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?
Vegetated buffer strips / rain garden
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 area available for the buffer strip/rain garden depression
Planted hollows and strips of vegetation where rain running off roofs and paths can collect. The water slows down and soaks into the ground instead of rushing away. It reduces flooding and runoff, and waters the planting.
Levels are relative to the other options for this need, not absolute. Fewer dots is lighter.
Vegetated buffer strips / rain garden (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 runoff to water a planted garden instead of rushing away.
Site grading away from the 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 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.
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.