French Drain

Although it is uncertain if the French drain was indeed invented in France, this type of drainage became popular after it was mentioned in an 1859 book called farm drainage. The book was written by a lawyer in Massachusetts, called Henry Flagg French who is actually responsible for the name given to this drainage system. No matter if it was invented by the French or by the Massachusetts lawyer, if properly built this type of drainage can save your home some pretty serious structural damage. It is also called a curtain drain, a filler drain, a collector drain, an interceptor drain, a dispersal drain or a fin drain, but regardless the variations and the different names it carries, this drainage system serves a single purpose which is redirecting water from one point to another. This system has been successfully used for years both by farmers and by home owners concerned about the structural integrity of their houses. They are either buried around the foundation wall on the external side of the foundation or they are installed underneath the basement floor on the inside perimeter of the basement. However, if you are interested in building a French drain system you should [...]