Planning the flower bed plantings etc. is definitely the fun part. Most people skip to that step because it is the part of the landscape you see- and the most enjoyable part to think about. It's a classic mistake to do so because you will pay a long term price for all the seemingly little details you skip in the beginning. I take it that the advice of a good engineer feels out of the budget for you? Drainage issues are the boring stuff but it's already obvious you're going to have a significant drainage concern. Trenching and piping are okay but eventually trenches can fill with sediment and no longer work. You really, really need to have an engineering consult to determine if what the builder proposes will be adequate. It shouldn't cost more than a couple hundred bucks at most. Perhaps some other neighbors will pitch in since you'll all need the same thing? I used to be a City Planner. I've seen developers pull a lot of crap. Sometimes, they are well-intended but the data they based their information on was faulty. Other times- they're just out to make a buck as quickly and cheaply as possible. At an absolute minimum, call your City offices and see if someone from the City engineering Dept. can advise you on appropriate methods to handle the drainage. In theory, they've already required the developer to deal with this but sometimes really different to say it will work on paper and to see it once everything is going in. Building codes are the 'minium acceptable standard', they are intended to set the bottom threshold. Something can be up to 'code' but not necessarily be a great solution. Also, ask them what level of storm they design for. Sometimes they require them to design the drainage to handle the runoff from a 10, 50, or 100 year storm. You'll want to know which they planned for in your case as it will give you a better idea of what it will handle. As for your other issues- a patio will be much lower maintenance over time than a deck and will certainly last longer. I would also make sure to have a 2' high by at least 3' deep berm for flowers and shrubs against the house as sort of a 'back up' in case your drainage system clogs or is overwhelmed.

thanks jaro,looks 100% better.guess i don't have the settings right or it could be the cheap camera i was using. thanks again...

You have a lot of snow cover McT. What is the annual amount you usually get? Thanks for asking how I am everyone. I had bladder repair work done. Lots of us women come to it and I wanted to be better for next spring when I have all that extra garden work to do. These old bodies start to wear out as we age! LOL LOL Not the kind of thing you can talk about to just everyone and here I am spilling my guts to all of you!!!! All your little knomes are still smiling ever when covered with that fluffy white stuff McT and Phil! Connie

Rats, NOW I see that it was already identified! The first time I saw one of these guys, I picked it up from where it was half hidden in the pine straw. I thought it was a section of garden hose. Quite a surprise! I hadn't seen one before that time, either. They are incredibly interesting animals, aren't they? Here is a link that might be useful: