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I am looking for some input from anyone who has dealt with drainage issues.
I own a 100 year old house on a steep hill (I'm talking San Francisco steep). The front yard (20' x 20' approx) consists of a flat plateau from the street until about 5 feet from the house. Then, at 5 feet from the house, the yard slopes down about 1 foot to the house. This sloped area is mostly under the eaves of the roof, and the roof directs water the another direction, so the area doesn't get direct rainwater. However, because this is the lowest point in the yard by at least a foot, water collects in this sloped area and sits against the foundation. Obviously, I'm worried about what the water is doing to my 100 year old foundation.
Other than re-sloping the yard (can't be done without new and very expensive retaining wall design) or installing a drain (no where to send the water), is there a low-tech, DIY way to deal with this?
I was thinking that I could dig a 2' wide, 2' foot deep swale a couple feet from the foundation, fill it with river rocks, and let the water collect there and seep in rather sit against the foundation. But I'm not sure if that is still too close to the foundation, will lead to settling, etc.
I don't think a swale is a good idea near the foundation. The last thing you want to do is encourage water to accumulate there. Why can't you install a drain? What do you mean there is nowhere to send the water? Just like the gutters redirect water to the other direction, a french can do that too. Your 100 year old foundation has endured this for a long time already so there's no reason to assume it's doing damage. That is unless that flat plateau is some crazy new regrading someone did more recently.
Since your house is 100 years old, I suspect the yard and street is higher than the house because the street has been paved over so many times throughout the years that it has become higher than the house. The big question is who also built up the front yard? How many years ago was that done? It would have been better if they had installed a retaining wall at the street and let the yard be lower than the street farther away from the house.
But it is what it is and you say you can't afford to regrade the yard. Your only option is to install a french drain to redirect the water around the house.
Most drainage problems result from improper grading around the foundation. When houses are old, the ground has often settled in spots and washed away in others and water flows have been changed over time.
Of course the property can be re-graded to divert water away from the foundation, but I urge you to think big. This is a matter usually dealt with best by a skid steer and results in a new lawn and plantings. Get someone who knows what they are doing and a few hundred dollars later the problem will be solved. If a French Drain is needed as you suggest, it can be installed correctly with the proper equipment.
Thanks for the suggestions. The house and yard sit high above the street -- there is an 8-foot retaining wall between the sidewalk and my yard. If you can imagine a 100-year-old craftsman looming high on a hill. It's that kind of house. Very beautiful. But a TON of repairs are constantly coming up. Owning the house is a constant battle against time.
I believe that the former owners moved around a bunch of dirt in the late 1990s when they were repaving the walks and the driveway, and raised the yard in the center to accommodate a landscape design, which over time had the unintended consequence of directing water toward the house instead of away from it. Regrading would involve killing a mature landscape and would probably involve a new retaining wall -- the angles are all weird because of the hillside. The french drain is not a bad idea, but because of the way the hill slopes, I would have to send the water under the entire house to the backyard. Sending the water any other direction would either be trying to send the water uphill or sending it into a retaining wall. I talked to a contractor and he suggested a "relatively" inexpensive idea. He suggests putting hardscape (like a concrete walk) along the foundation, graded slightly away from the house, and send the water around the front of the house to the side of the house, where the water can meet up with an existing walkway that has been graded to send water to the backyard. I think that is probably the best solution, although not a DIY solution for me as I would need this new walkway to match the existing ones, which is beyond my skill set. Also, some rain gutters might help reduce the overall water load in the front of the house.
Too bad. I was hoping to dig a ditch and be done with it.
The french drain is not a bad idea, but because of the way the hill slopes, I would have to send the water under the entire house to the backyard. Sending the water any other direction would either be trying to send the water uphill or sending it into a retaining wall.
Why can't the water run around the house and down the side yards to be the yard? That's how ours works? It collects water from the back of the house and takes it along the side of the house to dump out into the street at the front yard.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Domsey
I talked to a contractor and he suggested a "relatively" inexpensive idea. He suggests putting hardscape (like a concrete walk) along the foundation, graded slightly away from the house, and send the water around the front of the house to the side of the house, where the water can meet up with an existing walkway that has been graded to send water to the backyard. I think that is probably the best solution, although not a DIY solution for me as I would need this new walkway to match the existing ones, which is beyond my skill set. Also, some rain gutters might help reduce the overall water load in the front of the house.
You'd still need a french drain at the far side of that concrete walkway or water will fill up more with concrete than it did with grass and soil. Our french drain is under a brick patio. When there's a very heavy rain, it fills up like a bathtub. It drains quickly. I'm just trying to give you an idea of how adding a hard surface could make it worse for you if you don't have a french drain too.
Have you checked your gutters when it's raining to make sure they aren't leaking at seams?
Let's have some photos and see if we can get this solved for you.
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