Maybe these pics will help: Could I just wait until the hole dries out and the water is gone and plant the rose? Any suggestions would be appreciated. Marlene

Yes to what Yardvaark said. The fabric is providing little or no help in weed control, and is the cause of your drainage problem. Most weeds that grow in this area over time will come from seeds blowing in or deposited by birds. They are able to root through or around the fabric, or even just "into" it, so removing them is harder with the fabric there. Substantial water flow will dislodge mulch that is placed on soil, but to a much lesser degree, especially once you have more extensive plantings and the mulch has decomposed down a bit. If the water takes one narrow path you can place rocks (like a streambed) to keep it off the mulch. Karin L

Actually since I posted my original question, I did more investigating in the basement, attic etc. The plumber's rough sketch gave the wrong impression...he drew it with the "exit" mid-way between a 2 inch drain line (for old sink; I think/hope this is totally dead/capped) AND a 3 inch drain...so I think he MUST have used the 3 inch drain, and just did the drawing very inaccurately. He also told me the "exit" was in the exterior wall, and I'm pretty sure that's wrong too. I think the 3 inch pipe runs down an interior wall, about 3 feet in from the exterior of the house. The toilet (with no change in location with remodel) rests over that interior wall, which is directly over the main stack for house. (But toilet drain has to go about 2 feet horizontally to reach it). Apparently he didn't care how accurate his description/sketch was! He was "let go" by the owner a few weeks after he did our bathroom; not a good sign. In the meantime, the owner of the firm did not show up when I was told he would, (yesterday) and they're not returning my calls, at least not yet. They're making me very nervous. Yes, the owner is licensed and I assume the employee who actually did the work is licensed. A permit was pulled; we have the CO (but as I said in my "much too long" question), the inspector barely looked at the plumbing. The contract says the workers must be licensed. Maybe I just need to be more patient. Will call again tomorrow, and also call the carpenter/GC who recommended them to ask for his help. If no luck, will bring in someone else to fix the problem(s). Hopefully will be fixed for less than my outstanding balance. If fixing costs less, I'll pay him the difference despite the fact that he is jerking us around. If not, will bill him and take legal action if he doesn't pay. I've never had contractor problems and this is the 4th major project on house. I think I treat people with respect and I try to be professional and knowledgeable. I just wish they'd at least call. Lainie

If the basic grading around your how wasn't done correctly at the build or over the years has settled badly... the best option would be to get it graded again.... but this is also the most costly and destructive to any existing landscaping you have in place. Since no one else has jumped in… here’s my take. I am not a pro… so take that into consideration. But if I had a similar problem.. This is what I might do. Adding porous soil on top won’t help. This would include sand, many “topsoils” you can buy at big box stores, or most likely any “dirt” you can buy at a big box store. Many times these aremade from organic materials which will break down over time and you will end up in the same spot. They typically don’t have much mineral content which won’t degrade. Assuming you have clay soil… you would want to add more clay soil to match the clay soil below your top soil. The dense clay is what will direct your water in any directiong. So you could scrape back the decent top soil you have until you get to the subsoil and then add the new clay soil….. Increasing the slope. Then pull the decent top soil back. You could find a source for “clean fill dirt” or just find some cruddy clean dirt from construction site to get the “clay” that you need. Or you can get it delivered. It’s a lot of work. Another option would be to add a french drain of some sort. There’s many youtube videos on this process. It’s a lot of work too! You have any pictures to give a better idea of your issue?