My neighbor's seawall advice saved me a real headache this spring

The older guy two houses down on Lake Road warned me back in March that my downspout was dumping water way too close to the foundation. He said the clay soil out here shifts like crazy after freeze and thaw cycles, and I figured he was just being nosy. Well, after that heavy rain in April I noticed a small dip forming right where the water was hitting, maybe a foot from the siding. I rented a little trencher from the ACE in Westlake for $45 and ran a solid 8 foot extension pipe out toward the driveway. The next storm came through and there was zero pooling, plus the mud spot dried up in a day instead of a week. Wish I had listened sooner because the ground was already starting to settle on that corner. Anyone else have neighbors with old school drainage tricks that actually work around here?