Lowtech Graph lists low-tech options for every need of a home. Here you can compare them, find tutorials to build them, and link them together into a circular system. Why low-tech?
Site grading away from the foundation
Passive
One of 3 ways to meet this need. Cost, carbon, footprint and rankings are relative to other solutions for the same need, not absolute.
What your site needs
Site with enough grade/area to shape without disturbing neighbouring drainage
Shaping the ground around the house so it slopes down and away from the walls. Rain that falls near the house runs off instead of pooling against the foundations. That keeps the base of the walls dry and prevents the damp and mould that water standing there would cause.
Levels are relative to the other options for this need, not absolute. Fewer dots is lighter.
Site grading away from the foundation (This page) Can I use it? Not in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want the cheapest fix for rain pooling against the walls.
French drain around foundation Can I use it? Not in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want a basement or the foot of the walls kept dry when water comes through the soil.
Vegetated buffer strips / rain garden Can I use it? Not in a flat · No rebuilding needed What does it cost me? Upfront cost: Low · Skill to build: Basic · Upkeep: Light · Change to daily life: None · Works without the grid: Yes Choose it if you want runoff to water a planted garden instead of rushing away.
We don’t list sizing or quantities, as the yield of each technique depends on the quality of its build. The catalogue compares options but doesn’t dimension them. Regulatory notes are indicative, with a French example, and need to be confirmed locally.