The red clay across North Georgia does not drain. It holds water near the surface, swells when saturated, and turns the backyard into a soggy, unusable mess after every significant rain event. The homeowner watches the water pool against the foundation, sit in the lawn for days, wash mulch out of the beds, and erode the edge of the patio. The grade was set during construction. Nobody addressed the drainage. And now the property has a water problem that gets worse with every storm.

A drainage system is how that problem gets solved. Not with a single French drain along the foundation, though that may be part of it. With a system that addresses where the water is coming from, where it is going, and why it is ending up where it should not be.