Every yard drainage fix, priced
The ladder matters more than any single price. Roof water concentrated at the foundation is a gutter-and-downspout problem. Surface water crossing the yard wants a swale or catch basin. Water in the soil — soggy strips that never dry, seepage showing up downhill — is what French drains exist for. And when collected water has nowhere to go, a dry well gives it a destination.
French drain cost by length
If the answer is a drain run, length sets the budget. Using the same $10–$100 per linear foot as the estimator above — hand-dug and shallow at the low end, machine-dug with fabric and a catch basin at the high end:
Add a dry well at the end of the run if the water has nowhere to go, and expect the top of each range where the trench has to be deep enough to stay below the footing or cross hardscape.
Why this is a foundation topic
Chronic yard water is how foundation problems start: saturated soil swells and pushes on basement walls, then shrinks and lets the house settle. A few thousand dollars of drainage is routinely the alternative to tens of thousands in piering or wall repair — which is why every foundation quote worth taking seriously talks about your gutters and grade before it talks about piers.
Frequently asked questions
How much does it cost to fix yard drainage?
It spans two orders of magnitude: extending downspouts is $50–$300, a buried drain line or catch basin $500–$3,000, a dry well $1,500–$5,000, a French drain roughly $10–$100 per linear foot, and regrading $1,000–$6,000+. The right number depends entirely on which water problem you have — start cheap and escalate.
What’s the cheapest way to fix water pooling near the foundation?
Gutters and grade. Clean gutters with downspouts extended 6–10 feet from the house, plus soil built up to slope away from the foundation (about 6 inches of fall in the first 10 feet), solve a surprising share of “drainage problems” for a few hundred dollars.
Dry well, swale, or French drain — which do I need?
They answer different questions. A French drain intercepts and moves subsurface water along a path. A swale is a shallow graded channel that steers surface runoff. A dry well is a destination — a buried basin where collected water soaks into the ground. Many yards combine two: a drain or swale to carry water, a dry well to receive it.
How much does a 100-foot French drain cost?
About $1,000–$10,000 at the $10–$100 per linear foot the calculator above uses. The low end is a shallow gravel-and-pipe trench a landscaper digs by hand in open ground; the high end is a deep, machine-dug trench with filter fabric, a catch basin, and a run that has to cross a driveway or reach a dry well. A typical 50-foot run along one side of a house lands around $500–$5,000.
Who do I hire to fix yard drainage?
Match the trade to the fix. Downspout extensions and gutters are a gutter company or a handyman. Swales, dry wells, regrading, and exterior French drains are landscape or excavation contractors. Anything that reaches the foundation wall — exterior membranes, interior drain tile, a sump — is a basement waterproofing contractor. Get the drainage quote before the foundation quote: a waterproofing firm will happily sell you an interior system for a problem a $300 downspout fix would have solved.
Does homeowners insurance pay for yard drainage?
No. Drainage is preventive site work, and policies exclude it along with the gradual water damage it prevents. The flip side: a few thousand dollars of drainage is the cheap alternative to foundation repairs that insurance also won’t cover.
Sources & methodology
- Waterproofing & repair cost data — HomeGuide
- Foundation repair cost data — Angi (industry cost guide)
- Foundation & basement repair cost guides — This Old House
- A licensed structural engineer / foundation contractor in your area — the authoritative source for diagnosis, scope, and a stamped repair plan
Estimates compiled from the sources above and standard cost models — not engineering, professional, insurance, or legal advice, and may not reflect your policy or local prices. See our full methodology and disclaimer.