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French Drain

1K views 19 replies 9 participants last post by  Fishindude 
#1 ·
Guys, I don't know nothing about French drains other then what Mr Google said. Here's my possible problem. My land has a slight slope to it,wanting to build a pole barn which be on slab. The slab be about 70' long and will run parallel with the slop which is where my concerns lay. During rain I am afraid that water will build up on side of bldg and will not all drain and water will set. What is a good method of say moving the water around bldg during rain and after rain to get to other side to drain with the slop? I haven't build anything yet still cleaning place up to look like normal person may live there. Still in planning stages,looking for ideals or links or websites
 
#9 ·
A berm would work fine to divert water. Easiest and generally cheapest. But sit and watch the site in a heavy rain and you may find you need nothing. Jeff
Another word for berm would be swale. Easy to do and works wonders.
 
#3 ·
If there is any lower area anywhere to be found, rent yourself a surveying tool and mark your area. Then get a bulldozer in there to create drainage away from your building to the low spot on both sides of your building. I did this very thing in preparing my inlaw’s building site. It was wet but once the natural drainage was created it was high and dry.
 
#4 ·
As Weaselfire suggests, I would build a small v-shaped berm upslope from the structure. It probably only needs to be 4-6 inches high to steer water around the structure.

If you wanted to take the belt-and-suspenders approach, you could supplement the berm with a weeping tile/french drain along the wall facing the slope, with each end turning downslope at the side of the building and then emptying above grade alongside walls. You could have a small gutter or drainage ditch carrying the water away from the building. Depending on how much water these have to handle, they could be filled with river rock, or could even be concrete, kind of like the splashpads you put underneath downspouts.
 
#7 ·
Lots of good suggestions here, I will have few loads of base brought in to help raise it and I will also put some beams around the perimeter which I really was not planning since this going to be a pole barn but I did not realize the grade drop. Thanks for all suggestion I now have a plan on how to deal with this issue
 
#8 ·
You can't just put a French drain where you want the water to go-- the water has to want to go there first. The purpose of filling the drain path with rock is to prevent erosion....As others have said- excavate in such a way that the floor is above grade and then create a path for the water around the building. If the involved path can be maintained in vegetation, then no extra precautions against erosion will be necessary..
 
#14 ·
Actually, I'm with Alice on this having had to dig swales with a back hoe around my house, garage and barn on my hillside property.
 
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#17 ·
Yup - when you dig swales, you create berms.....Just make sure at the end, you widen the swale so the water spreads out as it exits.
 
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#18 ·
This is nitpicking I know but:
A swale is a ditch, trench, excavation, etc,
A berm is a mound, fill area, earthen build up, etc.
These two words are almost total opposites.

You do not always get a berm when you dig a swale, as often the excavated material is hauled off elsewhere.
And you do not always get a swale anytime you build a berm, because often material is hauled in from elsewhere to build the berm.

That video shows both being built simultaneously, but it is not always the case that you need both.
 
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