Do it yourself. Do it right.
Step-by-step guides to the fixes we do every day, and when to call a pro instead.
Start here: the most-asked fix
Play video: How to Install a French Drain: DIY ProjectAll DIY guides
How to install a French drain
Fixes: Soggy spots, standing water, water running toward the house
1–2 weekends for about 50 feetDownspout drains and pop-up emitters
Fixes: Water pooling by the house, damp basement walls, washed-out beds under the gutters
1 hour for extensions, a day for a buried lineRegrade the soil around your house
Fixes: Water against the foundation, damp basement walls, puddles next to the house
A weekendChannel drains for driveways and patios
Fixes: Water running down the driveway into the garage, puddles on the patio
1–2 days, plus time for the concrete to cureBackyard sump pump for yards with no downhill
Fixes: Low yards that hold water for days, with nowhere lower to drain to
2–3 daysTest how fast your soil drains
Fixes: A soggy lawn, or deciding between a dry well, a rain garden and piping the water away
About a day, mostly waitingDIY or call a pro?
Good DIY jobs
- Downspout extensions and short buried downspout lines
- Regrading soil near the house
- A French drain across an open, flat-ish yard
- Testing how fast your soil drains
Worth a pro
- Water getting inside the house
- Anything near the foundation footing, septic or utilities
- Cutting concrete, or drains that cross driveways
- No downhill spot for the water to go
A Drier Brighter Tomorrow
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