We just moved into a newly built home. When we bought the house, the
yard was not graded or sodded at that point. The house is at the
bottom of a small hill at the end of a cul-de-sac. We knew that the
house would have a fairly steep slope to it. The yard had a small wet
weather creek in the back, but it was never very much. When we moved
in, the yard had not been graded due to a lot of wet weather the week
prior. Even then, the little creek never seemed to amount to much,
but we never saw it until after the rain, like after work or on out
lunch hour. The yard was graded and sodded about a week after we
moved in. The day after the sod, we get a thunderstorm that poured
5"-6" in an hour on the area. Well, the wet weather creek became a
flash-flood creek and washed out a lot of the sod. No problem, just a
freak coincidence, so the builder re-sodded the area. However the
next week, we get some more storms that roll through, but not as
severe. Still, the "little" creek quickly became another flash-flood
creek that expanded to ~10' wide in my back yard due to all the
run-off from my neighbors. The biggest problem is that it pools and
stagnates in my back left corner, basically turning it into a marsh.
My backyard is also bordered by established trees (one of the selling
points) which keeps the backyard from drying out quickly. Also, my
area (Kentucky) is a very heavy clay soil, which means that the ground
does not absorb the water very well.

Okay, now my questions. What options do I have with the builder?
Ideally, I would like to have a culvert installed so I can have a
usable back-yard. I'd even be willing to pay for the culvert if the
builder installs it. Yet, I know nothing of culverts, how much they
cost, and even if this is a good option. Where can I find out more
about this?

Thanks in advance.

Mark Darbyshire