Our house sits halfway down a hill. Uphill water sheds towards the foundation and is causing some problems. Several professionals have given us estimates - all with very different plans. My question is would a french drain surrounding the house, but about 5 feet away from the house be an efficient solution? It seems that it would be able to handle the surface water drainage problem(draining from about 5 acres with a 15 ft rise) but would be easier to install than one directly against the house. Any ideas? Thanks!