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French Drain Installation in Indianapolis for yards that won’t dry out
Exterior French drains that collect water from soggy ground and along the foundation, then carry it to a place the lot can handle it.
- Fully insured
- Free quotes and on-site visits
- Fascia checked on every job
Soggy yards and wet foundations on Indianapolis clay
Some water never comes from a downspout. It runs across the surface from higher ground, or sits in the soil because clay won’t let it soak away. A French drain gives that water a path.
A lawn that stays spongy for days
Low areas collect water from the rest of the yard. On slow-draining clay, they stay wet long after the rain stops.
Runoff from a neighbor’s higher lot
When the ground next door sits higher, its water crosses the property line and settles on yours.
Water standing along the foundation
Saturated soil against the wall pushes water toward the basement and keeps the ground soft next to the house.
Mud, moss and dead grass in one strip
A strip that never dries, where grass dies or moss takes over, often marks a line where groundwater is moving.
The Celtic Way: follow the water
A French drain only works if it starts where the water collects and ends somewhere lower. We map both before we dig.
- Watch where water sits. We find the wet zones, where they get their water, and whether roof water is part of it.
- Pick the line and the outlet. We plan the drain route across the wet area and choose where it can discharge safely.
- Trench, gravel and perforated pipe. The trench is lined, filled with gravel around a perforated pipe, and laid with steady fall toward the outlet.
- Close it up and test it. We backfill, restore the surface, and run water through to confirm it flows where it should.
Exterior French drain options
Yard French drains
A drain run through a low or soggy part of the lawn to collect the water that sits there and move it off.
Foundation-side French drains
A drain along the outside of the house to catch groundwater before it reaches the wall.
Combined with downspout drainlines
Many yards need both: drainlines for the roof water, a French drain for the ground water. See downspout drainage.
Basin outlet for flat lots
If there’s no lower ground to drain to, the French drain can feed an exterior basin instead.
Not every wet yard needs a French drain. If the water is coming off the roof, a buried downspout drainline may fix it on its own for less digging. We’ll tell you if that’s the case.
Outside or inside? An exterior French drain deals with water in the yard and against the outside of the wall. If water is already coming up through the basement floor joint, that’s an interior French drain job, and we’ll explain the difference on the visit.
Recent French drain and yard drainage work
French drains across the Indianapolis area
From Castleton Road, we install French drains across Marion, Hamilton, Hendricks, Johnson and Hancock counties, plus Zionsville.
French drain questions
What is a French drain?
It’s a trench with gravel around a perforated pipe. Groundwater seeps into the gravel, enters the pipe and flows downhill to an outlet, instead of sitting in the soil.
Will a French drain work in clay soil?
Yes, and clay is often why one is needed. Clay holds water, so giving it a gravel path out is what lets the ground dry. The key is having a proper outlet at the end.
Where does the water from a French drain go?
To lower ground at a daylight outlet, or to a basin if the lot is flat. We choose the outlet so the water doesn’t end up at your house or a neighbor’s.
How much of the yard gets dug up?
The trench follows the drain route, so the disturbance runs along that line. Your written quote shows the route, and we restore the surface when we’re done.
Fix the water problem once.
Tell us what the water is doing. We’ll come out, look at the whole path and give you a written quote. Free.