How to Lay a Pebble Drain in a Backyard

Keep the walkways in your yard as dry as this city street using pebble drains.

A pebble drain is a simpler version of the more well-known French drain. Both replace dirt with faster draining gravel, but a French drain also contains a perforated drain pipe, while a pebble drain contains only gravel. A pebble drain is a quick, inexpensive way to keep a walkway or driveway dry. Install a pebble drain in a spot where it will intercept water headed for the walkway or driveway. A few well-placed, simple pebble drains will transform your washed out pathway into a dependably dry right of way.

Things You'll Need

• Post-hole digger
• Landscaping cloth, optional
• 3/4- to 1 1/2-inch washed gravel

Instructions

1. Determine the direction the water drains onto the walkway. Do this during a heavy rainstorm that normally swamps the walkway. The most likely sources for the water are higher ground or runoff from the house's rainwater gutter system. Plan to install the pebble drains where they will catch the water before it reaches the walkway or driveway. Mark the point on the sidewalk where the water is deepest.

2. Dig a series of holes about 8 to 10 inches in diameter and 1 to 2 feet deep. For every two linear feet of walkway that floods, dig one pebble drain. Space the holes about 18 to 24 inches apart, approximately 12 to 24 inches from the edge of the walkway or driveway closest to the source of the runoff. Reserve the topsoil removed from the holes but discard the subsoil, which will be a pale brown to tan color.

3. Line the holes with landscaping fabric, if desired. Landscaping fabric keeps dirt and gravel dust from filling in the spaces between the gravel, which causes the pebble drain to drain more slowly over time. Washed gravel has little or no dust, so if you use washed gravel there is no real need for the landscaping fabric in a small pebble drain.

4. Fill the holes up with gravel to within a few inches of the surface of the soil.

5. Top off the gravel with topsoil and new grass seed.

Tips & Warnings

• Start small when digging pebble drains. Install one or two drains near the worst flooding areas and observe how the water drains for a couple of rainstorms. You can always add more pebble drains, but you may be surprised to find that just one or two will do the job.

References

• Texas A&M University Extension; Building a Raised Bed Garden; Priscilla Files, et al.; March 2009
• Building Scoop; How to Build a French Drain; Natalie; January 2008

Resources

• Ask the Builder; Drain Water From Your Wetland Lot; Tim Carter
• Foundation Repair Guide: The French Drain: Theory, Application and Practice