Exterior Drainage
& French Drains
Pooling and standing water outside the home or in the yard can show poor drainage and percolating around the property. This can lead to extensive foundation concerns and needs to be addressed.
Give the water
somewhere to go
Water that sits in the yard or collects against the house does not stay on the surface. It soaks into the soil around and beneath the foundation, softening it, washing it out, and making it swell and shrink as it wets and dries. Over time that movement shows up inside the house as cracks, sticking doors and uneven floors.
A French drain gives that water a better path than your foundation. We dig a trench where the water collects, line it with filter fabric, and lay a perforated pipe in a bed of washed gravel. Water in the surrounding soil finds the gravel, enters the pipe, and runs downhill to a discharge point away from the house.
Every property drains differently, so we start by walking the whole lot — grading, downspouts, low spots and where the water actually ends up after a rain — before we recommend a route.
Installing a proper drainage system could save your yard and help prevent future foundation concerns for your home.
Signs your yard
is not draining
Water that stays on the property is water that ends up in the soil around your foundation. These are the tells we check on every exterior inspection.
Standing water in the yard
Puddles that are still there a day or more after rain mean the water has nowhere to go and the soil cannot take it in.
Water pooling at the house
Water collecting along the foundation, in flowerbeds, or at the corners of the house is soaking directly into the soil that supports it.
Soggy, spongy ground
Areas of the lawn that stay soft, grow moss or kill the grass are a sign water is sitting just below the surface.
Erosion and washed-out soil
Channels in the mulch, exposed roots, and soil washed away below downspouts show where water is running and what it is carrying with it.
Questions we
get asked
What is a French drain?
A gravel-filled trench with a perforated pipe in the bottom, wrapped in filter fabric so soil does not clog it. Water in the ground around it moves into the gravel, enters the pipe, and is carried by gravity to a discharge point away from the house.
Can standing water in my yard really affect my foundation?
Yes. Water that pools near the house soaks into the soil supporting the foundation. Soil that is repeatedly saturated can soften, wash out, or swell and shrink, and that movement is one of the most common causes of foundation problems we see.
How is this different from crawlspace drainage?
Exterior drainage deals with water on and in the ground around the house, before it reaches the foundation. Crawlspace drainage deals with water that has already made it under the house. Many homes need one or the other; some need both, and we will tell you which after the inspection.
Get the water
away from the house
We will walk the property, find where the water collects and why, and give you a written plan and price for draining it. Free, on site, no obligation.