Please note that the walk grade slope along its length does not matter at all, only that it should be a smooth walking surface. The important part is the cross slope that carries the water over the curb to the gutter, which should closely match the grading detail I provided. The transition areas can deviate from the standard cross slope if the area is higher in grade than the adjacent areas with the proper cross slope. Looking at your latest graphic I see a 10% slope from point B to C. This looks suspect to me, since this area should be one conforming to the standard grading detail and the lengthwise slope of the walk edges should be the same as the slope along the curb. Since the overall street slope is around 4 to 5%, it seems unlikely that any section of the curb would have a 10% slope. On the subject of cost, I would think you might need around 2 cy yd of fill to bring the walk up to grade. The best fill would be a something like a select road base material. In my area the cost runs around $15/yd from the crusher and up to twice that from a material supplier, plus trucking cost. Here we have some mineral soil types with clay (not top soil!) that can be compacted to support walks and drives that only carry light loads. Never use a clay with lumps. It will leave voids and result in settlement. You might want to look at renting a plate compactor for this project. A thin layer of sand on top of the base material can facilitate getting the pavers set for a smooth surface.

"If someone has recommended doing half the driveway only and not urged us to do the whole thing, is that another red flag?" In my mind, it's a red flag. Look at the flat cross-section profile of the front portion of the drive. Imagine the heaviest rainstorm you can--one that goes on for hours with a heavy downpour. As flow piles up, it's impossible that water will not infiltrate the building ... unless the entire cross-section slopes away from the building. But it doesn't. Pls8xx makes the point that contractors often propose that which is the easiest/most profitable. Unless their work is very well known to the client, that places their recommendations into question. I'm not saying that the recommendations are automatically not good ... just that they must be looked at with a suspicious eye. The recommendations of a landscape architect WHO IS ALSO A CONTRACTOR must be looked at in the same regard. And JUST because a person is an LA does not mean they are well qualified in all aspects of that work. (I was trained to design a highway, but I couldn't design one to save my life!) ... or that they don't have a profit motive ... or even a lazy streak. Astphard, as I mentioned your property is similar to one I once owned. So similar in fact that it's eery ... not just the narrow drive at the left, but even the paint and trim colors! We had a garage that was too small to be a real garage in the same position. We had a slope (a MUCH more substantial one!) coming straight at the back of the house. There was an existing concrete patio at the back of the house and fortunately, it was swaled and sloped to carry water toward the drive. I swaled the drive to allow the flow to continue. That everyone who has come out to look at the situation has advised installing a drain and piping makes me the lone dissenter. In spite of that fact, I cannot stress enough how much more trouble-free drainage at the surface of the ground is compared to that which is buried. Though I haven't seen a close-enough view of the back of the house yet to render an opinion, my gut reaction remains the same as it was earlier: this can probably be handled with surface grading and drainage for a much more trouble-free, long term solution. Especially, if you're going to be re-grading anyway. Marcinde, you'll see that nowhere am I advising the OP NOT to get a local solution. I'm only advising him on what he should be looking out for while doing it. As well, I agree with pls8xx ... if the proper information could be gathered, there's no reason a drainage/grading solution couldn't be done from afar. But no one here has offered to do one. What's happening here is helping someone to look out for their self.

remodelingchick- Generally speaking, when a locality talks about not interfering with the "natural flow of water" they mainly mean natural watercourses (e.g., they don't want you to get a bulldozer and redirect the flow of a trout stream). I would further argue that much of what you are experiencing is not the natural flow of water. It's an unnatural flow of water caused by the way the land has been terraced and by the water that comes off your neighbor's house. My limited understanding of water law is that, while you can not require your neighbor to redirect this flow, you are also not required to accept it and may divert it and redirect it as necessary to prevent damage to your property. Your locality may have some requirements about where you move this water to, but I doubt they can prevent you from taking measures to prevent damage. I agree that this is a bad situation, but you need to proceed from the premise that it can be fixed by employing some very commonly used measures. Don't get caught in the trap of making the most restrictive assumptions about what you can do. I agree that it's not a bad idea to talk with an attorney, and I hope that on Monday you will be feeling a lot better about what options are available to you. Good luck.

If a catch basin has been installed, it should be several feet away from the foundation wall (ideally 10' min.) and the grade should be sloped downward from the wall to the CB. If the area is flat next to the wall, it will be an ongoing problem. People who "fix" problems as they are selling the house do not care about a long term fix. They are putting on a band-aid for the sale.