Drainage that disappears the water.
French drains, downspout extensions, catch basins, swales, dry wells. Designed and installed so surface water moves away from your house and stays away — through every spring melt, every summer storm.
— Why most drainage fails
Drainage is the most-skipped step in landscaping.
Most landscapers add drainage as an afterthought — a few feet of perforated pipe, a layer of gravel, no plan for where the water goes. The result: water re-collects in the same low spot every spring.
Drains that don’t daylight.
Pipe ends in a gravel sump. Water collects, freezes, and the system backs up. Drains must daylight (exit to surface) at a known, intentional location.
Insufficient grade.
Pipe pitched at 0.5% is too shallow for our climate — water sits, freezes, and bursts the pipe. Minimum 1.5% grade for residential.
Wrong gravel surround.
Pea gravel clogs in two seasons. Should be 3/4″ clean stone wrapped in geotextile fabric to prevent fines from infiltrating.
Discharge into someone else’s problem.
Daylighting drainage onto a neighbor’s property is both illegal (water-rights issue) and unneighborly. Discharge must stay on your property.
— Drainage, by the numbers
— What’s included
Drainage that disappears the water.
Whether a single French drain or a property-wide drainage strategy, every system follows the same construction principles.
Site grade survey
Existing grade documented, water flow mapped, low points and high points identified.
French drains
Perforated 4″ or 6″ HDPE pipe in 3/4″ clean-stone envelope, wrapped in geotextile, pitched 1.5% to daylight.
Downspout extensions
Solid pipe carrying roof water 10+ ft from foundation, daylighted to surface drainage or rain garden.
Surface swales
Shallow vegetated channels that move sheet flow across grade. Often the most elegant drainage solution.
Dry wells (when soil permits)
Underground gravel chambers for high-volume infiltration in well-draining soils. Tested with percolation test before install.
Rain gardens
Shallow planted basins that capture and filter roof or driveway runoff. Combine drainage with native planting.
Two-winter inspection
Spring of years one and two, we verify drains are flowing, clear any debris, no charge.
— How drainage gets installed
Four steps. Two to eight weeks.
Most drainage projects install in 1–3 weeks of working time. Total project timeline 2–8 weeks depending on permits and scope.
Site visit
Two-hour walk with the architect. We listen, you talk. We measure light, slope, drainage, and existing material. No PowerPoint.
Design
Hand-drawn schematic, then full construction documents. Material specs, sections, footing detail. Two reviews built in.
Quote
Fixed-price proposal, line-itemed by trade. You see the math. Change orders signed before any change happens.
Build
Our in-house crew, on site every working day. Weekly progress photos. Architect at every milestone. We don’t leave until punch list is empty.
— Recent drainage
Three recent drainage projects.
Lakefront master plan, 2½ acres.
Three terraced rooms stepping down to Lake Champlain. 240 ft of dry-laid stone wall, cedar pavilion, native pollinator beds.
Read project →
Seven-terrace hilltop garden.
Re-grading a north-facing slope into seven dry-stone-walled terraces of perennials, fruit trees, and a 60-foot meditation walk.
Read project →
1,400 sq ft contemporary courtyard.
Bluestone paving, cedar slat screening, a small reflecting pool, and three Japanese maples for autumn color.
Read project →Single problem area
$3.5K–$14Ktypical scope
Most targeted drainage interventions (one French drain, downspout extensions, single swale) fall in this range.
Comprehensive system
$14K–$60Kcomplete scope
Property-wide drainage strategy with multiple drains, swales, rain gardens, and any required infiltration system.
— Drainage questions
What clients ask.
Why is my basement wet?
Almost always because surface water (roof, driveway, lawn) is directed toward the foundation instead of away. The fix is exterior — daylighted downspout extensions, swales, and grading away from the house. Fixing drainage outside is dramatically more effective than waterproofing inside.
Do French drains really work?
When properly installed (proper grade, correct gravel, daylighted exit), yes — they’re the most durable solution for sub-surface water. When installed incorrectly (the 90% of cases we see), they fail within 5 years.
Will the drainage freeze in winter?
Properly graded drainpipe doesn’t hold standing water, so it doesn’t freeze. Improperly graded pipe (under 1% grade) can pool water that freezes and bursts the pipe. Our standard 1.5% minimum grade prevents this.
Can drainage be hidden?
Almost entirely. French drains are buried; downspout extensions can be buried in pipe and emerge at a discreet daylight point; swales can be planted to look like garden beds. The only visible elements are typically catch basin grates and rain garden plantings.
What about town stormwater requirements?
Larger projects (over a certain impervious surface threshold, varies by town) trigger stormwater permits. Most residential drainage work doesn’t, but we evaluate during the site visit and handle permits when needed.