Backyard Drainage System
Resolved chronic backyard flooding with a French drain and catch basin system tied to the municipal storm sewer.
What the job involved.
Every project is planned and executed step by step. Here’s what this drainage project included.
- Diagnose drainage patterns
- Install perforated French drain
- Install catch basins at low points
- Connect to street sewer
- Re-grade lawn and resod
What goes into a drainage job like this
Find where the water actually goes
Drainage work starts with watching the property, ideally during rain. Where does water pool, how long does it stay, which way does the ground fall near the house, and where do the downspouts discharge? Solving the wrong problem is easy and expensive.
Move it, or collect it
Surface water is usually solved by reshaping the ground — regrading or cutting a swale so it runs somewhere sensible. Water in the soil needs collecting instead: perforated pipe in gravel, wrapped in filter fabric, running to a discharge point that actually works.
Somewhere for it to go
Every drainage system needs a legitimate outlet. A pipe that dead-ends, or discharges onto a neighbour's property, isn't a solution. Getting the discharge right is often the hardest part of the design.
What drives the cost and timeline
Every property is different, which is why we quote after seeing the site rather than from a price list. These are the things that move the number most on this kind of work.
- How much of the property is affected and how much trenching is involved
- Whether the fix is regrading, subsurface drainage, or both
- Depth of excavation and what the soil is like to dig
- Number of catch basins and length of pipe run
- Where the discharge point is and how far away
- Restoring surfaces afterwards — sod, beds or hard surfaces disturbed by the work
Questions we get asked
Will this fix a wet basement?
Sometimes. Surface water pooling against the foundation is a common cause and yard drainage addresses it directly. But if water is entering below grade through the wall or footing, that's a foundation waterproofing job — we'll tell you honestly which one you're looking at.
How long until I know it worked?
The next real rainfall. That's the honest answer — drainage is one of the few things you can verify immediately by watching where the water goes.
Does the lawn have to be dug up?
Trenching disturbs a strip, which is restored afterwards. It looks worse mid-job than the finished result suggests. Where possible the route is planned to minimise what gets opened up.
Services involved in this project
Planning something similar in Guelph? These are the services this build drew on.
Drainage Solutions
Stop water problems before they damage your property.
Learn moreSod Installation
A thick, healthy lawn — installed in a single day.
Learn morePermeable Pavers
Stylish hardscaping that manages stormwater naturally.
Learn moreThis work was done in Guelph. See everything we do in Guelph and the surrounding area.
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