French drain installation is the most common fix for a soggy lawn, water against the foundation or runoff that will not leave the yard. Cicarelli Contractors finds where the water comes from and where it can go, then digs a sloped trench, lines it with filter fabric, sets gravel and perforated pipe, and regrades the surface around it.
Yard drainage
A French drain is a trench filled with washed gravel around a perforated pipe, wrapped in filter fabric so soil does not clog it. Groundwater and surface water seep into the gravel, enter the pipe through its holes and flow downhill to an outlet, such as a dry well, a lower part of the lot or an approved discharge point.
It is the right fix when water collects below the surface or along a wall. When the problem is the shape of the yard itself, such as a low spot or ground sloping toward the house, regrading or a surface drain may solve more for less. Many backyard drainage solutions combine both: a regraded surface that sends water to a catch basin or a French drain.
The outlet decides the design. Water has to end somewhere it is allowed to go and that sits lower than the trench, so we plan the route and the fall before digging, whether the yard drainage problem is in San Francisco, Oakland or San Jose. Downspouts, gutters and existing drain lines are checked on the same visit, because a clogged gutter can look like a drainage problem.
Six Google reviews quoted word for word, starting with a drainage installation and a gutter job. Swipe or tap the arrows to keep reading.
very good work, drainage was perfect, works very well.
Found this company through Google actually. Got a quick response for a gutter installation job - they communicated promptly and showed up right on time - same day - made it so easy! I worked really hard and did a great job cutting branches and changing all the gutters. Pay attention to details. Definitely recommend! Will hire again as it is licensed in California with competitive prices and manufactures all types of Builders
We had a good experience with the company, the team was professional and made us feel confident about it. The job was done on time. Definetely would recomend their services!
If I had another project, I wouldn't think twice and they would hire them again because they are clean people at work, flexible with hours and very professional.
Excellent job and ZERO complaint. The project was done on time.
The team exhibited exceptional performance, demonstrated effective communication, and displayed a commendable work ethic.
Our crews at work
We have not filmed a drain install yet. These clips show our crews and machines on a retaining wall in Walnut Creek and on pool excavations in Fremont, San Ramon and Vacaville.
Watch On YouTubeIs a French drain right for you
A French drain handles water that soaks into the ground. Problems that start on the surface often need grading or a gutter repair first.
Drainage often goes hand in hand with grading; see our excavation and grading services.
French drain step by step
The trench is the easy part. Getting the fall and the outlet right is what keeps a French drain, or any yard drainage system, working for decades.
Start With A Free EstimateWe trace where the water comes from and check gutters, downspouts and slope.
The drain path and a lower, allowed outlet are set before any digging.
811 marks buried lines, since the trench runs across the yard.
The trench is cut with a steady fall from the wet area to the outlet.
Filter fabric lines the trench, then gravel and perforated pipe go in.
The fabric is wrapped, the top is finished and the yard is regraded to drain.
Pricing
French drains are priced mostly by the foot, but the outlet and what sits along the route change the total. These are the items we measure.
Much of the cost is per linear foot, so the run from the wet area to the outlet matters most.
Deeper trenches and heavy clay or rock take longer to dig and haul.
Patios, walks, roots and plantings along the route add removal and repair.
A dry well, catch basins or a long run to a lower point add materials and labor.
Dug soil has to go somewhere, and washed gravel has to be trucked in.
Regrading around the drain and restoring turf or pavers finish the job.
Our excavation cost guide explains how trench volume and hauling are priced, or send photos for a written quote. Get a written quote
Rules to know
Rules for drains vary by city. The trench is excavation, so buried lines must be marked first; reshaping the yard can reach grading limits; and anything that crosses the sidewalk or reaches the street needs a permit from the city. We confirm the local rule before quoting.
When the outlet needs the street or the sidewalk, we file the permit before the trench gets there.
French drain answers
French drain installation cost is the first question most homeowners ask, followed by how deep the drain goes and how long it lasts. The answers below use published figures with dates, so you can judge any drainage contractor's quote, including ours, and decide whether a drain is the right fix.
Yelp's cost guide, updated October 2026, puts trench digging for a French drain at $4 to $16 per linear foot, or $400 to $1,600 for a typical run, before pipe, gravel, fabric and the outlet. The full price depends on the length, depth, soil, what sits along the route and how the water leaves the lot.
That trench figure is national and is not a Cicarelli price. Our estimate lists the trench, materials, outlet and regrading as separate lines.
Deep enough to catch the water where it moves through the soil, with a bottom that slopes steadily toward the outlet. A drain for a soggy lawn sits shallower than one protecting a foundation or running behind a retaining wall, so the depth is set by the problem, the soil and the outlet height.
We set the depth and fall on site after finding where the water comes from and where the outlet can be.
There is no fixed number; a French drain lasts as long as it keeps moving water. Filter fabric that keeps fine soil out of the gravel and pipe, a steady slope and a working outlet are what keep it from silting up. Clear gutters and downspouts also help, because less debris reaches it.
If water starts pooling again over a drain, the outlet and the fabric are the first things we check.
For the trench alone, Yelp's range of $4 to $16 per linear foot works out to about $400 to $1,600 for 100 feet. Pipe, gravel, filter fabric, the outlet, hauling the spoils and restoring the yard come on top, so a complete 100-foot drain costs more than the digging.
We measure the actual run and the fall on site, because the distance to a usable outlet often makes a drain longer than the wet area itself.
It depends on where the water comes from. Regrading fixes a yard that slopes toward the house; a catch basin or channel drain collects water running across a patio or driveway; downspout extensions or a dry well handle roof water. A French drain is the answer for water soaking into the soil.
Many yards end up with a mix, so we look at every source of water before choosing one fix.
It means digging a trench across the yard, so lawn, plantings or pavers along the route are disturbed and restored. It needs a lower outlet, which some flat lots lack, and without filter fabric it can clog. It also does nothing for a yard that simply slopes toward the house.
Planned well, those downsides are manageable; the design and the outlet matter more than the trench.
Avoid routes that cannot reach a lower outlet, that would send water onto a neighbor's lot, or that cross buried utilities nobody has marked. A drain also does little for water from a clogged gutter or a yard sloped toward the house; those need repair or regrading first.
That is why the first visit looks at the whole yard, not only the wet spot.
A short drain on a gentle slope is a common DIY project, but the heavy part is digging and hauling soil and gravel, and the slope has to stay right the whole length. Call 811 before any digging. Long runs, foundation drains and anything near the street are better left to a contractor.
If you hire out, California requires a written contract for home improvement work over $500.
| Item | Published figure |
|---|---|
| Trench digging for a French drain, per linear foot | $4 to $16 (Yelp) |
| Trench digging, typical run | $400 to $1,600 (Yelp) |
| Soil removal, per cubic yard | $50 to $180 (Yelp) |
| Steep-slope premium | 75% to 200% more (Yelp) |
| Utility marks before digging | 2 working days (USA North 811) |
National cost figures from Yelp's excavation cost guide, checked October 24, 2026; not a Cicarelli price.
Updated · By Athalyson Bernardo, Owner of Cicarelli Contractors · CSLB #1109419
FAQ
Send photos of where water collects, the downspouts and the lowest part of the lot, and we will reply with a written estimate. Our line is open Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm, and the FAQ page answers more.
Call (650) 404-7049A French drain collects water that soaks into the ground, through gravel and a perforated pipe below the surface. A surface drain, such as a catch basin or channel drain, collects water running across the top through a grate and carries it away in a solid pipe. Many yards use both together.
To an outlet lower than the drain: a dry well, a lower part of the property or a discharge point the city allows. It should never be sent onto a neighbor's lot. When the outlet involves the curb or the street, an encroachment permit is usually needed first.
It can help when the water comes from saturated soil around the foundation, especially on a slope. Water entering through cracks or from plumbing needs a different repair. We look at where the water comes from before recommending a drain, so you do not pay for the wrong fix.
A typical residential run is usually a short job for one crew, but the time depends on the length, the depth, the soil, what has to be removed along the route and whether the yard is regraded. The written estimate gives the expected days once we have walked the route.
Yes. A retaining wall needs drainage behind it so water pressure does not build up against it. Gravel backfill and a perforated pipe along the base carry water to an outlet. On new walls we build it in; on existing walls it can mean excavating behind the wall.
Call or text (650) 404-7049, Monday to Saturday, 9 am to 5 pm, or send photos of the wet areas and downspouts through the free estimate form. A written, itemized drainage estimate follows within 24 hours of the photos or the site visit.
GuideExcavation vs. Grading: The Difference for Bay Area Projects
GuideExcavation Cost in the Bay Area: What Drives the Price in 2026
GuideThe Best Season for a Demolition Project in the Bay AreaUpdated · By Athalyson Bernardo, Owner of Cicarelli Contractors
