Costs and Hiring: What Drainage Work Should Cost and Who Should Do It
Most residential drainage work lands between $1,500 and $6,000, though the cheapest fixes — moving roof water and correcting grade — often cost a few hundred and solve the problem. The trade you need depends on whether the water is on the surface, in the soil, or inside the structure.
Planning ranges
These are planning estimates, not quotes. They exist so you can tell whether a number you have been given sits in the right territory — not so you can budget precisely.
| Work | Planning range |
|---|---|
| Downspout extensions, above ground | $100 – $400 |
| Buried downspout line to an emitter | $400 – $1,200 |
| Regrading a low spot | $500 – $1,500 |
| Regrading around a house perimeter | $1,000 – $3,000 |
| Catch basin, professionally installed | $600 – $2,000 |
| French drain (yard) | $10 – $35 per linear foot |
| Channel drain, new construction | $30 – $80 per linear foot |
| Channel drain, retrofit into concrete | $70 – $150 per linear foot |
| Dry well | $500 – $3,000 |
| Multi-basin system across a yard | $1,000 – $4,000+ |
What moves these numbers most: distance from the wet area to a usable outlet, depth, whether machinery can reach the route, soil conditions, and how much lawn or paving has to be restored afterwards.
Price your plan
What would your yard's fixes cost, together?
Most yards need two or three of the fixes above, not one. Build the plan line by line — DIY or installed — and get a planning range for the whole job, adjusted for access, soil and how far the water has to travel to an outlet.
Start with the cheapest fixes
The two changes that resolve the largest share of yard drainage problems sit at the top of that table for a reason. Roof water discharging beside the house, and ground that falls the wrong way, cause more wet yards than anything else and cost a fraction of an installed system.
Working through what you're actually seeing before requesting quotes changes the conversation considerably — and it is the difference between choosing a contractor and being sold a product.
FAQs
How much does yard drainage cost?
Most residential projects land between $1,500 and $6,000, with simple fixes such as burying downspouts or regrading a low spot often under $1,500 and complex multi-system work on larger properties running $10,000 or more. The single biggest cost driver is distance to a usable outlet, followed by site access. These are planning ranges, not quotes.
Why do drainage quotes vary so much?
Usually because the contractors diagnosed the problem differently, not because one is overcharging. A quote to extend downspouts and one to install a French drain address different assumptions about what is wrong. Wide variation is a signal to compare the diagnoses rather than the prices — ask each what they observed that led to their approach.
Should I get more than one quote?
For anything beyond a few hundred dollars, yes — and ask for the diagnosis in writing separately from the price. A second opinion that agrees on the cause makes the price comparison meaningful. A second opinion that disagrees on the cause tells you something more valuable than either number.
Is drainage work worth doing before selling a house?
Visible standing water and evidence of water near the foundation both come up in inspections and can affect negotiations. Cheap fixes — downspout extensions, correcting a low spot — are usually worth doing. Large installed systems shortly before a sale are harder to justify financially, and undocumented recent drainage work sometimes raises more questions than it settles. Keep receipts and any contractor documentation either way.
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How to Compare Drainage Quotes: Compare the Diagnosis, Not the Price
Drainage quotes vary mostly because contractors diagnosed the problem differently, not because one is padding the price. Compare the diagnosis first: two quotes that agree on the cause can be compared on price; two that disagree are pricing different problems, and that gap matters more than the numbers. .
Questions to Ask a Drainage Contractor Before You Hire
The most useful questions aren't about price — they're about diagnosis. Ask what the contractor observed on your property, where the water will actually discharge, and what the fall is.
Retaining Wall Cost: The Line Item Nobody Prices
Retaining walls run roughly $35–$65 per square foot of wall face installed, varying widely by material, height and access. Drainage — gravel backfill, filter fabric, perforated pipe and an outlet — is typically 10–20% of that, and it is the line item missing from cheap quotes.
Who to Call for Yard Drainage Problems
Most yard drainage work belongs to a landscape contractor or a drainage specialist. Call a plumber only when the problem involves buried pipe tied into house plumbing, and a structural or geotechnical engineer when a slope, retaining wall, or foundation is involved.
Yard French Drain Cost: Per Foot, 50 and 100 Feet, and the Lines Quotes Leave Out
A yard French drain typically costs $10 to $35 per linear foot installed, about $1,000 to $3,500 for a 100-foot run. The outlet pipe and lawn repair usually add $350 to $900, and hand-digging in clay or rock can push a 100-foot job toward $7,000.
By Under Your Home Team · Last reviewed 2026-08-09