Drainage - Building a French Drain

   A French drain picks up subsurface water from near your house or from poorly drained parts of your yard. Its destination is usually the street or a dry well.
   The drain consists of a sloping trench lined with soil-filter fabric and filled with gravel. For more effective drainage or longer runs, lay perforated drain pipe along the bottom and connect it to a solid drain line.












Step by Step: Building a French Drain

   1. With a shovel or trencher, dig a trench. As you dig, maintain a slope of at least 1 foot per 100 feet (use a line level ) so it will drain properly.
   2. If you are installing pipe, line the trench with soil-filter fabric. Lay pipe on top of the fabric with perforations in pipe facing down. Fill in drain rock above. Wrap fabric over the drain rock and cover the top with 2 to 6 inches of soil or gravel.
   3. If you use only gravel, your trench should be no longer than 50 feet. Fill the trench with soil-filter fabric and drain rock. Don't cover with soil.

Tools and Materials

4-foot mason's level

line level

perforated drainpipe

drain rock

gravel

hacksaw

wheelbarrow

shovel

trencher

Tool and hardware-related resources on the Web