At a Potomac, Maryland home, our crew completed a shallow exterior French drain beside a brick wall and a separate buried downspout discharge. The project record documents 25 linear feet of near-grade drainage work and a 15-foot downspout run. These site photographs show the bed before work, the open trench, the gravel installation, and the restored surface.

What did the crew build beside the foundation?

The crew excavated a shallow trench near the wall and graded the adjacent ground toward the collection area. The specified system used a lined trench, a geotextile-wrapped 4-inch perforated drain and washed gravel. Edging and mulch finished the bed. This is a near-grade drainage system for water at the surface; it is not a footing-level foundation drain.

What happened to the downspout?

One downspout was routed through a separate buried solid discharge line toward a pop-up outlet. Keeping that roof-water run separate from the perforated collection drain follows the documented scope of work.

Does the finished photo prove how the system performed in a later storm?

The completed work and restored surface are documented. A later rain observation or indoor moisture reading is not in the available record, so this case does not claim a tested post-storm result.

If runoff collects near your Potomac home, a site inspection can determine whether grading, a shallow exterior drain, downspout routing, or another repair fits the actual conditions.