French drain installation pros near you
If water pools in your yard or builds up against the foundation, a french drain — a gravel-filled trench with a perforated pipe — redirects that groundwater safely away. It’s a planned drainage project, not an emergency. RestoreHotline connects you with vetted, independent local french drain installers so you can get an assessment and compare quotes before you commit.
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What french drain installation involves
- Site assessment — mapping where water collects and where it can safely discharge by gravity.
- Trenching & grading — digging a sloped trench so water flows toward the outlet.
- Filter fabric & gravel — lining the trench and bedding the pipe to keep soil and silt from clogging it.
- Perforated pipe — laying the drain pipe that collects and carries the water away.
- Discharge point — directing flow to a daylight outlet, dry well or storm drainage where it won’t cause new problems.
- Restoration — backfilling and restoring the surface (sod, gravel or hardscape) over the finished drain.
Frequently asked questions
- A french drain is a gravel-filled trench with a perforated pipe at the bottom that collects groundwater and carries it away by gravity to a lower discharge point. The pipe is usually wrapped in filter fabric to keep soil from clogging it. It’s a simple, proven way to move water that pools in a yard or builds up against a foundation toward somewhere it can drain safely.
- An exterior french drain is installed in the yard or around the foundation to intercept surface and groundwater before it reaches the house. An interior french drain (a perimeter drain inside the basement floor, feeding a sump pump) manages water that has already gotten in. Exterior is preventive and addresses the source; interior is for managing existing basement water. Many homes benefit from one or the other — a pro can tell you which fits your situation.
- A french drain makes sense when you have a clear water-flow problem: a yard that stays soggy, water pooling against the foundation, a hillside that sheds runoff toward the house, or recurring basement seepage. It’s not the answer to every wet-basement cause — sometimes grading, gutters or a sump system are better — so it’s worth getting an assessment and a couple of quotes before committing.
- No — RestoreHotline is a free referral service. We connect you with vetted, independent local french drain installers; the design, trenching and installation are handled directly by that local pro, not by RestoreHotline. Cost depends on the length, depth, whether it’s interior or exterior, and obstacles like hardscape or tree roots, so comparing a few quotes is the best way to gauge a fair price.