Fix 01 · Standing water
Water that stays in the yard
A puddle that outlasts the rain, a lawn that squishes underfoot, a corner nobody can mow.
Standing water is usually one of three things: ground that is too flat, clay that will not take the rain, or roof and driveway water that ends in the same spot. We find which, and where the water can go.
What it looks like
Puddles that last a day or more after rain
A lawn that stays soft in one patch
Moss, sour smells or bare ground in a low corner
What is usually behind it
Three causes we see most
The ground is flat
A lawn with no fall has nowhere to send rain. A few inches of regrading can be enough.
Clay under the topsoil
Water soaks in, hits the clay and stops. A trench drain gives it a path out.
Someone else's water
A downspout, a driveway edge or a neighbor's slope can send water to your low spot.
What we would build
Three fixes, in the order we try them
We start with the simplest thing that moves the water, not the biggest.
Regrade the low spot
Fill and reshape so water leaves instead of gathering, then seed or sod.
French drain
A perforated pipe in a stone-filled trench that runs to a lower outlet.
Catch basin
A grated box at the lowest point, piped away, for water that arrives in a rush.
Dry well, where there is no outlet
A buried pit of stone that lets water soak away when the lot has no lower place to send it. Clay can make this a poor fit, and we will say so.
What decides the cost
What moves the price of a drain
These change the number more than anything else.
Length and depth
More pipe and a deeper trench cost more, and so does a trench that has to be hand-dug.
Where the water ends up
A street-side ditch is simple. A pipe across the yard to a distant outlet is not.
What is in the way
Roots, rock, a fence or a patio between the wet spot and the outlet add time.
What goes back
Sod, mulch, a walkway or a flower bed that had to come up.
Questions we hear
Will a French drain fix my yard?
If the problem is water sitting above the clay and there is a lower place for it to go, often yes. If the lot has no outlet or the cause is a leaking pipe, we will say a drain is the wrong tool.
How long does the work take?
A single drain run is often a day or two once the ground is dry enough to dig. Larger jobs take longer. The written scope gives the crew's window.
Do you dig when it has just rained?
We wait until the soil can be dug without turning to paste. Digging soaked clay makes the problem worse.
Standing water in the yard?
Send us a photo of the spot, or book a walk. We will trace it before we promise anything.