# Help with drainage!



## jplee3

Hi all,

Looking for suggestions on what to do with a lot of space we've cleared particularly along the side of our home. We are located in Orange County, Southern California. 
Previously the dirt level was way too high and covering the weep screed (and the walkway was also *level* with the weep screed which also isn't good), prompting repairs to replace the weep screed, waterproof, and re-patch the stucco - so the area was cleared out and some dirt pulled back but we haven't figured out what to do about drainage and general landscaping 
We want to keep this area clear of plants and foliage (unless we have planter boxes to contain everything) but I have no idea what I'd want to put in place of it. Most likely 3/4-2" sized rocks (not large stones or gravel).

Currently, this area is prone to flooding and was exposed to some recent heavy rains we had:

























































There is also a section of the current drainage that wasn't working well due to it being laid over a portion of footing on the outside of the chimney. The footing is basically blocking and preventing the PVC from going any deeper/lower. Furthermore, there's an irrigation line running alongside this drain which is also creating a tight squeeze in terms of space to manipulate this section of drain:









We also found the main catch basin in the front yard - we discovered that it had been covered in a foot or two of dirt and a couple paver stones laid over to prevent it from being clogged up. Both PVC drainage systems pictured above (one on each side of the walkway) are routed to it. It doesn't seem like the most optimal way to have done it but it is what it is:

















We had a general contractor out to look at addressing some other areas of the home but he happened to see this area and was concerned about how wet it is and how it appears that water just pools in this area (even prior to all the excavation we had done) due to the walkway being at the same level as the weep screed. The contractor who did the weep screed repair did raise it by 2-3" but that's not enough relative to the walkway. Right now we have no plans to demo the walkway and redo it as that would likely be expensive, so just trying to figure out a good solution for drainage factoring everything in (including the footer where the chimney is and avoiding chipping away at it - I don't want to start messing around with anything related to the foundation of the home). The contractor mentioned trenching this area, laying fabric (not sure what kind) and then filling with rock to create a pipeless/drainless dry river bed or swale (?) to promote for the water to flow out. I'm not sure if something like that would be sufficient or if we absolutely need pipes. In either case, I was thinking something along these lines (assuming a pipeless trench with just fabric and rock would be enough):

























Thoughts? Advice? Suggestions? Ideas?

TIA!


----------

