Cool French Drain Basement Ideas. A french drain is a drainage system embedded in your existing landscaping to prevent and eliminate areas where water flow is problematic. They excavate the ground below the channel, install perforated drain pipe and a sump pump well, and fill the trench with drainage gravel.

This will give you room to run water pipes through the trench if needed. Web a french drain, also called a curtain drain, is made by placing a perforated pipe in a trench that has been filled with gravel. Carefully lay the whole connected pipe structure in the trench on top of your gravel layer with drainage holes in the pipe pointed downwards.