The Cost of French Drain Installation: When to Hire a Pro

Should You Hire a Pro to Install a French Drain?

Installing a French drain system to end minor flooding in your yard is possible to do yourself, but installing a drain for major flooding or to keep water out of your basement is a job for a professional. Trying to complete a French drain DIY project without the proper background knowledge and equipment will only end up causing you additional money and time spent on the project.

Things to Consider for French Drain DIY

If you are planning to do the job yourself, these are the things to consider:

1. Amount of Soil: A French drain requires a ditch about a foot wide and 18 inches deep. This means that for every foot you dig, you will be excavating one and a half cubic feet of soil. Normal topsoil, depending on the amount of water, weighs about 100 lbs. per cubic foot. So for every 10 feet you dig, you will be moving about 1,500 pounds of soil. You could do that by hand or rent a trenching tool for about $150-200 per day.
   

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2. Dig Safely: Before actually doing any digging, contact your city services to mark the location of any underground utilities. Phone the Call Before You Dig hotline at 811. This free service makes sure underground utilities are marked before you begin. Without giving them a call, you could run into major issues such as gas lines or other dangerous underground utilities.
   

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3. Amount of Gravel: For every ten feet of drainage, you will require about .6 yards of gravel, which weighs about between 2,400 and 2,900 lbs. and costs about $25 per cubic yard, plus the cost of delivery. You will also need to find a place to put the soil you’ve displaced with the gravel.

Cost for French Drain Installation: DIY

The good news is that digging your trench by hand won’t cost you anything but time, but what you’ll spend money on is a drain pipe and gravel, a new shovel, and maybe a bottle of aspirin for the following day. If you rent a trenching tool, you will need to arrange a way to transport the tool. While a trenching tool cuts work time dramatically, expect to pay $125 to $200 per day. Another cost that may come into the equation is renting a backhoe and operator. A backhoe is a major piece of equipment that will cut a trench quickly. However, to justify this tool, you’ll want to have plenty of work for it to do. A backhoe makes sense only if:

• You have more than 100 lineal ft. of drainage trench to dig.
• You can provide easy access to your property for this large piece of equipment.
• The backhoe won’t destroy landscaping features or compact soils irreparably. It’s heavy!
• Including the rental fee for the tool, travel time to haul the backhoe to your property, and an hourly rate for the operator, expect to pay $300 to $1,500.

Overall, a French drain DIY project requires a lot of background knowledge, experience, time, and money. As you can see, many different factors play into proper French drain installation. Rather than jumping right into a French drain DIY project, speak with the professionals first. They have the knowledge, experience, and tools needed.

Hiring a Professional

A professional contractor will complete your project for about $25 per linear foot. That usually includes an initial consultation and bid, all parts and materials, all labor, and backfilling the trench with topsoil. If you are looking for a reliable, trustworthy foundation repair company that is knowledgeable about French drain installation, give Pro Foundation Technology, Inc. a call today.

Pro Foundation Tech is a family-owned and operated foundation repair company in the Kansas City, MO area. Not only do we offer free estimates, but we also offer financing options. If a French drain installation is something you are interested in, you may contact us here. We will be happy to answer any questions you may have!