- Props for tackling the French drain yourself—sounds like quite the project. I've heard from friends that getting the slope right is always the trickiest part, so you're definitely not alone there.
- Rain gardens are pretty cool, though. From what I've seen, native plants usually do best since they're adapted to local rainfall patterns and soil types. Did you end up going with natives or just pick whatever looked good at the nursery?
- I've been thinking about adding a rain garden myself, but my yard's pretty small. Curious if anyone's tried combining a rain garden with other landscaping features, like pathways or seating areas...
- Anyway, glad your drain is finally working out. DIY projects always seem simpler in theory, right?
French drains are solid, but honestly, I've seen plenty of DIY attempts end up causing more headaches down the road—especially if the slope isn't spot-on. Rain gardens are great too, but they're not always the silver bullet people think. Had a tenant who installed one thinking it'd handle all runoff, but during heavy storms, it just overflowed onto the sidewalk. Maybe combining it with pathways or seating could help manage space better though...just gotta plan carefully.
Have you considered how much soil type plays into this? I had a client who put in a rain garden on heavy clay soil, thinking it'd soak everything up. First big storm, it turned into a mini pond—total mess. French drains can be tricky too; slope's critical, but so is the gravel size and fabric choice. Maybe combining methods is smarter, but have you thought about soil amendments or infiltration testing first? Could save a lot of headaches later...
Had a similar experience myself—heavy clay soil turned our backyard into a swamp after one rainy weekend. Thought I was clever by installing a French drain, but I underestimated how important gravel choice was. Ended up having to redo half the job...lesson learned the hard way. Curious if anyone's had luck mixing in sand or compost to improve drainage without breaking the bank? Seems like soil amendments might be cheaper than redoing everything from scratch.
Totally agree on compost—sand can be tricky though. Had a neighbor mix sand into heavy clay, and it basically turned into concrete after drying out...not fun. Compost or even mulch seems safer and cheaper long-term. I've also seen success with planting deep-rooted native plants to help drainage naturally.
