Five drainage fixes, from free to serious

Almost nobody needs the expensive drainage solution first. Most yards are fixed by the cheap ones, done properly.

1. Extend the downspouts

Free or nearly. An astonishing number of wet yards are one downspout emptying beside the foundation.

2. Re-grade the surface

Moving water with slope costs nothing to operate and never clogs. Most yards can be substantially improved by grading alone.

3. Swale

A shallow, planted channel that carries surface water along a route you choose. Invisible when planted, and it handles far more volume than people expect.

4. French drain

Perforated pipe in clear stone wrapped in fabric, for water that has to be intercepted below the surface. Needs somewhere lower to discharge — this is where DIY versions fail.

5. Catch basins and a piped system

For flat lots, low corners and pool decks where grade alone cannot do it. Proper outlets, cleanouts and a discharge point that is genuinely lower than the problem.

Never build a patio over an unresolved drainage problem. Fix the water first, then lay the stone.

Clay and water