Gravity, compacted soil grade at the foundation, and again, more gravity is what works over and over again, century after century around the world.

Hand excavated french drains are not a mystery school of yet to be proven success. They existed thousands of years before any sump pump ever came along. They were just called aqua ducts in those days, and took even more forms and uses then in society than they presently do, if history is to be believed.

Whether you are building a new home, or have an existing home, the area chosen for the installation of your drainage system, as well as the groundwater removal and/or prevention method proposed, and your contractors honesty and history of success, over and over again, year after year, will have everything to do with whether you have blown your cash, or actually solved your home drainage problem.

It is often the case to see homeowners blow the cash and still have a worse drainage problem than had existed before the bad deal with the sump pump guy.

Following numerous calls to the builders board, they homeowners are back looking for a drainage contractor. And that is when they meet me.

City and county planners, don’t advise or mandate the installation of french drains when additions or new construction are being discussed, unless it is brought up by the applicant. And then it becomes an option for the homeowners, who cut it from the list for lack of spirit in its necessity, in the prospective homeowners eyes, due to the passive response from the planner when french drains are brought up.

Many planners also know that the drainage business is off the wall, and many kinds of problem methods and people exist. So they don’t want to refer anyone, and because they hear about the failed systems, they too feel french drains and dry wells do not work. Ignorance does not need an excuse to exist actually.

City planners and architects, from my experience watching them over 30 years in the real estate arena, in general do not know the difference between a ditch dug with a trencher, that someone called a french drain, and a hand excavated french drain.

Does your home make the home drainage foundation grade? I am talking about how the soil grade at the foundation is engineered and compacted, and to what degree the proper slope and compaction is used to prevent groundwater entry into your homes below grade areas, such as the crawl space or basement.

That is your first major consideration when renovating or building new. Especially when finishing below grade basements into living area.

Home drainage plans are not created equal in any sense of the word. Just like home drainage contractors abilities, no matter how they confidently throw around the words french drain in their pitch.

Planning departments, architects, as well as home builders, should have nailed this home drainage quandry thing right down, long, long ago. But they have not. Why?

Ignorance rules home drainage status quo. And lenders are busy playing other game to harvest cash during the home buying process. They don’t give a damn if the home buyer winds up with a sump pump and still groundwater coming in, as long as it closes. So they do their best to control late information to limit a buyers options if a drainage problem comes up in the inspection report.

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When you flow groundwater away from your home with a hand excavated french drain aqua duct, pipe, and river rock, you will out perform everyones attempt at groundwater removal.

Problem over.

The Portland building code says, that a sufficient grade away from a home, for rain run off, away from the foundation walls, when compacted and not dug up, is 6″ per 10 lineal feet away from the foundation, for adequate home drainage.

That means you are not suppose to plant tomatoes or what ever, in that area, and loosen the soil, if you want good drainage around your foundation.

In a high number of newly constructed homes, as well as existing homes, the grade winds up flat against the foundation, or sloping to the foundation, from day one, which is a smoking gun for a rain created, home drainage groundwater problem.

From that point on homeowners around the Portland, Oregon area line up to install sump pump systems of every sort, good, bad, and ugly. Homeowners get ripped off on the hype of a guarantee that is not worth diddley.

Sump pumps do not stop groundwater entry, and should not be installed closer than 10 feet to any foundation, if at all, same as a 4×4 dry well set back.

Homeowner home drainage knowledge is big protection power, to the fifth power; when it comes to dealing with those professed home drainage contractors that show up on the scene when it starts raining.

These clowns think you know nothing about home drainage, just like it always has been on their plunder.

Sump pump guys are a real hoot, when you know who they really are, scammers, very often. Very often.

Those clowns are counting on homeowner ignorance and fear, in the face of their dire stories of underground rivers and springs under your home, that in their pitch mandate the need for your installation of a worthless sump pump system that will never stop the groundwater entry, and will probably be plumbed wrong and will do more damage than was present before they relieved you of your cash and skipped off into the sunset. Call them about that guarantee, and you will find out what everyone else does. It is worthless. You got scammed.

Getting back to working with planners and architechs.

To make matters worse, these privileged and self professed professional pundits of home drainage planning, are there to facilitate your home drainage demise without your input.

Planners may talk a bit to the public about french drains, by calling them curtain drains, or something like that. Often this is too little too late. The plans are drawn and you are already showing them for approval. And they did not include any drainage, because in your initial meeting with them, it was never brought up.

Remember the architect meeting about drainage? So most often these city and county home building department planners look over their glasses at you pensively, and often frame the need for french drains around your foundation like they were a cosmetic option.

Somthing like those fancy copper fence post caps, or maybe even something closer to lawn flamingos, in their eyes.

Meet with your architect in the beginning, to discuss the placement in the foundation for window wells, foundation vents, siding height from the ground up, how much concrete foundation wil be exposed above ground level, before the siding is nailed on.

Test his home drainage knowledge and make him design your home around home drainage function, not drainage dogma and lack of form, when it comes to making home drainage a priority.

Discuss what drainage considerations have been designed for ingress-egress windows, and in front of foundation vents.

Raise foundation vents up along the foundation wall when the foundation is first designed. Entry level ranch homes suffer worst with low foundations vents poured too low, where groundwater can run right into the foundation, as the vent is below grade. I see this hundreds of times a year myself.

Your architect or builder may tell you that you are wasting money on concrete. Not true.

Next to the cost of major home foundation post beam reconstruction, bad home air, lack of habitability years down the line, when everything is ruined from bad grade and no french drains.

No. This is not candy. This is meat and potatoes, working in the form of substantial good drainage.

Not a ditch full of gravel, bundled up with the pipe suspended within, many inches off the ground in a mess of non functioning garbage, like some clowns will preach.

I know that they fail every time.

I clean lots of stupid home drainage tricks up, and haul it all to the dump with the rest of the junk, prior in installing the real deal, hand excavated french drains.

Skimping on concrete, which is cheap, is penny wise, and pound foolish, in my opinion.

If you want to have no home drainage problems, get the soil grade at the foundation right from the beginning.

Homeowner home drainage knowledge is big protection power, to the fifth power; when it comes to dealing with those contractors who think you know nothing, and are counting on that for your appreciation of their stories, and to win the game by getting an order from you for a sump pump installation perhaps, or something else that does not stop groundwater entry below grade at all.

Get better results by having a home drainage professional install your rain drains and hand excavated french drains, rather than… winding up with a grab bag of bad home drainage, attempted by builders who hire laborers to attempt something they know nothing about.

Consult this website and professional home drainage company for important home drainage and groundwater removal information that can save the quality and structure of your home from dry rot problems and bad air.

We can make a difference where others have failed.

The home drainage information within this website, specifically groundwater removal science and home drainage, specifically, information explaining the logistics of, and effectiveness of, hand excavated french drains.

Studying this web site diligently will prepare you for success, when dealing with architects, planners, attorneys, lenders, engineers, landscape architects, and builder/contractors, none of whom will add much to your home drainage successful plan, without you first promoting the need for it.

Learn to speak the home drainage language that professionals use to identify and make sense of home drainage problems.

The original home drainage planning must start in the architects office really, by making sure the foundation wall has enough space between the ground and the bottom of the siding, after the home is built, planted and back filled, to allow the increase at the foundation, in grade, installing a compacted soil splash block to run groundwater away from the home and into a hand excavated french drain.

This knowledge and expertise must get to the homeowner, and be passed through to the job site, where the home drainage contractor installs the home drainage, in different ways, and at different times than the builder would select. Also getting quality long lasting results, where the builder would likely not achieve the same.

When you want groundwater removal and home drainage science done right, don’t leave it to your builder or city planners to represent common sense methods of home drainage groundwater removal. You will lose most of the time.

That is in part why there are so many home drainage problems out there in the Portland area that are unsolved.

Most are unsolved because they were discovered after the cost to solve the groundwater problem had exceeded the homeowners budget, or their desire to do so.

Reading this web site will teach you the difference between a ditch with little to no grade, called a french drain by some, and a hand excavated french drain groundwater removal system that is engineered with a hard bottom grade of at least 2 inches per ten lineal feet, as it parallels the homes foundation, around 18″ from the foundation wall.

Practice “green” home drainage science to achieve a better air environment within your home, as well as a healthy exterior foundation environment.

Groundwater removal from within 2 feet of your homes foundation wall, every time it rains hard for days and days, will prevent groundwater entry into below grade areas, like the crawl space or basement.

Read other articles on our home drainage consulting services within this website.

A pay pal link is posted on the home page for your peace of mind and banking security.

The home drainage information here-in, offered for free, can save you thousands of dollars, and add decades to the life of your new home. As well as provide your family with a better environment for healthy living.

Use this information to your benefit. Don’t spend wasted time trying to disprove it.

Learn how to protect your property and home from groundwater damage using hand excavated french drain groundwater removal systems.

Learn how to practice green home drainage science, to enhance the quality of life for your community, neighborhood, and family.

Make “green groundwater removal” work for you today. Teach your neighbors to respect their property in the same ways.

Call for a free home evaluation today.

Install hand excavated french drains.

Duplicate what is already happening as a natural process on our earth.

Perking of groundwater below, into the center of the earth, is natures way of filling our drinking water supply.

If you do not think perk science applies to todays world, call your local planning department and ask them how much the fee for a “perk” test is, and how long it will take them to evaluate the findings once compiled, as it pertains to the cities issue of a standard septic permit.

When you are building a new home, you must discuss home drainage with your architect first, before submission to city and county approval officials. Specify that you want a foundation that contains more above soil grade concrete than the average proposed concrete foundation usually winds up with, to allow the creation of a soil grade enhancement at the foundation, when planning and having blueprints drawn.

The compacted sloping hard grade next to your foundation, approximately 18″ from the foundation, is called a splash block. It is essential not to garden and dig up your foundation area, and expect any kind of home drainage success, no matter what home drainage system you install. You must also keep a functional rain drain discharge system that vents the roof water through your gutter system, and on to a dry well or a day lighted vent, in most cases.

Pour the foundation about 1 ft. higher than the originally proposed finished backfilled soil grade, so a compacted and raised dirt and clay splash block can be installed around the home, for hard falling rainwater run off, to the inside of a 12″ wide, exposed river rock hand excavated french drain, located about 18″ from the foundation wall at the base of the splash block.

This will probably raise a few eyebrows from the experts you will be forced to deal with. Hold your ground. Specify this condition as necessary and gladly pay for the extra concrete, because it will save you thousands of dollars in the long run, by not costing you mega bucks in repairs to solve home drainage groundwater problems and damaged foundation and post beam infrastructure.

Use exposed 3/4″-1 1/2″ clean washed river rock for maximum groundwater collection around your new home. A compact soil grade slope, away from your foundation wall, will allow you to install a hand excavated french drain at the base of the compacted splash block, and beat the saturation of groundwater along the foundation wall.

Homeowners that are building a new home, contact me to weigh in, concerning their home design from a drainage perspective. They ask me to offer suggestions or alterations to the home drainage plan, if there even is one. Sometimes I just am asked to write them a proposal for work. Todays home buyers wants to make their new home a “green” place to live. Not just a future profit picture alone.

I show homeowners how to use hand excavated french drains to prevent structural problems to their new home, by using groundwater removal systems that work to prevent groundwater damage, before groundwater enters the crawl space or basement.

City planning departments and architects seldom counsel homebuilders to do as I have suggested above, so as a result, the finished soil grade at the foundation is often finished flat or the ground slopes towards the foundation, after the foundation area is backfilled. Everyone just forgets about grade.

Building codes require that the soil level, or other cellulose debris, be at least 6″ below the bottom of the siding. Most building codes mandate a 6″ slope away from the foundation walls, for minimum home drainage success. This is seldom followed in practice however, by the builder. Flat or negative grade at the foundation is a smoking gun for a home drainage problem and should be a tip off to look for evidence of home drainage problems.

Ranch homes are many times built with foundation vents poured too low in the foundation stem wall. As a result, rain just fills those foundation vent areas and the water runs below grade into the crawl space easily.

Many of these homeowners become frustrated and foul tempered homeowners, in the face of home drainage tension, a contractors who opt to install a sump pump in the crawl space, once the groundwater problem becomes intolerable, rather than install the more comprehensive, and usually slightly more expensive, hand excavated french drain system, to actually solve the groundwater problem from the outside.

Sump pumps do not prevent groundwater from entering the crawlspace, and are therefore not a home drainage solution. Sump pumps are just a bandaid marketed with a “guarantee”, that is not worth a cent. I just completed another hand excavated french drain system for homeowners who are in that very position. They spent over $5,000. on failed home drainage sump pumps, before finding my company.

Homeowners forget, or ignore, the fact that if they do not collect the groundwater on the outside of the foundation first, reducing the groundwater saturation and hydrostatic pressure caused by hard rains, the sump pump will always be pumping, just like the sump pump installer said it always would. He has likely told you the b.s. story of underground rivers and springs under your home, and how you are always destined to suffer from groundwater entry into your crawl space. Get it? This is home drainage catch 22 kind of.

A self fulfilling prediction that makes that sump pump guy look good, until you realize his “guarantee”, is worthless, and his method does not prevent the groundwater from flooding your crawl space, and still leaving you with a home drainage problem to solve. Maybe not until the homeowners sell the home, however. That is most typical. Wrong decision.

Sump pump guys love the word “guarantee.” They actually are giving homeowners a bait and switch type of deal. Read the language, or lack of it, within the sump pump guarantee.

The pump will work alright, until the electricity goes out in a storm, or the sump pump clogs or burns out. Back to square one for the homeowners.

Beware of companies offering home drainage guarantees that sump pumps will work. They mean just that. If the old one burns out, they will put in a new one.

Big deal. Nero fiddles, as Rome burns. That is no guarantee. Their guarantee does not say that you will never get groundwater saturation into your crawl space again. It just says that they will always bring you a new sump pump if the old one burns out.

Since most sump pumps last for years and years, this is a bait and switch proposition, disguised as a guarantee. Get it? Even insurance companies will not give you a guarantee for groundwater damage, because they can’t determine all the origin variables, or the quality of, or lack of home drainage systems installed previously, or the quality of previously installed home drainage attempts, that may have made the situation worse. Homeowners may want the moon, when it comes to guarantees, but an old proverb fits here: “He who wants it badly, gets it badly”. Do your homework. You cannot enforce a guarantee that is written to beat you.

Insurance companies just exclude groundwater caused damage all together, most often. Unless you have flood insurance, you are s.o.l.

A reputable home drainage contractor lives on the reputation of the business. The basis for the companys success is through documented referral lists of former customers, that have asked to be on the list, and that are delighted with the results of their hand excavated french drains.

Homeowners don’t need to fall for some tricky worded, fast talking sump pump salesman and his b.s. guarantee.

Almost all home drainage problems are caused by groundwater that is created by heavy rains. There are many other causes of home drainage problems as well however. Some are produced by neighbors, some are caused by broken city water lines and sewer installations.

Most home drainage problems have been made worse by the homeowners themselves, in their attempt to save money. This costs homeowners tons of money every year around the United States. This is not a good way to save money. I suggest stop buying lottery tickets if you want a guaranteed offer to save money.

A reputable home drainage contractor has a strong track record, and also is licensed, bonded, and insured in their area of the world. Your choice of home drainage contractor should be a referred professional contractor/mason. This type of contractor can solve your home drainage groundwater problems, by understanding the use of slopes, or lack of slope, and the way groundwater perks back into the earth. Green home drainage science.

Insist on architect planning and engineering for home drainage, by paying attention to the aspects I have discussed above. Many times it is too late to change grade level. When the foundation is poured, you are stuck with it that way. Sometimes it is too late to un-ring that home drainage bell, once the foundation, siding, foundation vents and windows are set at a particular grade and the concrete has been poured.

Plumb the rain drain discharges properly, and vent them at a grade of a least 2″ per 10 lineal feet, in solid pipe, installed on the bottom of your hand excavated french drain aqua duct. Install them on the bottom of your hand excavated french drains, in solid pipe, and pay attention to city requirements for foundation footing drains too, realizing they will never be needed if your hand excavated french drains at the surface levels of the foundation are installed and engineered properly, in conjunction with a increased grade compacted splash block that I have discussed above, as well.

Read about foundation footing drain installation and everything you need to know about home drainage, at aaahomedrainage.com

The information is from the CCB newsletter that explains important rights affecting the homeowner taking possession of new construction in Oregon.

In a past article I mentioned the new residential structures warranty law, and that it was my opinion that the law was being poorly drafted for purposes of clarity and for the protection of homeowners rights. While some additional clarity has been advanced since my first article, my opinion remains substantially the same.

Contractors that enter into a contract to build a new residential structure on or after July 1, 2008, must make a written offer of warranty to the owner or first purchaser, which covers defects in materials and workmanship for the structure (ORS 701.320).

This law does not apply to manufactured dwellings.

The following questions and answers explain a contractor’s obligation under the new law. You may wish to consult an attorney for advice on how this applies to your construction business, or to you as a prospective new home purchaser.

What is a “warranty?”

A warranty is an obligation by the seller that the seller’s product (here, a new home) is free from defective materials or workmanship performed, together with a promise to repair or replace the defective items and faulty work. A warranty is not a guarantee. Repair or replacement is satisfied by meeting building industry standards- there does not need to be complete customer satisfaction. A warranty does not cover items that arise from customer neglect.

What does a typical new home warranty cover?

A new home warranty typically covers: *Structural defects: Warrants against failure of structural components such as the load-bearing elements of the home. *Major home system failures: warrants against failure of plumbing, electrical, heating, and air-conditioning systems. Also warrants against failure of major appliances, such as refrigerators, dishwashers, ovens, and stovetops. *Workmanship: Promises to repair defects in work performed, such as installation.

All warranties are contracts. The terms of the contracts will vary. Some warranties, for example, cover only major home systems. Others provide limited coverage for all of the listed items. Still others exempt certain products or installations. Some warranties allow for the purchase of optional, additional coverage. Any warranty contract satisfies the new law.

Who must supply the warranty?

Although the contractor must offer a warranty, the contractor decides whether to supply the warranty directly, or through a company that sells warranties. A direct warranty is a contract between the contractor and the new owner or purchaser. A purchased warranty is a contract between a company that sells warranties and the owner or purchaser. Either warranty satisfies the new law.

What period of time must the warranty cover?

The law does not require a specific time for warranty protection. A typical new home warranty protects against structural defects for five to ten years and promises to repair or replace major systems for one to two years.

The contractor may select the time period the contractor feels is appropriate for the warranty.

How much can the contractor charge for the warranty?

The law does not set any limit on the amount that a contractor may charge for the warranty. Typically, new home warranties purchased for warranty companies run around $250.-$500. There may also be a service fee, like a deductible, which the homeowner pays when requesting service. A typical service fee is $50.

The owner may refuse the warranty and, as long as the two parties haven’t signed the contract to build the home, the contractor can withdraw the offer to construct the residential structure.

When must the contractor offer the warranty?

The contractor must, in writing, offer the warranty either before or at the time the contractor and owner (or purchaser) sign a contract for the construction of the new home.

What must the contractor do to prove the contractor offered the warranty?

The contractor must include statements in the contract that: *The contractor made a written offer of warranty, and *That the owner or purchaser accepted or rejected the offer.

Does this law apply to all contractors who build new homes, or only to those contractors endorsed as residential contractors on or after July 1, 2008?

The law applies to all contractors that enter into written contracts to build new homes on or after July 1, 2008, regardless of the type of license that they hold.

Groundwater in the crawlspace or basement, as well as soggy lawns and landscaped areas, are common evidence of home drainage problems.

Thousands of homeowners throughout the Portland, Oregon tri-county area are made aware of this each year during the pest dry rot and structural inspection stage of their home sale.

The process of completing a loan and closing escrow is held up because of these discovered groundwater problems until the homeowner gets a professional home drainage assessment conducted by a professional home drainage contractor, and most often, has the damaged repaired prior to closing of escrow and satisfying the lender requirements.

Given that lenders want a professional home drainage contractor to conduct an evaluation of the home drainage problem and offer a solution, why would you have a regular home builder install home drainage systems for you in the first place, instead of contacting a professional home drainage contractor?

Experience has taught me that home builders, and other non-home drainage professionals, do not understand how to properly design, place, construct, and plumb a hand excavated french drain.

The fact that home builders know little about professional home drainage is evidenced by the fact that in 2007 the Oregon state legislature finally mandated that home builders constructing new homes must give the first purchaser of the new home a home drainage disclosure admitting that the new home will likely be subject to further groundwater prevention work to prevent home drainage problems.

Read further articles on this subject within this site on home drainage solutions. Contact the Oregon Contractors Board, CCB, for up to date information on this subject.

Do yourself a favor and have your groundwater problems solved by a professional home drainage contractor, and not a home builder, landscaper, gardener, or some other home drainage wanna be.

Would you go to a dentist for hearth surgery? Would you hire a social worker to prescribe pain killers? Consult a home drainage professional or plan to pay again in the end to have the home drainage work installed correctly.

Allowing non-home drainage professionals to attempt home drainage can be a disaster. There may be additional costs associated with the foundation and interior damage done to the home as a result of the former botched home drainage attempt as well.

Many homeowners each year share their stories with me, which shows me that this is a common problem in the Portland, Oregon metro area. Thanks to the 2007 legislative mandate regarding home drainage, homeowners are now better advised and protected against poor home drainage work.

This practice spreads the roofwater and the collected groundwater from your hand excavated french drains around to various areas of the property, and as the collected groundwater perks into the soil, it keeps your yard and landscape green and fresh, without having to pump as much water from the tap.

This saves money, and makes a green environment that your family will enjoy. Stormwater retention ponds have their own benefits.

Many homeowners are creating stormwater retention ponds on their property for roofwater and groundwater storage. If the amount of groundwater and roofwater is significant, the groundwater that is stored can be pumped to irrigate the landscape and vegetable gardens. Oxygen can be increased in the pond with a fountain, which also is very cool to view, and brings birds to the pond.

Remember to put some sort of liner in the pond to prevent the perking of the groundwater into the soil instead of being held in your pond.

Think green science groundwater storage when at all possible. Stormwater retention ponds are fantastic additions to the charm of any home, and can be a wonderful source of enjoyment providing planting areas, wildlife attraction, bird habitat, fish habitat, and irrigation water for the landscape.

Stormwater retention ponds can be large in size, to small ponds. Estimate the amount of groundwater to be stored with a home drainage professional for best results. Also provide for groundwater storage overflow that does not create groundwater problems for neighbors.

This saves money, and makes you money at the same time. The value of your property increases, and you pay less on your water bill. Gotta love that.

Most counties have an agency that will give you free, enough fish of a small species that eat mosquito larva, and keep the water in the pond free of skeeters.

In the Portland, Oregon tri-county area, the organization is call “vector control”. Just go to their facility and tell them the size and depth of your pond. They will give you enough fish to start your fish breeding, mosquito eating project.

Everyone wins. Try it, you will like it. I have used them myself, and kids love to be involved with the fish planting project as well.

When you have properly installed hand excavated french drains, the groundwater will not saturate the area, creating the need for the footing drains, unless there are underground springs.

If there were underground springs, the building lot would likely not have been approved for building. The stories about underground springs that builders come up with are most often b.s. as the lot or site was approved with a geo-technical report probably saying there were no springs when the subdivision was approved.

Places on the landscape that have underground springs are usually not granted lot approval and are made common area attachments to the subdivision, or used as stormwater retention pond areas.

Geological maps exist that show areas within flood zones and those sites that may have underground water problems, even if the building site is not in an approved subdivision.

Resist the urge to dig the area around your foundation for 2 feet from the foundation wall, once it is backfilled. Use this area to serve you, sloping groundwater into the hand excavated french drain installed in that area, which contains exposed river rock.

When you want a dry crawlspace or basement, this is a must. This is especially true if your homesite sits below grade to neighboring properties, drains road surfaces, or does not have a compacted grade of at least 6″ per 10 lineal feet away from the foundation.

Avoid creating berms in front of the foundation that can trap rainwater against the foundation wall, or make sure a hand excavated french drain is installed in that area to remove any groundwater that would have otherwise been trapped.