I figured it out: Take a look at the pics I took with my blackberry during our last HEAVY storm: http://img444.imageshack.us/img444/7078/img00113l.jpg In this one you can make out the sand box and weeping cherry. The low point is between the cherry and the mulched play area and the fence. There is a box drain under all that water. http://img138.imageshack.us/img138/5092/img00113j.jpg In this pic you can see the slope a little better. http://img46.imageshack.us/img46/6339/byhouse.jpg Here you can see where it comes up by the house. Just behind that pump is a small floor drain that works fine as long as you have NORMAL amounts of water. Across from the BBQ is the door I mentioned and a corner. I hope this helps some.

Based on your pictures, it looks like the neighbor blocked a natural drainage flow with his garage and pool. To me it looks like your only alternative is to take more pictures and take them before the zoning board in your community. That failing most area of the country have rules on the natural drainage systems, that a Lawyer could help you with. While a lawyer will cost, you have already spent a lot of money to correct an problem that can only be corrected on a community level. Your pump solution will be a continuing cost, not to mention the cost of the loss of the value of your home caused by the blocked drainage flow.

You build it up at the house. You start at the house, as well as at the neighbors fence (in the sketch), and you make the area high where you don't want water. Low area will get, and keep, water. High area will throw water to the low area. So build it up, in both 'area 1' on my sketch, and right next to the house. Note that the lower, water area is now thrown both toward the street, and out toward the middle of the lawn. Next project: build up area 2, on my sketch, and right next to area 1 on the house: the water is now thrown even MORE toward the middle of the lawn, as well as more toward the street. Once you've got that under control, relax. Have a beer. Grow some grass. Do more next year. Perhaps next month. But that's enough for now, so you don't get overwhelmed, and don't get broke.

If you have a yard out back that slopes away from the patio, consider installing dry well(s) to carry the water away and dump it in the back yard at an elevation that is lower than the patio. Scout you problem area and decide where you want to place the collection well(s). You could create a minor depression that is lower than the surroundings. What I propose does require some digging. Basically, a dry well will be buried flush to the ground, water will run into it, and near the bottom of this well, a drainage tube will be attached, laid in a ditch which has some pitch toward the back. Carry this ditch back until it is exits at lawn level. I used a plastic sump well. It is easily cut with hand tools and is low cost. Near the bottom of the well, cut a hole to receive the drain pipe (tubing). This should be a snug fit, but does not have to be water tight. I used standard thin wall drain tubing, but a littlier heavier wall is recommended to guard against collasping. However, I have a 25 yr success with my thin wall. Various fittings are available for the tubing, for example, a Y connector. I plumbed 2 wells together using a Y-connector and then drained both wells out a single pipe. Its ok to let the drain tubing extend a bit into the dry well, say 2 to 3 inches. Once everything is in place a test made to insure that it will drain properly, back fill the ditch and around the dry well. Fill the dry well with fist sized stone for the first 2/3 of depth. We want to create a permeable filter that will support your weight if you step on it, and to keep debris out of the drainage system. Full the top layer with smaller stones until flush with the top of the well. Over time, leaves, sticks, and other stuff may collect on top of the stone fill. Periodically, brush this stuff away. Any small particles that get through the filter will flush on out the tubing. This well will accept a good flow rate and remain clog free for many years. You will need to pay attention to the exit end of the drain tube. Here, it is desireable to spread the stream to slow it down and to counter errosion. If you can establish a good sod layer for the exit, that may be all you need to do. Otherwise, you may need to provide a gravel bed to spread the streasm. If the slope is steep at the exit end of the drain, install some flat rocks to create a tumbling water fall and stream spreader. The hardest part of this project is digging the ditch in which to lay the drain pipe. My soil contained 30% glacial till and that was tough - keep finding stones. To cut down the labor, I used a garden roto-tiller to cut the ditch. I unbolted the outer tines so the the cut width was no wider than the machine. I used the tiller to loosen the soil and I periodically shoveled the loosed soil to one side of the ditch. I carefully piled the dirt in a compact ridge near the edge of the ditch because it was going back into the ditch and it was desired to minimize effort. Mine was an old fashioned tiller with the tines running at slow speed. If one of the tines hit a rock, it merely lifted the machine without breaking any thing. My ditch was 3 ft deep at the dry well. Your installation can be more shallow if you are in a low frost depth zone. You can adjust the well depth by cutting off its top. having the drain pipe buried at least 12 to 18 inches deep tends to hide it presence in very dry weather. In dry weather, grass may brown out sooner above the pipe where it is shallow.