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French Drains

Named for New England lawyer, gentleman farmer, and inventor Henry Flagg French, the cellar, or “French” drain was introduced in his seminal 1859 book “Farm Drainage.”

Following his wife’s death from consumption, French was determined to stop the regular flooding of his basement. Ahead of his time, he believed standing water and the ensuing vapors induced illness, and threatened the safety of agricultural production.

He proposed a landscape drainage system where a perforated pipe was put in an excavated trench filled with gravel. By redirecting excess surface and groundwater from lower elevations this drain prevents pooling. This eliminates the diseases borne of standing water. French drains have effectively been used to whisk water away from building foundations and other manmade structures.

His son, artist Daniel Chester French, created the statue of the iconic president housed in the Lincoln Memorial. Built upon the agricultural silt of the Potomac mudflats, and not the swamp of urban myth, the Army Corps of Engineers protected the foundation of the massive Washington, D.C. structure with a French drain system installed in 1994.

Variations of French drains are still the preferred engineering solution to control the destructive capability of excessive stormwater. If you have recurrent water problems at your home or business, we have the expertise you need to eliminate flood water worries. Contact the award-winning professionals at East Coast Landscape Design to learn more about installing a French drain and say goodbye to your flood headaches.


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Angies List Super Service Awared 2013

They did a retaining wall. It's perfect. They showed up when they said they were going to and finished the job up nicely. I hadn't worked with them before...I have some jobs in the works, and I plan on reusing them...I would call on them again...

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