When a hard rain is falling, you need hand excavated french drains. The Portland, Oregon area is presently getting pounded by heavy rains. French drain installation is going to be on lots of peoples minds this week. We are supposed to have a warmer winter than most, and that means lots of rain and lots of flooding.
The phone rings off the hook during these times and troubled homeowners without french drains installed have big problems with groundwater.
Lots of folks thought they had french drains installed but realize they didn’t really get what they paid for. What they got was some persons idea of a french drain, not really a french drain. Many french drains are installed incorrectly.
Homeowners call me for information on what they can additionally do to prevent groundwater entry below grade. They explain that their french drains don’t work. I talk to them and find out the definition of their french drain does not conform to french drain standards I am familiar with or are just plain voo doo drainage that would have never worked.
You can’t blame the homeowners, they got a bad deal laid on them because they did not know the difference. Upon discussing their drainage problem I discover they had french drains installed by someone who talked them into a low priced alternative using a ditch witch or trencher of some sort. Just last week a woman that was referred to me by a former customer stated that her gardener was bidding on the job too and was much cheaper. Her need to tell me that was apparently to see whether I would do it for the same price. I don’t really know what was in her mind. Although she stated that her gardener had a bad back and was a woman who would hire someone not too familiar with french drains to actually do the work, the homeowner thought it might be a better alternative for her.
I was polite and in my mind gave her “last drainage rights” so to speak knowing she was about to jump off the cliff. Just toss that money in the trash can and call it a day.
Gardeners, landscapers and many “would be” drainage experts are many times a major cause of major damage to real estate investments. Unfortunately I come behind these failed attempts many times a year.
It appears that some folks never hear the little bell go off in their heads warning them that when it sounds too good to be true it probably is. Many homeowners go for the backhoe scam as well, and have the entire foundation area excavated down to the footing at a flat grade. They have a perforated pipe placed flat on the foundation footing with no grade or vent and call it a french drain. In doing so they have replaced the dirt and clay with rock. They ruined the grade or the opportunity to create a good grade at the foundation as well. Those folks are really singing the blues now. Water just builds up at the footing level and floods anyway.
Many cliches come to mind concerning this situation like “you can’t get there from here”, or “it’s too late to shut the barn door after the horse is gone”, or “a stitch in time saves nine”. You get where I am coming from.
Many times the attempted drainage construction of these french drain “wanna be” people has ruined the area. The bearing soil that would have contained a great french drain has been loosened, removed or altered in such a way as to prevent the proper construction of hand excavated french drains that would have solved the problem.
Some homes have numerous limiting factors impacting the degree to which anything can be accomplished with respect to drainage success after these failed drainage attacks on the property.
In addition some of the properties with drainage issues have large trees and shrubs growing near or on the foundation sending water conveying roots through the foundation walls and/or down the foundation wall to the footing. Some have foundation vents poured too low in the foundation wall at grade level at original construction which allows rainwater to run below grade and fill crawlspaces and basements
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There are other bad news type scenarios as well. Some are created at original construction and some by failed drainage attempts by the homeowner or other “would be” drainage contractors. The worst however is when someone ruins the area with a failed drainage attempt and the homeowner still needs a miracle. There are times when the cliche that comes to mind is “penny wise and pound foolish”.
If you had a serious medical problem would you look for the best bid from a number of doctors, or would you find the most qualified person to handle the job? Perhaps some people would go for the low bid I guess.
There are certain things in life that you only get one chance to do right. Groundwater drainage problems are many times one of those things that you get one pass through and that’s it.