I have the same problem here in Alabama! The site grading was not done properly when it was built. Nevertheless, we got by without any water intrusion until my next-door neighbor redirected his storm water drainage without regard for anyone else. Unfortunately, I was "downhill" from him. My townhome flooded 8 times and water intrusion of a less dramatic nature continues to this day. Toxic mold grew inside the shared wall that separates our two units. It made me sick and I was forced to move out. My townhome sits there, empty and uninhabitable. And I must pay rent every month when I could be living there for free. I have owned my home since 1998 and lived there for 10 years without any problems. To my horror, state law does not protect me from those who are harming me. I have tried every way in the world to resolve this but without success. I even represented myself in court. Long story short, state law allows no way to resolve a problem like this. As a result, I'm losing everything I have. Have already lost my health, my home and furniture, and a significant amount of my retirement savings. I continue to lose money with each month that passes. I am a disabled senior and cannot afford a loss of this magnitude. Would LOVE to join with others in effort to get the laws changed to better protect homeowners like us. Please email me if you have a similar story and would like to join with me - jberneske@gmail.com

I live in a rural area that has no cat bylaws. I wrote my neighbor a very respectful letter outlining the damage her cats are doing in my yard . This is the second time I have asked her nicely . Her cats have sprayed all over my porch, defecated in my garden and dug up new lawn to use as a litterbox. I have had to reach my garden soil with gravel and pull out plants. The cats are now digging and defecating along the side of my house. I have tried to use humane deterrents to no avail . I agree on the trespassing but where I live you would have no chance of prosecution. I would have to go civilly and that costs a fortune. On top of all this, the person has dogs that are holding the neighborhood hostage . We contemplated selling our dream retirement home. My wife is in tears and she's my sweetie. We have been together 62 years.No one messes with my sweetie. I thought about the 1 plus 1 rule. Where the person violates one rule ...there must be other violations. I used to be in law enforcement ...its been a long time. I felt like that Clint Eastwood in Grand Torino....good movie . I am game for Fluffy's owner doing 15 to 20 in the slammer for 3 strikes, but I think civil liberties might have something to say about that. So am utilizing every bylaw and law to take this neighbor to task . So far , they will have to rip out fence they erected in greenbelt, rip down at least 4 encroaching buildings and redo the fencing.This neighbor is facing penalties for other issues that are going to cost them thousands of dollars. Bylaws is all over the dog situation and other neighbors are now fed up and on board with the whole operation . Oh yes, I should mention there is about to be a stop work order on a bunch of expensive renos this neighbor has done which should amount to thousands too. Do you feel lucky.....damn, I think that was Dirty Harry. I digress. There should be laws that require cat owners to keep them indoors or confined to their yard ( I don't really give a hoot how they accomplish this ...check out Pintrest or something) . I also think they should have mandatory licensing and rabies vaccines for cats...just like dogs. Maybe people also....too far? This neighbor also gets multiple cats of both genders and fails to spay or neuter them. This is reprehensible. Outdoor cats have a short lifepan here because of the wildlife , but this neighbor just gets new cats ( or they are being manufactured....who the heck knows) . It seems they are disposable. Disgusting because its just plain wrong . Did I mention that animal welfare is involved?I have no idea who called them ...my Motorola brick phone was on the fritz last week. I should really get one of those new fangled flip phones . Then I could post on Space Page...or is that Face Page ..or Face book....I am too old for this.. None of this is the animals' fault. This is about a totally irresponsible pet owner. Such people claim to be animal lovers . If they cared a whit about Fluffy, they would not let him out to get eaten by coyotes, pick up parasites or get run over by a car. Nope , these people are animal collectors ....big difference . They own the animal much like they own a Ford pickup or an instant pot or maybe a Grand Torino . So there you have it. For these neighbors, life is about to become very expensive . Fluffy and Fido are going to be very expensive . I can now clean up Fluffy's crap, pee and other bodily fluids with a sense of satisfaction.My sweetie feels a bit better now and she's back to making me those morning glory muffins with my coffee. Recipe is on Pintrest folks ...just reduce the cinnamon a tad. It gives me gas. This whole Fluffy and Fido thing ...this too shall pass. Just like the muffins . My grandson says I should just chill. I told him I just put on a sweater because my circulation bad.

I generally agree with the last sketch of Doug's, that a low retaining wall would be of great benefit, or essential to solving the problem. You'd have to decide how much paving you'd prefer. It could be a landing similar to what you have, a walk or a patio, though the latter is not a requirement to solving the drainage. Mainly, the grade needs to slope downhlll as it travels away from the building. If it simultaneously slopes (at all) toward the path, then you'd better pave the path on account of it's being used as a drainage "conduit." If it slopes away from the path, too, then you just need a landing at the door. Part of the equation depends on how much you use the path and for what. Grass doesn't hold up to heavy traffic ... especially when wet. Make sure the regrading extends far enough away from the house that water will reach the point where it is carried from the yard. It can't be blocked at any point. It looks like your house is high enough from the low ground that this should not be a problem.

I feel your pain. I live near the ocean in a tract of smaller single family homes that are all one story. Our neighbor behind us built into their entire backyard and then added a huge second story with a balcony off their upstairs master bedroom that looks right down on our home and yard. Their purpose was to have a (very distant) ocean view, but they completely blocked our very nice mountain view and took away our privacy. The lack of privacy bothered me the most. We planted bamboo at the fence line and have been waiting for it to fill in. It is not perfect (or for everyone) but each year we get a little privacy back. We did our research first and built in a barrier to keep it from going everywhere. We also are proactive and maintain it to make sure it stays in its lane, because the barrier isn't perfect. I think grape vines or bougainvillea would also give you some privacy, be easier to maintain, and grow nicely in your area.