Drainage

There is no single fix that suits every yard. We walk the property, find where the water actually comes from and where it needs to end up, and use whichever of these gets it there.

French drains

A French drain is a gravel-filled trench with a perforated pipe at the bottom that collects water underground and carries it somewhere harmless. It is the right answer when you have a persistently soggy area, water collecting against a foundation, or a slope that sends runoff toward the house.

Done properly it needs consistent fall along the whole run, the right fabric so it does not silt up and fail in a few years, clean drainage rock rather than fill, and a discharge point that actually works — daylighting to a lower part of the property, a dry well, or a storm connection. Most failed French drains we are called out to replace failed for one of those four reasons.

Yard grading and regrading

Often the cheapest real fix. Reshaping the ground so it falls away from the building instead of toward it solves a surprising number of drainage complaints without installing anything at all. The general standard is a noticeable drop over the first several feet out from the foundation, then a continuous path away from the structure.

Regrading is also what we do when settling has undone the original grade, when a landscaping project or new patio unintentionally dammed a runoff path, or when a neighbouring property sends water your way and it needs redirecting without pushing the problem onto someone else.

Dry creek beds and swales

A swale is a shallow shaped channel that moves surface water along a deliberate route. Line it with stone and plant the edges and it becomes a dry creek bed — the same drainage function, but it reads as a landscape feature rather than a utility. In a climate with dramatic downpours and long dry spells, it looks intentional either way: a rock channel in August is doing visible work, and in October it is simply a design element.

This is a good option when you need to move a lot of surface water across open yard and would rather not bury it, or when the volume is too much for a pipe alone.

Catch basins and area drains

Where water collects in one definite low spot — the bottom of a driveway, a patio corner, a sunken planting bed — a catch basin gives it a drop-in point and pipes it away underground. Basins pair well with French drains and downspout lines, feeding into the same discharge. They need a grate that stays clear and enough fall on the outflow, which is why we set them as part of a whole drainage plan rather than dropping one in and hoping.

Buried downspout extensions

Roof runoff is concentrated water, and a downspout emptying next to the foundation is one of the most common causes of a wet basement. Splash blocks move it a couple of feet, which is rarely enough. Burying a solid pipe from the downspout out to a proper discharge point moves the whole roof's water well clear of the house, and it disappears under the lawn instead of tripping people up.

Window well drainage

A window well that fills with water is a basement flood waiting for the next storm, and the usual causes are a well with no working drain, one that has silted up, or a rusted-out well sitting below grade. We rebuild the drainage beneath the well, replace failed wells, and fit covers to keep rain and debris out. See our window well replacement page for that work in detail.

Terracing and erosion control

On a slope steep enough that water picks up speed, the goal shifts from moving water to slowing it down. Terracing breaks a long slope into shorter level runs so runoff loses energy instead of stripping soil off your property. Combined with the right ground cover and edging it turns an eroding bank into usable, planted space.

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We come out and look at it. Drainage cannot be diagnosed from a photo. We walk the property, find the high and low points, look at where your gutters discharge, check the grade against the foundation, and ask what happens in a real storm — you have watched your yard flood and we have not, so that description matters.

We tell you what it needs, including when that is not much. Sometimes the answer is a full French drain system. Sometimes it is extending two downspouts and correcting fifteen feet of grade. We would rather tell you it is the small fix.

You get a clear quote before anything starts. Scope, approach, and price in writing, with no pressure to decide on the spot.

We put the yard back. Drainage work means digging, and a job is not finished when the pipe is in. Restoring the surface — soil, sod, rock, plantings — is part of the work, not an extra.

We work with homeowners and businesses throughout Colorado Springs and the surrounding areas, and because we also handle landscaping, yard cleanup, and decks and pergolas, drainage can be designed as part of a wider project rather than bolted on afterwards.

We write about this work through the year. If you are researching before you call, start here:

• Top Drainage Solutions for Water-Logged Yards in Colorado Springs
• Backyard Drainage Woes? Fix Summer Flooding Before Fall Arrives
• Your Fall Checklist for Outdoor Drainage Systems
• Winter Drainage Myths: What Really Happens When Snow Melts in Colorado Springs
• Improving Drainage Before the Spring Thaw
• Eco-Friendly Landscaping: Innovative Sustainable Drainage Solutions

How do I know if I need a French drain or just regrading?

If water sits on the surface and the ground slopes the wrong way, regrading often solves it on its own. If the ground is already shaped correctly and the area still stays saturated, the water is moving underground and needs a French drain to intercept it. A site visit settles it quickly — the two fixes differ a lot in cost, so it is worth knowing which one you actually need.

What time of year should drainage work be done?

Any time the ground is workable. Spring and fall are the most comfortable, but the useful thing about summer is that you have just watched the monsoon show you exactly where the water goes. Autumn work has the advantage of being finished before snowmelt season, which is when a lot of basement problems actually show up.

Will drainage work wreck my lawn?

Trenching disturbs a strip of ground, and that is unavoidable. Restoring the surface afterwards is part of the job, and within a season the line is usually hard to find.

Can you fix water coming from a neighbour's property?

Usually, yes. It is normally handled by intercepting the water at the boundary and routing it through your property to a proper discharge point. What we will not do is simply push it onto someone else — that trades your problem for a dispute.

Do I need a permit?

Most residential drainage and grading work does not, but larger jobs and anything that changes how water leaves the property can. We will tell you if your project is one of them before we start.

How long does it take?

Most residential drainage jobs run one to three days depending on how much trenching is involved and how much surface restoration follows. Grading-only work is often a single day.

Fall is the best time of year to get drainage fixed — the ground is still workable and a fix now beats fighting frozen soil in January. See our fall outdoor prep guide for what else is worth doing before the ground freezes.

If your yard holds water, your basement smells damp after storms, or your window wells fill every time it rains, it will not fix itself — clay soil and freeze-thaw make these problems worse each year, not better. Tell us what your property does in a storm and we will come out, work out where the water is going, and quote the fix.

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