OK, continuation of my gutter drain issues, but on another stage now.
I'm slowly digging the new trench. (I've never been fast on this kind
of thing, and a cold and a trip haven't helped.)

I finally did what the drainage contractor didn't: checked the
elevation change between the house and the road (using a hose filled
with water). From the low front corner of the house to the low spot
just short of the ditch, there's a drop of about 10". I didn't measure
the rest, but it looks like it comes up a few inches (that's the berm
next to the ditch, if you read the novel I wrote about this stuff a
few days ago) and then drops into the fairly shallow ditch -- I
estimate another 6" drop from ground level at the measured spot to the
bottom of the ditch. Not only is it about 80' from the nearest corner
of the house to the ditch, the ground at that end of the house is
basically level, so add another 30' to the run.

That's about a 16" drop over 110' -- about a 1 in 80 slope, or a
little over 1/8" in 12". Not only is this less than anything I've ever
seen recommended for any purpose, it's highly unlikely that I'll be
able to set the pipe so that all sections have the slope. I'm just not
that good.

There's still no question I need to take the roof runoff away from the
house, so the question is what to do.

Reservoir, either drain field or sump and pump? I don't think either
is feasible, and would be costly even if possible. My roof area is
about 3000 sq ft, so 1" of rain produces about 1800 gallons, and I
certainly will sometimes get more than 1" in a day. It would take a
large drain field to perc that much, and that wouldn't get it as far
from the house. Don't even know if it would be legal. That would be a
lot of water to pump, and there's no good place to put a holding
tank/pond. Either one would be expensive.

I could have some of the drainage pipe above ground. After all, the
water is starting on the roof, so in theory it could be caught about
8' higher. But boy, talk about ugly. And although most of the
aboveground part would be against the house walls, some of it would
cross places that really need to be kept open for walking, and would
create a barrier around the heat/AC unit.

Or I could just do the best I can, laying the pipe with that 1 in 80
slope -- but at the downspouts, bring the PVC drain pipe up above
ground, perhaps 2' or even 3' at the lowest parts, and enough to reach
the same level elsewhere. The front and back of the house have some
slope and would not need to extend as far above ground. I would figure
the pipe would not entirely drain dry and I would just have to accept
that. The only way in would be at the outlet or through the
downspouts, minimizing mosquito breeding. Since it's a gutter drain
and not a sewer, I don't have as much concern about solid matter
buildup. Rain will usually produce a strong flow, washing out what
debris gets past the gutter guards. (I've also laid out the drain pipe
to minimize sharp turns -- only one 90 degree elbow, and it's a long
bend kind.) Most importantly, the high rise at the inlets would create
some pressure if they started to back up -- 3' of head creates about
1.5 psi -- so if the run to the street was running slowly, a hard rain
would create pressure to make it run faster.

You may guess that I'm leaning strongly toward the last proposal ...

Is there anything obviously wrong with this idea? Any other ideas on
how to handle it?

Edward