Chester County & the Main Line, PA
Yard Drainage & French Drain Contractors in Chester County, PA
Standing water, soggy lawns and wet basements are symptoms, not diagnoses. We find where the water is actually coming from before proposing a system to move it.
Licensed & Insured
PA Home Improvement Contractor #PA035784
Free Written Estimates
On-site assessment included
Diagnosis First
We find the cause before quoting a fix
Two Local Offices
West Chester & Newtown Square
What we do
Drainage services across Chester & Delaware County
Nine services, ordered by what homeowners in this region actually search for. Each addresses a different cause of water on a property, which is why the assessment comes first.
French Drain Installation
Subsurface French drain systems that intercept groundwater and carry it away from the house before it reaches the foundation.
Perforated pipe / Washed stone / Filter fabric / Solid outfall pipe
Yard Regrading & Grading
Reshaping the slope of a yard so surface water runs away from the house instead of collecting against it — often the cheapest permanent fix.
Topsoil / Positive slope to daylight / Seed or sod restoration
Yard Drainage Systems
Catch basins, area drains and collection lines for chronically wet lawns, low spots and soggy ground that never dries out.
Catch basins / Area drains / Collection piping / Pop-up emitters
Basement & Foundation Drainage
Exterior foundation drainage — footing drains, waterproofing and grade correction that stop water before it reaches the basement wall.
Footing drain / Exterior membrane / Drainage board / Regraded backfill
Downspout Drainage & Tie-Ins
Underground downspout extensions that carry roof water well away from the foundation instead of dumping it at the corner of the house.
Solid PVC pipe / Downspout adapters / Pop-up emitters / Catch basins
Standing Water Solutions
Diagnosis and correction for yards that hold water for days after rain — the symptom that usually has more than one cause.
Percolation assessment / Grade correction / Subsurface collection
Sump Pump Discharge Lines
Buried sump discharge lines run to a proper outfall, so pumped water leaves the property instead of cycling back to the sump.
Buried discharge line / Freeze-resistant outfall / Pop-up emitter
Swale Installation
Shallow grassed channels that move surface water across a property along a controlled route, without pipe.
Shaped channel / Stabilised base / Turf or stone lining
Gutter Drainage & Roof Runoff
Managing the roof water side of the problem — gutter capacity, discharge points and where that volume actually ends up.
Discharge tie-ins / Underground carriers / Splash-zone correction
How we work
Diagnosis before installation
The most expensive mistake in residential drainage is installing the right system for the wrong problem. It does not fail immediately. It fails two seasons later, after the lawn has grown back over it.
We find the source
Water on a lawn can come from grade, roof discharge, subsurface seepage, an upslope property or soil that will not accept water. They look alike and need different corrections, so we establish which one you have before quoting.
We establish the outfall
Every gravity system has to release somewhere genuinely lower. On sites with no fall the honest answers are a dry well sized for the contributing area or a pumped discharge, never a pipe to a point that is not downhill.
We build it to last
Filter fabric and washed stone separate a French drain that works for decades from one that silts up in two seasons. Both are invisible once the trench is closed, which is exactly why they get left out elsewhere.
Where we work
Two offices, one service territory
We work from West Chester and Newtown Square across Chester County, Delaware County and the Montgomery County side of the Main Line. Each town is served by whichever office is closer.
West Chester Office
701 S Franklin St, Suite #109West Chester, PA 19382(610) 800-0008Monday – Saturday: 8am – 7pm
Sunday: Closed
Newtown Square Office
12 Smedley Ln, Suite #109Newtown Square, PA 19073(610) 800-0008Monday – Saturday: 8am – 7pm
Sunday: Closed
Counties we serve
Towns we serve
Common questions
Drainage questions we are asked most
Answers written from what we actually find on properties in this region, not from a price list.
How much does a French drain cost?
Residential French drain installation in southeastern Pennsylvania commonly falls in the $2,000 to $8,000 range. Where a project sits within that range depends on the length and depth of the run, what the ground turns out to be, what the outfall requires and how much lawn or hardscape restoration is involved.
How do I know if I need a French drain?
A French drain is the right system when water is moving through the ground rather than across it. The tell is ground that stays soft or springy without a rain event to explain it, often on a slope rather than in a hollow, frequently with a distinct upper edge where the seepage begins.
What is yard regrading?
Regrading reshapes the slope of the ground so surface water runs away from the house instead of toward it. Where the ground within the first several feet of a structure falls back toward it, regrading re-establishes that fall — and it is frequently the cheapest permanent drainage correction available.
Will a French drain fix my wet basement?
Sometimes, but it is rarely the first thing to try. Exterior drainage improvements can significantly reduce basement water, particularly when combined with correcting the grade and moving roof discharge away from the foundation — and those two corrections resolve a large share of basement water problems in this region on their own.
Why does my yard hold water after it rains?
Standing water is a symptom with six common causes: ground falling toward the house, roof water released at the foundation, a low area with no outfall, subsurface water surfacing on a slope, runoff arriving from an upslope property, or compacted soil that will not accept water. They look alike and need different corrections.
Guides
Understand the problem before you buy a solution
Longer reading on the four questions that decide what a drainage project should actually be.
Find the cause before you pay for a fix.
On-site assessment. Free written estimate. No obligation.