Water Problems Rarely Start at the Wall
Most wet yards — and half the failing retaining walls we see — start with water that should never have arrived. A downspout dumping at the foundation. A yard graded toward the house instead of away. A low spot that collects every storm. French drains and regrading fix the water's path so your wall, your foundation, and your yard stop fighting it.
What We Install
- French drains. Gravel-filled trenches with perforated pipe that collect groundwater and surface water and carry it away — to daylight downhill or a storm connection. The workhorse fix for soggy yards and wet wall bases.
- Downspout extensions and tie-ins. Roof water is the biggest single source of yard water problems. We extend downspouts past walls and foundations or tie them into buried drain lines.
- Regrading. Reshaping the ground so surface water flows away from structures and walls instead of toward them. Sometimes the fix is dirt work, not pipe.
- Swales. Shallow graded channels that move surface water across the yard without pipe — simple, effective, and easy to maintain.
- Dry creek beds. Decorative stone channels that function as drainage — the fix that looks like landscaping.
Drainage System Components
A proper French drain is a system, not a trench with gravel:
- Trench. Typically 12 to 18 inches wide, dug to a depth that intercepts the water — below the problem zone, pitched consistently toward the outlet. Pitch is everything: water does not flow uphill, and a flat drain is a buried puddle.
- Filter fabric. Non-woven geotextile lining the trench. This is the component most skipped by cheap installs and most responsible for long-term performance — it keeps clay silt from migrating into the stone and clogging the system.
- Washed stone. Clean, uniformly sized gravel (no fines) surrounding the pipe. Water flows through the voids; fines would fill them.
- Perforated pipe. Rigid or flexible slotted pipe, slots down, collecting water along the full run. Connections glued, not just fitted.
- Outlet. To daylight at a lower elevation, a storm connection where allowed, or a dry well / pop-up emitter. Designed first, not last.
- Cleanouts. Access points for future flushing — the difference between a maintainable system and a disposable one.
Grading: The Dirt-Work Fix
Sometimes the right answer is not pipe but dirt. The rule is simple: within the first several feet of any structure or wall, the ground should fall away at a steady pitch. We see countless yards where the grade is flat or — worse — pitches toward the house or wall, delivering every storm's water to exactly the wrong place. Regrading reshapes the surface so water leaves on its own, no pipe required. It is often the cheapest effective drainage fix there is, and we recommend it whenever the site allows.
Downspouts: The 800-Pound Gorilla
A single downspout can deliver hundreds of gallons in one storm. When four of them discharge at the foundation or at the top of a retaining wall, no behind-wall drain was sized for that — because it should not have to be. Extending downspouts past the problem zone, or tying them into buried solid pipe that carries roof water to daylight, is the highest-return drainage dollar most homeowners ever spend. We do this as standalone work and as part of every wall project.
Our Process: Drainage and Grading Projects
Here is what to expect, step by step:
- Site visit and water mapping. We trace every water source — roof, surface, groundwater, neighbor — ideally during or just after rain. Your photos of wet conditions are gold.
- System design and written quote. Collection, conveyance, and outlet designed as one system; priced as one number with each component line-itemed.
- Utility marking. We call in locates and hand-dig near marked utilities. Hitting a line is not an acceptable risk.
- Installation. Trenches to grade, fabric, stone, pipe, connections, cleanouts, outlets — built to the design, not improvised.
- Grading and restoration. Surface regraded for positive drainage, trenches compacted and restored with sod or seed.
- Testing and walkthrough. Water-tested where possible; every outlet and cleanout shown to you; maintenance explained (which is minimal).
Drainage Around Retaining Walls
Water arriving at the top of a retaining wall is water the wall's drain has to handle. Cutting that flow off at the source — with grading and drains above the wall — is often cheaper and more effective than upsizing the wall's own drainage. When we build walls, we design the yard drainage and the wall drainage as one system. Our drainage guide explains the full picture.
Got a wet yard, a soggy wall base, or water where it should not be? Tell us about it — photos help a lot.