Things with "French" in the title are usually fancy, right? Poodles, perfume, pastries. But a French drain has a more utilitarian purpose—redirecting standing water away from vulnerable structures or ...

Mark is a seasoned green industry veteran and freelance writer based in Georgia. His work encompasses all things garden, landscape, home improvement, and DIY, with a focus on sustainability. Mark ...

Amanda Blum is a freelancer who writes about smart home technology, gardening, and food preservation. Previously, Amanda has worked as a technology strategist specializing in problem solving and ...

"Eventually I saw that we were supposed to get several inches of rain in a big storm this weekend." ...

Q:While raking up leaves and pulling weeds, I came across some long, concrete, half-pipe-shaped tubing that extends the length of one side of our house, the uphill side, about a foot from our ...

Q: I read your column regularly even if the problem you discuss does not directly affect me. Your comments are always interesting. I'm writing you to ask if you know if it is possible to waterproof a ...

Hedi Garcia was fast asleep in her Smithtown home when her husband screamed up the stairs, "We're getting water." The living room, bathroom and kitchen took on inches of it, during the recent flooding ...

Things with “French” in the title are usually fancy, right? Poodles, perfume, pastries. But a French drain is nothing more than a ditch in sloped ground, inset with a perforated drain pipe under a ...

Working time: 8 hours or more Total time: 10 hours or more Skill level: Intermediate Project cost: $3 to $7 per linear foot A French drain can solve a variety of yard drainage problems. It collects ...