# Walkway over French Drain



## Daniel Holzman (Mar 10, 2009)

I do not understand why you feel you cannot put crushed stone above your French drain. Perhaps you can describe exactly how you built the French drain. On this forum, and elsewhere, people use the term French drain to mean a lot of different things, if it is not described, it is impossible to understand exactly what was built.


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## AllanJ (Nov 24, 2007)

If the French drain is of solid material (such as bricks) and on the surface then you would not be able to put gravel on it and you may not put a walkway over it except as a bridge. Water has to flow on the level along the French drain (a subtle ditch).

You may put gravel or flagstones etc. over an underground French drain, even one less than 12 inches below the surface.

A French drain (named after the country) is on the surface.
A French drain (named after a person) is underground.
Both are commonly found running along the perimeter of a building foundation.


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## sippinjoes (Mar 7, 2011)

My french drain is a perforated corrugated 4" pipe laying in a bed and covered with #57 gravel. I dug a trench about 1.5' to 2' deep, laid down landscape fabric, laid in the pipe, and then covered with #57. I have the same basic setup behind the retaining wall. Both exit in the same area and is a dry creek bed under construction. If I put down anything finer than #57 (sand or 3/4 minus) it will eventually just wash into the gravel and potentially mess up flow of water. I have only used a hand tamp on the gravel and that hasn't produced a very solid walkway.


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