Otis in the Suburbs (1 Viewer)

[Britney Spears]

giant lawnmower/vacuum thing

Oh man.

 

[Britney Spears]

Stoked to see these pics.

 

[Otis]

Stoked to see these pics.

His guys do really nice job, and the main guy reall cares about and takes pride in the finished product. He has suggested a couple of add ons, and they cost us more, but I think he just wants to do it right and as much as possible within our budget. I'll walk the property and take a video in the morning so you can see where we are with it. I'm psyched to see.

 

[Getinthemix]

Stoked to see these pics.

His guys do really nice job, and the main guy reall cares about and takes pride in the finished product. He has suggested a couple of add ons, and they cost us more, but I think he just wants to do it right and as much as possible within our budget. I'll walk the property and take a video in the morning so you can see where we are with it. I'm psyched to see.

Oat you are correct, the contractor has your budget in mind at all times.

 

[Otis]

Otis you're naive and stupid for trusting someone!!!

 

[the moops]

Otis - just a working class shlub

 

[Tiger Fan]

Otis you're naive and stupid for trusting someone!!!

I know you said you knew that you were going to have to drop a ton to upgrade when you bought it. Are you on budget?

 

[Otis]

Otis you're naive and stupid for trusting someone!!!

I know you said you knew that you were going to have to drop a ton to upgrade when you bought it. Are you on budget?

Just about. We bought it planning to sink in about 60k up front, and we've probably blown a few through that with each of the upgrades we've done to each job. But not much beyond that. To be fair, these aren't all things we had to do immediately. The old siding worked fine. The deck looked like crap but we didn't need to redo all these things. The kitchen and bathroom definitely needed it, as did paint. But not everything had to happen now. But we pick and chose the things we wanted to do, and which we think we'd enjoy the most for now.We also bought it planning, over the long term, to sink in a few hundred grand overall in terms of masonry, landscaping, a two-story extension, new floorings in certain areas, finishing the attic, central air, new high end gourmet kitchen, etc. The big things are probably 5-10 years down the road. Ultimately, given the location, I think we will get back that investment all back dollar-for-dollar in terms of increase in value of the home. Of course, we didn't buy it as an investment, but as a long term home, so maybe that doesn't matter so much.

 

[Red Forman]

Oats, you buy that ####### turtle yet or what? Stop being coy...

 

[tommyGunZ]

Massive improvement - nice work Oats. Place looks great.

 

[Rohn Jambo]

Otis, post the new pics of your patio and front steps! The suspense is killing me.

 

[Britney Spears]

I am putting up gutter flashing today, but wishing I was getting a new patio.

 

[Leviathan]

Patio was finished up fast. Wife just sent some pics, nearly done. I guess there's no adhesive or mortar in these paver patios? You just throw the little blocks in the sand like a game of Tetris? What's to stop some suburban neighborhood delinquent from digging up my blocks?

That's why you bought that .45, Sgt. Rock.

 

[Otis]

Otis, post the new pics of your patio and front steps! The suspense is killing me.

Is this shtick?The back patio is done. It's still covered in sand and the furniture isn't on it yet. They need to do the cleanup. It came out pretty nice, though I'm sort of miffed that they sloped the walkway down to where the steps are instead of leveling that out and adding a step. Just feels awkward walking back there and will be scary when it gets icy. Then again we tend to use the front steps and entrance more, so it's not a huge deal.Front is coming along well. He expects to be done Monday or Tuesday. We had a pow-wow out there this morning to talk details. I'm glad we did, because he was going to leave the front walkway and patio with their current pitch (they pitch forward pretty badly -- when you walk out of the house it feels like you are going to fall forward down the steps). I had him change the design a bit, add a second step to the front stoop (which I wanted anyway), and make sure it's all level. That would have driven me bananas if he'd done it the way he was thinking. Anyway maybe I'll take some progress pics tomorrow and post the final pics mid week.The mosquitoes are absolutely brutal out there tonight. Just did a bunch of research and it seems Thermacell is by far the best choice. We have one and it didn't seem bullet proof, but I just bought a couple more of the non-lantern ones (which people seem to rate better) and a bunch of refills. I better be able to enjoy that damn patio after all this...

 

[squidrope]

Otis, post the new pics of your patio and front steps! The suspense is killing me.

Is this shtick?The back patio is done. It's still covered in sand and the furniture isn't on it yet. They need to do the cleanup. It came out pretty nice, though I'm sort of miffed that they sloped the walkway down to where the steps are instead of leveling that out and adding a step. Just feels awkward walking back there and will be scary when it gets icy. Then again we tend to use the front steps and entrance more, so it's not a huge deal.

Front is coming along well. He expects to be done Monday or Tuesday. We had a pow-wow out there this morning to talk details. I'm glad we did, because he was going to leave the front walkway and patio with their current pitch (they pitch forward pretty badly -- when you walk out of the house it feels like you are going to fall forward down the steps). I had him change the design a bit, add a second step to the front stoop (which I wanted anyway), and make sure it's all level. That would have driven me bananas if he'd done it the way he was thinking.

Anyway maybe I'll take some progress pics tomorrow and post the final pics mid week.

The mosquitoes are absolutely brutal out there tonight. Just did a bunch of research and it seems Thermacell is by far the best choice. We have one and it didn't seem bullet proof, but I just bought a couple more of the non-lantern ones (which people seem to rate better) and a bunch of refills. I better be able to enjoy that damn patio after all this...

If it bothers you now, you should have them fix it now (at your expense). It's only going to eat at you more and more over time. Adding steps and changing the pitch takes time and extra materials. When he quoted it, I believe you were trying to hold to a certain #. You paid for a sandwich, don't expect steak. Be glad you caught the "issues" now rather than later. Try Mosquito Squad or another similar company to treat for the skeeters.

The house is looking great!

 

[Otis]

Looking over our back patio tonight the wife and I both realized it would look better and be a better use of space if they had extended the patio out just another 6 feet or so. I'm thinking about asking him for a cost estimate on changing it. I hate having them redo some work but it looks like the stuff they'd have to pick up might be minimal. Or maybe it's a huge job to add that on now? Anyway thinking of bouncing it off him tomorrow. I'm sure i'll run another 1k or more but it may be worth it. I'd also like a fire pit back there but maybe I will add that myself some time later....

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

Looking over our back patio tonight the wife and I both realized it would look better and be a better use of space if they had extended the patio out just another 6 feet or so. I'm thinking about asking him for a cost estimate on changing it. I hate having them redo some work but it looks like the stuff they'd have to pick up might be minimal. Or maybe it's a huge job to add that on now? Anyway thinking of bouncing it off him tomorrow. I'm sure i'll run another 1k or more but it may be worth it. I'd also like a fire pit back there but maybe I will add that myself some time later....

Always go bigger

 

[Otis]

Looking over our back patio tonight the wife and I both realized it would look better and be a better use of space if they had extended the patio out just another 6 feet or so. I'm thinking about asking him for a cost estimate on changing it. I hate having them redo some work but it looks like the stuff they'd have to pick up might be minimal. Or maybe it's a huge job to add that on now? Anyway thinking of bouncing it off him tomorrow. I'm sure i'll run another 1k or more but it may be worth it. I'd also like a fire pit back there but maybe I will add that myself some time later....

Always go bigger

We did. More

 

[YSR]

Anyone here ever drilled out the key hole in a Master Lock padlock? We've lost the key to the one on our gate and I'd rather not go get a whole new gate lock set. I've gotten a pretty good sized hole already but the lock's not budging.

We don't have a bolt cutter and I'm not letting this be Mr. YSR's excuse to buy a Dremel, so I'm trying to think of options.

 

[Otis]

We don't have a bolt cutter and I'm not letting this be Mr. YSR's excuse to buy a Dremel, so I'm trying to think of options.

Buy a bolt cutter.

 

[JerseyToughGuys]

pics mother####er!~

 

[Otis]

pics mother####er!~

It's just a big mess right now. I'm having him tear up one edge of the patio to add another ~200 square feet, which will be nice I think. Everything should be done Wednesday, and pics will follow then.

Ah heck. None of it looks very nice right now, but here it is:

Here's one shot of the patio as they were doing it - link - it's the only one I have of the clean surface since they then covered it up with sand etc. until they clean up and leave.

Here's one more recently, after they've thrown sand down on it and after the heavy rain the other day -- you can see the dirty water runoff that discolors the newly-cemented wall -- http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/2371/89381179.jpg

Any suggestions on how to handle that? One option is just to leave it "natural" looking. I even considered throwing a coat of tan/brown paint on top of the wall so that the runoff blends in better. But there's no easy solution absent a major project (i.e., raising the wall a few feet), and that's not in the cards right now. Someone also suggested just hosing it down occasionally after it rains. That may work, I haven' tried yet.

Also that second pic shows the finished edge of the patio as it currently stands. You can't really tell from this angle, but it sort of is close to where the double doors lead out to the patio -- we decided there is a lot of room (from where I'm standing when I took the picture), so we are going to expand it out that way about 10 feet. (I'm thinking ahead to the fire pit I'd like to install, etc.)

Actually, here's one that better shows that it ends too close to the door IMO Link. When we grow it now, it will be a lot bigger and flow out from the double doors in both directions, which I think will look nice. Not that I know what the ef I'm talking about here.

I also don't like the look of the rocks they have covering the rest of the yard, next to the patio and flagstone walkway. It just looks dirty/clashing to me. I think I'm going to post on craigslist that it's available and see who'll come by and take it away. Or maybe I'll even find some use for it around a planting bed or something on the hill or edges of the back of the property. But I'd like to replace it either by growing some lawn there (we get some sunlight in the back there, so it should grow) or maybe even just some grey or other solid colored gravel. Basically something that looks more kept and matches the patio better. Any suggestions?

Here's a close-up of the curved planter in the corner. Link He did a nice job with that I think. He'll fill it up with some more topsoil and we'll have to figure out what the heck to plant in there. Breaks up the monotony of the space a little and doubles as extra seating.

I don't have pics of the front, never got around to taking those. But it's coming along really well. May be the biggest improvement of all. I'll post those when completed later in the week.

 

[JerseyToughGuys]

pics mother####er!~

It's just a big mess right now. I'm having him tear up one edge of the patio to add another ~200 square feet, which will be nice I think. Everything should be done Wednesday, and pics will follow then.

Ah heck. None of it looks very nice right now, but here it is:

Here's one shot of the patio as they were doing it - link - it's the only one I have of the clean surface since they then covered it up with sand etc. until they clean up and leave.

Here's one more recently, after they've thrown sand down on it and after the heavy rain the other day -- you can see the dirty water runoff that discolors the newly-cemented wall -- http://img16.imageshack.us/img16/2371/89381179.jpg

Any suggestions on how to handle that? One option is just to leave it "natural" looking. I even considered throwing a coat of tan/brown paint on top of the wall so that the runoff blends in better. But there's no easy solution absent a major project (i.e., raising the wall a few feet), and that's not in the cards right now. Someone also suggested just hosing it down occasionally after it rains. That may work, I haven' tried yet.

Also that second pic shows the finished edge of the patio as it currently stands. You can't really tell from this angle, but it sort of is close to where the double doors lead out to the patio -- we decided there is a lot of room (from where I'm standing when I took the picture), so we are going to expand it out that way about 10 feet. (I'm thinking ahead to the fire pit I'd like to install, etc.)

Actually, here's one that better shows that it ends too close to the door IMO Link. When we grow it now, it will be a lot bigger and flow out from the double doors in both directions, which I think will look nice. Not that I know what the ef I'm talking about here.

I also don't like the look of the rocks they have covering the rest of the yard, next to the patio and flagstone walkway. It just looks dirty/clashing to me. I think I'm going to post on craigslist that it's available and see who'll come by and take it away. Or maybe I'll even find some use for it around a planting bed or something on the hill or edges of the back of the property. But I'd like to replace it either by growing some lawn there (we get some sunlight in the back there, so it should grow) or maybe even just some grey or other solid colored gravel. Basically something that looks more kept and matches the patio better. Any suggestions?

Here's a close-up of the curved planter in the corner. Link He did a nice job with that I think. He'll fill it up with some more topsoil and we'll have to figure out what the heck to plant in there. Breaks up the monotony of the space a little and doubles as extra seating.

I don't have pics of the front, never got around to taking those. But it's coming along really well. May be the biggest improvement of all. I'll post those when completed later in the week.

nice

 

[JerseyToughGuys]

pics mother####er!~

Any suggestions on how to handle that?

this would drive me crazy. My patio is a few years old and keeping it clean is getting harder and harder. You don't need added crap mucking it up if you can help it.My initial thought would be to dig a shallow trench and back fill with landscaping stone/gravel. Maybe even bury a drain tile so the water goes down and out.

I'm sure folks around here will have plenty of opinions.

ETA:

As to the rocks on the border, I'd go with a nice dark Mulch instead. Let the Mrs. plant some flowers in there to add some color. not a great example but something like this 2

 

[Otis]

pics mother####er!~

Any suggestions on how to handle that?

this would drive me crazy. My patio is a few years old and keeping it clean is getting harder and harder. You don't need added crap mucking it up if you can help it.My initial thought would be to dig a shallow trench and back fill with landscaping stone/gravel. Maybe even bury a drain tile so the water goes down and out.

I'm sure folks around here will have plenty of opinions.

ETA:

As to the rocks on the border, I'd go with a nice dark Mulch instead. Let the Mrs. plant some flowers in there to add some color. not a great example but something like this 2

Thanks. I forgot how awesome yours turned out -- looks great (and immaculate). I like the dark mulch idea, may have to go that route.Still no idea what to do about the effing wall though. It looked great until it rained.

 

[JerseyToughGuys]

pics mother####er!~

Any suggestions on how to handle that?

this would drive me crazy. My patio is a few years old and keeping it clean is getting harder and harder. You don't need added crap mucking it up if you can help it.My initial thought would be to dig a shallow trench and back fill with landscaping stone/gravel. Maybe even bury a drain tile so the water goes down and out.

I'm sure folks around here will have plenty of opinions.

ETA:

As to the rocks on the border, I'd go with a nice dark Mulch instead. Let the Mrs. plant some flowers in there to add some color. not a great example but something like this 2

Thanks. I forgot how awesome yours turned out -- looks great (and immaculate). I like the dark mulch idea, may have to go that route.Still no idea what to do about the effing wall though. It looked great until it rained.

sadly, this is no longer the case.

 

[urbanhack]

pics mother####er!~

Here's a close-up of the curved planter in the corner. Link He did a nice job with that I think. He'll fill it up with some more topsoil and we'll have to figure out what the heck to plant in there. Breaks up the monotony of the space a little and doubles as extra seating.

I don't have pics of the front, never got around to taking those. But it's coming along really well. May be the biggest improvement of all. I'll post those when completed later in the week.

Waterfall / feature would have been nice there.

 

[Otis]

JTG -- what about covering that wall with something else that won't discolor so easily or show the dirt so easily -- like a darker stone veneer or tile? Maybe something I can do myself from Home Depot?

 

[Otis]

pics mother####er!~

Here's a close-up of the curved planter in the corner. Link He did a nice job with that I think. He'll fill it up with some more topsoil and we'll have to figure out what the heck to plant in there. Breaks up the monotony of the space a little and doubles as extra seating.

I don't have pics of the front, never got around to taking those. But it's coming along really well. May be the biggest improvement of all. I'll post those when completed later in the week.

Waterfall / feature would have been nice there.

I'm not a big waterfall guy, maybe there is something else we can do in there (I actually considered lining it with fire-resistant brick and turning that into a fire pit, but then it won't look like much when not in use...)

 

[JerseyToughGuys]

JTG -- what about covering that wall with something else that won't discolor so easily or show the dirt so easily -- like a darker stone veneer or tile? Maybe something I can do myself from Home Depot?

didn't you pay to get it stucco'd? Or is it just painted? Seems counter productive to throw another layer on.What kind of sunlight do you get? Some sort of vining ivy? we've got some junipers that hang over a bit of our wall, but sunlight keeps them from growing much.ETA: NM, I see that it is cement. power skimmed the post scouring for pics

 

[JerseyToughGuys]

Also, once the upper area settles and/or is planted, you shouldn't see as much dirt running down imo. I assume that brown area was disturbed recently and the loose stuff is washing down the wall.

 

[Otis]

Also, once the upper area settles and/or is planted, you shouldn't see as much dirt running down imo. I assume that brown area was disturbed recently and the loose stuff is washing down the wall.

Yup that all is loose stuff coming down the wall, but even down the other end which is relatively settled, there is some staining after one hard rain. That water just travels down and has to go somewhere.

 

[Worm]

Take an afternoon and run some sort of drainage at the top of the wall. Route it around to the low end. Just something to avoid that runoff over the cement.

 

[Otis]

Take an afternoon and run some sort of drainage at the top of the wall. Route it around to the low end. Just something to avoid that runoff over the cement.

I guess that may be easy enough. How would I go about doing that? Just dig a shallow trench next to the top of the retaining wall, and run it all the way around so the water flows around and down the declining part? I'm assuming I run some kind of drainage tubing in there or something?

 

[squidrope]

JTG -- what about covering that wall with something else that won't discolor so easily or show the dirt so easily -- like a darker stone veneer or tile? Maybe something I can do myself from Home Depot?

Try covering it with vines. That might help to hide the stains.BTW-looks great

 

[Worm]

Take an afternoon and run some sort of drainage at the top of the wall. Route it around to the low end. Just something to avoid that runoff over the cement.

I guess that may be easy enough. How would I go about doing that? Just dig a shallow trench next to the top of the retaining wall, and run it all the way around so the water flows around and down the declining part? I'm assuming I run some kind of drainage tubing in there or something?

Not sure what exactly they carry at Home Depot or Lowes, but yeah, just go talk to a guy there and tell him you want to run something to help w/ drainage at the top of a retaining wall.After you fix the problem just go back and powerwash the wall.

 

[Otis]

Take an afternoon and run some sort of drainage at the top of the wall. Route it around to the low end. Just something to avoid that runoff over the cement.

I guess that may be easy enough. How would I go about doing that? Just dig a shallow trench next to the top of the retaining wall, and run it all the way around so the water flows around and down the declining part? I'm assuming I run some kind of drainage tubing in there or something?

Not sure what exactly they carry at Home Depot or Lowes, but yeah, just go talk to a guy there and tell him you want to run something to help w/ drainage at the top of a retaining wall.After you fix the problem just go back and powerwash the wall.

Thanks -- this seems like the cheapest/easiest solution. Maybe one day we'll have it faced with something fancy, but for now I think this should work.Maybe I need to buy a power washer.

 

[Rohn Jambo]

Here's one shot of the patio as they were doing it - link - it's the only one I have of the clean surface since they then covered it up with sand etc. until they clean up and leave.

Otis, the patio looks great but what happened to the Leyland Cypress?

 

[Otis]

Here's one shot of the patio as they were doing it - link - it's the only one I have of the clean surface since they then covered it up with sand etc. until they clean up and leave.

Otis, the patio looks great but what happened to the Leyland Cypress?

Two of em are dearer than a doornail. He'll have to replace those soon enough. I'll wait until after August heat to press him on it.

 

[Oh Yes!]

JTG -- what about covering that wall with something else that won't discolor so easily or show the dirt so easily -- like a darker stone veneer or tile? Maybe something I can do myself from Home Depot?

Try covering it with vines. That might help to hide the stains.BTW-looks great

Ivy her up otis

 

[Rohn Jambo]

More ideas on what to do with the retaing wall.

link

link

ETA: And this Banksy for tree killers.

 

[Jambi]

So the camping trip turned into a nightmare. Never made it to Black Canyon. I had left my fly rods at my buddies house in Fort Collins. I asked him to bring them down on Wednesday night when he was coming down. He forgot which wasn't surprising. So Friday when she was getting out of work I told her about the fly rods. Leaving them was not an option as I don't camp without fishing. I spoke to my buddy and he said he could drop them off at 9:30-10:00 which shouldn't be a problem since we had discussed leaving at 9:00 if we waited til Saturday to leave.

I finally wake up and it's 10:30. I have 4 texts messages. It's my lady ranting about me not being up. I call her and she starts #####ing. I say, look ____ isn't here yet which means we couldn't leave anyhow. She's still mad because that's how she rolls...total control freak. We get out west and we decide with the time it would be better to just set camp on the banks of the Taylor River. First night goes alright except she elbows and punches me in the middle of the night because I was snoring.

TBC

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

Also, once the upper area settles and/or is planted, you shouldn't see as much dirt running down imo. I assume that brown area was disturbed recently and the loose stuff is washing down the wall.

Yup that all is loose stuff coming down the wall, but even down the other end which is relatively settled, there is some staining after one hard rain. That water just travels down and has to go somewhere.

Ahhhhh OK, I stand by my original contention then, if your retaining wall is at grade or below on a slope that is higher above, you will never stop the staining problem unless you get the wall to a height that is higher than the grade it is trying to retain. Also, running some black plastic tiling (flexible perforated pipe) around the perimeter of that wall on the grade side will help tremendously on cutting down your runoff over the top of the wall. In the least I would work install that tiling around the grade side of that wall, rplace your material overthe piping, and leave the area closest to your wall in a small gulley so that the runoff ponds there and disapates slowly instead of running off. This is a real easy and inexpensive fix.

You are wasting your time painting that area until you properly fix that runoff problem.

 

[Otis]

Also, once the upper area settles and/or is planted, you shouldn't see as much dirt running down imo. I assume that brown area was disturbed recently and the loose stuff is washing down the wall.

Yup that all is loose stuff coming down the wall, but even down the other end which is relatively settled, there is some staining after one hard rain. That water just travels down and has to go somewhere.

Ahhhhh OK, I stand by my original contention then, if your retaining wall is at grade or below on a slope that is higher above, you will never stop the staining problem unless you get the wall to a height that is higher than the grade it is trying to retain. Also, running some black plastic tiling (flexible perforated pipe) around the perimeter of that wall on the grade side will help tremendously on cutting down your runoff over the top of the wall. In the least I would work install that tiling around the grade side of that wall, rplace your material overthe piping, and leave the area closest to your wall in a small gulley so that the runoff ponds there and disapates slowly instead of running off. This is a real easy and inexpensive fix.

You are wasting your time painting that area until you properly fix that runoff problem.

Got it -- ok I'll look into it this weekend. Can you post examples of the kind of " black plastic tiling (flexible perforated pipe)" you're talking about?

 

[Otis]

BF, you talking about something like this? http://www.ehow.com/how_7631238_install-black-corrugated-drainage-pipe.html

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

BF, you talking about something like this? http://www.ehow.com/...inage-pipe.html

The key is getting that grade at a level that is lower than your wall. You only need a couple inches below the top level of the wall for it to work. So install that piping around the wall perimeter (adding a little peastone around the pipe before you cover it will help as well), allow for a couple inch drainage gulley above the tile to allow drainage to drain slowly overtime and most of your runoff problem should stop. Replace all soil on top of the piping.

Once you are done, the finished grade on the dirt side of your wall (including the shallow gulley) should be about 1.5 to 2 inches (or more) lower than the finish height of your wall.

 

[Otis]

BF, you talking about something like this? http://www.ehow.com/...inage-pipe.html

The key is getting that grade at a level that is lower than your wall. You only need a couple inches below the top level of the wall for it to work. So install that piping around the wall perimeter (adding a little peastone around the pipe before you cover it will help as well), allow for a couple inch drainage gulley above the tile to allow drainage to drain slowly overtime and most of your runoff problem should stop. Replace all soil on top of the piping.

Once you are done, the finished grade on the dirt side of your wall (including the shallow gulley) should be about 1.5 to 2 inches (or more) lower than the finish height of your wall.

When you talk about piping vs. tile I'm getting confused. As far as I can tell, I'm digging a shallow ditch along the other side of the wall. Maybe a couple feet deep. I put some gravel along the bottom. Drop in the pipe with the holes facing downward. then cover with more gravel, which will let the water flow down into the pipe better than the dirt will. Isn't that about it? What "tile" are we talking about?

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

BF, you talking about something like this? http://www.ehow.com/...inage-pipe.html

The key is getting that grade at a level that is lower than your wall. You only need a couple inches below the top level of the wall for it to work. So install that piping around the wall perimeter (adding a little peastone around the pipe before you cover it will help as well), allow for a couple inch drainage gulley above the tile to allow drainage to drain slowly overtime and most of your runoff problem should stop. Replace all soil on top of the piping.

Once you are done, the finished grade on the dirt side of your wall (including the shallow gulley) should be about 1.5 to 2 inches (or more) lower than the finish height of your wall.

When you talk about piping vs. tile I'm getting confused. As far as I can tell, I'm digging a shallow ditch along the other side of the wall. Maybe a couple feet deep. I put some gravel along the bottom. Drop in the pipe with the holes facing downward. then cover with more gravel, which will let the water flow down into the pipe better than the dirt will. Isn't that about it? What "tile" are we talking about?

Sorry..."tile" and "pipe" in this case are somewhat interchangable terms. Perforated pipe/tile is what you want. Sounds like you got the idea of the install...Good deal. good luck. This should help a lot gb. I just hate seeing someone waste their time when the bigger problem isnt being addressed.

 

[Otis]

 

[BroncoFreak_2K3]

anytime. The grade around my house is very similar to yours, so I've had some experience over the years addressing drainage problems like this. good luck.ETA: You will want to make the area you are placing the pipe in about a foot wide swath. That should allow for plenty of surface area for proper drainage.