Where it floods most
How to build a dry creek on a budget
by
Linda Dugal
+4
We have several oak trees around us that caused quite a bit of problems in different places around our home. When it rains it floods my sidewalk close to my front door causing dirt and leaves to float onto and eventually stick to the sidewalk. I’m not quite sure how to fix it. I have tried gravel before, but it didn’t work well. I was thinking maybe a dry creek to our front yard drain. We live in south Louisiana so there are no rocks available unless you go to a nursery and purchase. The prices of larger rocks are crazy expensive down here. Its a rock for goodness sake.
Area next to house where I’m thinking of starting the creek bed
This is how I have been trying to slow water down.
Further down my sidewalk, grass won’t grow.
This is the drain in my front yard. Those are oak tree roots.
Can see where drain is in relation to my front door. That left corner is where I was thinking.
had a similar problem. dug a trench 12 in wide 12 inches deep. put put in corrugated plastic pipe 5 inch diameter or larger. covered with gravel. cheapest stone is crushed white marble. took 30 bags @ 3.50 each.
Some ideas on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=how+to+build+a+dry+creek+bed
My brother's yard is losing dirt under the fence and the dirt beside the house will be the next and, after that will be the foundation. Rocks will fill it good and not rot the way the existing timbers are, but I am old and the chances of us with bad backs is impossible. If you have a cat or friends with cats the empty cat litter containers should work as good as any big rock and you can carry them. I have saved my twenty pound plastic containers and I will fill them with bags of rocks or cement and bury them low enough to send the water away from this spillage area then put soil or river rocks on top. Beyond that I am backing it by planting Carolina Jasmine to help hold back the water. I am making my own bushes by cutting branches into a potato and soon will have a wall of pretty yellow flowers. I start early in the morning or at dusk to dark when it is cool and sit on my rear in the dirt. Home Depot and Lowe's will deliver the bags of stones where ever I want to store them at the work site.
Instead of lugging around huge rocks and stones, --make your own! take your empty large containers to your work sites before you fill them with bags of stones and cement to achieve the equal of large stones you need to lift into the hole or void you need to fill. Should hold through our life time. Take your time and enjoy the day. I love cement.