Landscape Drainage Solutions: What to Charge and How to Bid

Drainage is the highest-leverage service in landscape contracting — high margins, high client urgency, low competition because most contractors don't want to deal with it. The contractors who specialize in drainage charge premium rates and stay booked because homeowners with wet basements aren't shopping around. They want it fixed.

Why drainage is underpriced

Most landscape contractors treat drainage as an afterthought — a $400 line item bolted onto a $12,000 patio. In reality, it's a problem-solving service. The homeowner has standing water destroying their lawn, flooding their basement, or eroding their hardscape. They will pay to make it stop. Price it like the solution it is.

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French drain pricing

$25–$50 per linear foot installed. Materials: perforated pipe ($1.50/ft), drainage aggregate ($4–6/linear foot of trench), filter fabric ($1/ft), backfill. Labor: 8–15 feet per crew-hour depending on access and soil. A 60-foot French drain typically runs $1,800–$2,800 installed.

Grading and resloping

$5–$15/sqft depending on severity. Minor reslope (move soil from one side of the yard to the other): $5–$8/sqft. Major regrade (truck in fill, re-establish lawn): $10–$15/sqft. Always include the lawn restoration in the bid — sod or seed — don't leave the homeowner with a mud pit.

Dry creek beds

$15–$30 per linear foot. Functional drainage disguised as landscape feature. Decorative river rock, fabric underlayment, larger anchor stones. Premium pricing because it looks like landscape design, not infrastructure.

Catch basins and downspout extensions

• Catch basin install: $300–$800 each.
• Downspout extension to daylight: $200–$500 per downspout.
• Pop-up emitter: $100–$250 per emitter.
• Sump pump install (exterior): $1,200–$2,800.

The 'fix it once' pitch

Drainage isn't a cosmetic choice — it's a problem solve. When you bid a drainage job, sell the permanent fix, not the cheap patch. 'We can do a $400 catch basin that helps for two years, or a $2,400 system that solves it permanently.' Most homeowners pick the permanent fix when offered clearly.

Good / Better / Best for drainage

• Good — surface fix: regrade, downspout extensions. Around $800–$1,500.
• Better — French drain or dry creek bed addressing the main problem area. $2,500–$4,500.
• Best — full drainage system: French drain, catch basins, regrade, sump if needed. $5,000–$10,000+.