig trenches in your yard, you must contact the utility companies to determine where your underground utility lines run. One should NEVER dig without completing this important step.
If your yard has a sprinkler system, you will be responsible for determining the location of underground pipes and valves. Utility companies will not have this information.
MORE FROM YOUR NEW HOUSE
Featured videos:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2eiqktEDbaQunVDuiTidxPxd
Great DIY Projects from Your New House:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ejNSy9ywo1mKiGaSXuTsEgE
Quick Tips - easy tips to make your projects (and life) better:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2eh4zI-dJCevBTEdY5ioSAPQ
Gardening and Landscaping:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ejdcWzNkAARBzUQDvT3W1ME
Adventures in Homebuilding - Home info with a smile:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ehA9bTrvQ58AHfE_utaBCLc
Choosing and Using Tools with Carmen Ciricillo:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2eisLdRjyue3eVZT-qjM9B6I
Factory Tours and Product Testing:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ej6wLU1NAVlWhcvVWL1ynJQ
Al Carrell - The Super Handyman:
youtube.com/playlist?list=PLjTMbsoHW2ehFhy7mXnyX_pe4v03DrqfS
