French drain with sump pump or grading?
Firstly, we're in drought country, the projected El Niño this year notwithstanding.
We've been told we need a French drain and we've been told we can solve the problem with grading. Our lot is on a slight downward slope, from east to west with our front door pointing north. We've got a crawl space with 3-4 foot walls. Our roof gutters spew right on the foundation on the uphill side and the our neighbor's roof gutters funnels under a fence to almost the same location. We know we have a grading problem from the pest and foundation people, and a drainage problem because the house (we bought it less than a year ago) had pools of standing water in the crawl space from heavy rains when we found it. Part of that problem is getting fixed by moving out a wall. The extension will cover the property low point behind the house - all water flowed to this point, pooled and swept into the crawl space. We've heard we need two levels of drainage - one near the surface for the roof gutters, the neighbors water and other runoff, and a French drain down below our foundation line, full perimeter of the house including the lowslope side. We've heard no sump-pump, one sump-pump or two sump-pumps at $1,000 apiece. We've also heard we could grade. Our soil is clay - I've heard that clay is never going to release its water to a French drain which leaves us wondering if there should be one four feet down below the foundation wall. Everyone has a position that makes sense and they all contradict each other. Contractor says he should do it. Landscaper says he should do it. Guidance anyone?
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Davison's 4 Seasons Landscaping