My first question to the builder is why not? The next question is what about window flashing...
Don't let them tell you it isn't needed, or that the nailing fins are the flashing..

Kate,
What do the architectÂs plans show?
In many places, draintile is code for new construction.
If it shows on the plan, it should be there. If is does not, it is a cheap insurance policy (as long as the foundation is not back-filled already)
Thanks,

The original post does not specifically mention a basement. If no basement, the value of a perimeter drain may well be very little. But I know some builders who do the drains in every situation where gravity drainage is possible.

The drain is in the drainage plan we had to have engineered; DH pointing that out is how we got it done, albeit at extra cost. We've got a crawl space and a very little bit of sandy loam under the foundation, the ground slopes away on three sides of the house, so maybe we didn't actually need this drain? It sounds as though it was put in properly today, according to friends of ours who actually know something, so that's all good.

But, I would have expected this to be standard operating proceedure; not only is that not the case, but apparently nobody much is checking the engineering the county made us pay for. Guess we'll have to keep our eyes open. I asked about flashing long ago, but you can bet we'll be watching.

"put in properly today"

And what were the the weepers attached to? I just watched an episode of Mike Holmes where the weepers were supposed to go to a sump in the basement, but instead they stopped in the poured floor six inches short of the sump.

On one home I did, the soils engineer said to omit the weepers as the foundation rested on sand--the best drainage you can have. But the "Code" called for weepers, so that's what we had to do.

I don't know what weepers are, worthy, sorry; the drain lines went to daylight, then tight-lined to a natural drainage swale that goes away from the house. (Does this make sense? I'm just parroting, and it's quite possible that I've got the language wrong.)

The weepers are what you are calling the footing drains. That's one way to do it---as long as the water is channeled away from your basement/crawl or foundation.

apparently nobody much is checking the engineering the county made us pay for

Don't expect much from government inspectors. You have to depend on your builder, yourself or an independent inspector.

Our plans called for footing drains, OK Worthy, weepers. The GC told us they weren't needed so we went to the building inspector. He said that since we had a slab on stem wall foundation and the land is sandy loam with good drainage that they really were not needed. Tom

I'm not sure what a footing drain does for a crawl space foundation unless you have some kind of unusual surface drainage condition or the footing doesn't go below the deepest frost line. Is the grade in the crawl space lower than the grade around the house? What is it you are trying to keep the water out of?

The necessity to install footer drains is determined by the local water tables and geology. Even though nearly all houses in this region have full basements in many areas footer drains are not even recommended.

I would automatically include foundation drainage in a basement design no matter what the conditions; it's just too cheap to install and later problems can be so expensive to correct.

I have never seen drainage installed or recommended for a crawl space foundation but I suppose there are conditions could justify it; I just can't think of any that couldn't be dealt with in some other better way.

If your foundation is below the water table a drainage system isn't going to help much; you would need either a serious pumping system or waterproofing installed under the entire house by a company that knows how to do it.

Our foundation isn't below the water table; we're just trying to make sure that the water stays away from the foundation & crawl space. Three directions from our house go very precipitiously downhill, but the the drive, which is bedrock  basalt  comes in from above and funnels down onto the south side the house. Some redirection has been done, but the bedrock is disinclined to be shaped or contoured. It would take quite an event for rainfall to be a real problem, but events do happen. (Basically, we're just trying to follow our stinkin' engineered drainage plan.)

But the thing is, it IS right there in our engineered drainage plan. Our builder either blew it off or never looked, and that bothers me more than anything else. As you can tell, we don't know enough to take care of ourselves in this situation, and should barely be allowed out alone. It's a shakey feeling to be dependent upon the kindness of strangers (by which I mean the builder, not y'all.)