# Any landscaping experts? French drain / dry well
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-landscaping-experts-french-drain-dry-well/967700
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [July 10, 2022, 12:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-landscaping-experts-french-drain-dry-well/967700 "2022-07-10T12:19:04Z")
**Posts on this page:** 9
**Page:** 3
### Author:  [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)
#### Post date: [July 26, 2022, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-landscaping-experts-french-drain-dry-well/967700/41 "2022-07-26T21:44:22Z")
For the record, I am very aware that I may not be out of the woo…er, _swamp_ yet. But I’m not totally surprised that what was done is working. There is now an underground dry well, a corner of gravel, and a good 50 feed of underground tubing nestled in a bed of rocks. That is all space for water to go that I did not have before.
And I may have mis-spoke a bit when I talked about the dry well full of mud. It certainly _looked_ like that, but I did not know at the time that it was full of rocks. There was a coat of mud on top of the rocks - which I know would interfere with drainage - but nothing like a barrel-full of mud, which is probably the impression I gave.
Anyway, @Lancia, thanks for you input. You really put a good deal of effort into your replies and that is appreciated.
mmm
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### Author:  [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2022, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-landscaping-experts-french-drain-dry-well/967700/42 "2022-08-31T21:46:45Z")
@Lancia - Just in case anyone still cares, the fix has been sufficiently tested by the heavens and is working very well.
mmm
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### Author:  [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)
#### Post date: [August 31, 2022, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-landscaping-experts-french-drain-dry-well/967700/43 "2022-08-31T21:59:44Z")
Thanks for the update!
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### Author:  [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2023, 4:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-landscaping-experts-french-drain-dry-well/967700/44 "2023-06-28T16:36:21Z")
Nearly one year later. This is where we give @lancia their due.
The fix failed. Miserably. The contractor promised a repair (French drain), and then promised it again. And yet again.
And then he ghosted us. We texted weekly, then almost daily. This went on for 4 months with absolutely no response from him.
So then I composed a nice letter which I sent to him via text, email, and certified mail:
> [@](#):
>
> This message serves as notice that you have until **Friday, June 9, 2023** at 5:00 pm to respond to us with a date by which you will either: A) complete our yard work as contracted (ie installing a French drain) or B) refund us in full the amount we have already paid you for the yard work.
>
> Additionally, you have until **Friday, June 30, 2023** by which to comply with either option A or option B, as stated above. Be advised that we have retained all correspondence with you related to this matter, including your initial invoices and warranty, photos of our flooded yard after your work was completed, our repeated efforts to reach out to you, and your ongoing lack of responsiveness.
>
> These dates are non-negotiable.
>
> **Failure on your part to meet these demands will result in legal action being brought against you.**
>
> Sincerely,
>
> mmm
Interestingly, he responded immediately to this text. Like, within 3 minutes. He said the refund check would be in the mail that day.
He never mailed the check. I texted and emailed once a week, each time he said he’d mail the check that day.
Fast forward to today, two days before the deadline. He sent his wife to our house with the refund. Of course, it was short. I refused it. She then went to an ATM to make the amount correct.
She just left a few minutes ago. I was prepared to file a small claims suit, and he knew it.
Now I just have to find someone else to install the drain.
Just wanted you to know, **Lancia** - you were correct all along.
mmm
ETA: So was @DSeid. (and probably others, too lazy to re-read the entire thread)
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2023, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-landscaping-experts-french-drain-dry-well/967700/45 "2023-06-28T16:55:19Z")
So many stories like this. I wonder what people are thinking when they build houses. I figured most people were aware that water runs downhill. I fixed water entry problems in two houses with simple grading to divert surface water away from the houses. My current house was more of a problem to get that water down to the street so I had a guy dig out a ‘swale’, more or less a shallow trench leading down to the street where surface water can travel away. It’s not really a natural swale fed by groundwater, but surface water from a distance past the back of my property needed drainage.
> [@kayaker](#):
>
> I’ve lucked out and solved swampy spots by planting weeping willow trees and curly willow trees.
I just planted a [Dawn Redwood](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metasequoia) in that ‘swale’. Unfortunately I won’t be around to see it approaching 200 ft. tall. Apparently these trees just love soggy ground but are very long lasting and much more stable than willow trees. If I were younger I’d go plant a grove of these things somewhere.
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### Author:  [@Lancia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lancia)
#### Post date: [June 28, 2023, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-landscaping-experts-french-drain-dry-well/967700/46 "2023-06-28T19:33:04Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#):
>
> Just wanted you to know, **Lancia** - you were correct all along.
For what it’s worth I was rooting for you and hoping I would be wrong / was missing something obvious. As noted I have a similar issue and would really like to avoid a big engineering project in my backyard but, I’m afraid, such a thing is inevitable.
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### Author:  [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2023, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-landscaping-experts-french-drain-dry-well/967700/47 "2023-07-03T14:53:22Z")
> [@TriPolar](#):
>
> So many stories like this. I wonder what people are thinking when they build houses. I figured most people were aware that water runs downhill.
Two large houses built behind and uphill from my house turned my backyard into a swamp. I had to put in a dry creek with a few drains and a long pipe out to near the street just to get the yard dry. In the process the change in the grade ad water runoff pattern is slowly killing some large old elm trees.
I am beginning to see why folks get up in arms about all of the knockdown/rebuilds around here.
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### Author:  [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2023, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-landscaping-experts-french-drain-dry-well/967700/48 "2023-07-03T15:18:43Z")
Did local government help out? Around here they will often work on diverting water and creating drainage areas. There’s no guarantee, but a sort of attitude that if they allow new construction they have to step in if the secondary effects are bad enough. I suppose bad enough to hire a lawyer and threaten a lawsuit helps
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### Author:  [@Jas09](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jas09)
#### Post date: [July 3, 2023, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/any-landscaping-experts-french-drain-dry-well/967700/49 "2023-07-03T15:31:25Z")
The local government did not do anything, but I didn’t raise much of a stink either. Lessons learned.
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