A Patio In Disguise
This flagstone patio has a hidden secret… It is actually a drain! Surprisingly enough the joints in this flagstone patio allow water to pass through its gravel base, into a french drain which runs all the way across the backyard.
Prior to our install, the backyard has a two level appearance. The lawn itself is roughly 24″ higher than the area at the base of the house, with a bank connecting the two. Although the water wasn’t reaching the homes foundation, the base of this bank captured rainfall, keeping the ground area saturated for extended periods of time. Rather than having a soggy lawn, why not have a stone patio?
To the untrained eye this looks like a stone patio, to a stonemason however, the joints between the stones are too large. But, to us and the homeowner, these larger joints create enough area for water to seep in-between into the french drain system underneath, exiting the backyard.
