French drains are ditches filled with gravel and sometimes drain tile along the bottom. Often they are lined with polyethylene or some other impermeable plastic sheeting. They intercept the water and carry it away. They are normally placed close to the wall. However, you will find them in the middle of swales, along borders, and nearly anywhere that water needs to be intercepted. Sometimes they will be mistaken for decorative gravel borders when, in fact, they are very functional.

French drains are explained in Section C of The Home Waterproofers Manual – Home Waterproofing A to Z. Remember: in the waterproofing business it’s “buyer beware”. Most salesmen get a percentage of the sale and don’t consider it their job to save you money. They charge as much as they can. If they see a problem that can be fixed inexpensively, they won’t mention it, but will only talk about preventing serious damage and try to frighten you into signing a big contract.

You can save thousands of dollars and many headaches by learning what is going on first. Often what looks like an expensive and serious problem may not be. Once the problem is explained, solving it is just common sense. I’ve used the knowledge I’ve put in The Home Waterproofers Manual – Home Waterproofing A to Z every day to fix water problems. It will work for you too.

But remember, when dealing with salesmen, in the waterproofing business it’s “buyer beware”. Most get a percentage of the sale and don’t consider it their job to save you money. They charge as much as they can. If they see a problem that can be fixed at low cost, or one that has a simple solution, they won’t mention it, but will only talk about “preventing serious damage” and try to scare you into signing a big contract.