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HomeServicesDrainage & French Drains
Move the Water Before It Moves Your Foundation

Drainage Correction & French Drains

Standing water against a foundation, a soggy side yard, a slope that sheets mud onto the patio every February — drainage problems are grading problems, and grading is what we do. French drains, area drains, tightlines, and regrading for positive fall, installed before the rain proves the point again.

The fix menu: regrading (restore positive fall away from the house — often the whole fix), French drains (perforated pipe in gravel to intercept subsurface water), area drains and tightlines (collect surface water and downspouts, pipe it to the street or a legal discharge point), and swales/v-ditches on slopes. Most yards need a combination; we diagnose at the free site visit, ideally while the problem is visible.

Common Southern California drainage jobs

Foundation protection

Water ponding at the stem wall — regrade, area drains, and a tightline out. The cheapest foundation repair is the one you never need.

Hillside interception

French drains and swales that catch slope water before it reaches the flat — critical in the region's hill neighborhoods.

Post-construction fixes

New pool or ADU changed how the yard drains? We restore fall and route the water legally.

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French drain install: open trench, gravel, perforated pipe, fabric — step photos

Timing: drainage work books solid once the first storm hits. The smart season to fix it is late summer and fall — dry ground, open schedule, done before the rain. Related: trenching · hillside grading.

Drainage & French Drains: Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a permit for a French drain?

Usually not for typical residential drains, but discharging onto a neighbor or into some public systems is regulated, and hillside work can trigger review. We route water to legal discharge points and flag anything that needs the city's blessing.

Will a French drain fix my soggy yard?

Only if subsurface water is the problem. Half the yards we look at actually have a surface-grading problem — negative fall toward the house — which regrading fixes for less. We diagnose before we prescribe.

Ready to break ground?

Free site visits and same-week estimates across Ventura & Los Angeles counties. Call, text, or send the job details.

Call (805) 217-3863  Request a Free Estimate