A properly installed French drain keeps water away from your foundation before it can seep into your crawl space or basement. That means no more standing water after storms, no more musty smells creeping up through your floors, and no more worrying about whether your foundation is slowly cracking under hydrostatic pressure.
You’re not just moving water. You’re protecting your home’s structural integrity and preventing the kind of moisture problems that lead to mold, sagging floors, and five-figure repair bills down the road.
The right landscape drainage solution eliminates soggy yards, protects your investment, and gives you one less thing to stress about when the forecast calls for heavy rain. In Walkertown, where clay soil holds water like a sponge, that peace of mind matters.
We’ve been handling foundation waterproofing and drainage issues in the Greensboro area for over 30 years. We’re BBB accredited with an A+ rating, and our team is NADCA certified with the training to back up what we recommend.
We’ve seen what North Carolina’s red clay does to foundations when water isn’t managed correctly. We’ve also seen what happens when contractors install systems that are overkill for the situation or cut corners on materials. Neither helps you.
Our approach is straightforward: inspect thoroughly, explain what you actually need, install it correctly the first time, and make sure it works long-term. Walkertown homeowners deal with enough drainage challenges without wondering if their contractor knows what they’re doing.
We start with an inspection of your property to identify where water is pooling, how your soil drains, and what’s causing the problem. That tells us where the French drain needs to go and how deep it needs to be.
Once we’ve mapped the system, we trench along the problem areas using contractor-grade equipment. The trench gets lined with filter fabric to prevent clogs, then filled with the right type of gravel and a perforated pipe that channels water away from your foundation. Everything is sloped correctly so gravity does the work.
The system gets wrapped and backfilled, and we test it to make sure water flows where it’s supposed to. Most residential installations are completed in hours, not days. You’ll see the difference the next time it rains—water moves away from your home instead of sitting against your foundation or flooding your crawl space.
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Every French drain system we install is customized based on your soil type, the volume of water you’re dealing with, and the depth of your water table. That’s not marketing speak—it’s how drainage actually works. A system that handles surface water runoff in sandy soil won’t perform the same way in Walkertown’s dense clay.
We use quality filter fabric that prevents sediment from clogging the pipe, contractor-grade perforated pipe that won’t collapse under soil pressure, and the correct gravel size for long-term drainage. The trench is sloped properly so water moves efficiently without pooling or backing up.
You also get a thorough walkthrough of how the system works and what to expect. We’re not interested in overselling you on add-ons you don’t need. If your situation calls for a trench drain or additional waterproofing measures, we’ll explain why and show you what the problem looks like before recommending anything.
Walkertown’s clay-heavy soil expands when wet and contracts when dry, which puts constant pressure on your foundation. A properly installed French drain relieves that pressure and keeps moisture away from the areas where it causes the most damage.
Most residential French drain installations in Walkertown run between $2,000 and $6,000 depending on the length of the system, how deep we need to trench, and what kind of soil conditions we’re working with. Simple perimeter drains around a crawl space cost less than full-yard systems that manage multiple drainage problems.
The cost breaks down to about $10 to $35 per linear foot, which includes trenching, materials, labor, and proper sloping. If your property has difficult access, heavy clay that requires more excavation, or needs a sump pump tied into the system, that affects the price.
We’ll give you a clear estimate after inspecting your property. No surprises, no upselling. You’ll know exactly what you’re paying for and why it’s necessary before we start any work.
A properly installed French drain can last 20 to 30 years or more if it’s built with quality materials and maintained correctly. The key is using the right filter fabric to prevent clogs, quality perforated pipe that won’t collapse, and ensuring the system is sloped correctly from the start.
Most failures happen because of poor installation—wrong gravel size, no filter fabric, or improper slope that lets water sit instead of flow. Sediment clogs are the other common issue, which is why we wrap everything in contractor-grade fabric that keeps soil out while letting water through.
You don’t need to do much to maintain it. Keep gutters clean so they’re not dumping debris near the drain, and make sure the outlet point stays clear. We’ll show you where that is and what to watch for. If you take care of those basics, the system will keep working without constant attention.
A French drain handles water before it reaches your crawl space, which is a big part of solving moisture problems. But if you already have humidity issues or standing water under your house, you might also need crawl space encapsulation or a vapor barrier to fully control moisture.
French drains work by redirecting groundwater and surface runoff away from your foundation. That stops new water from getting in. If moisture is already trapped under your home, or if you’re dealing with high humidity from the soil itself, the drain won’t address that by itself.
We’ll inspect your crawl space and let you know what’s causing the moisture. Sometimes a French drain is all you need. Other times, it’s part of a larger waterproofing solution. Either way, we’ll explain what’s happening and what it takes to fix it for good—not just temporarily.
Yes, and clay soil is actually one of the main reasons homeowners in Walkertown need French drains in the first place. Clay doesn’t absorb water well—it holds it. That’s why you see standing water, soggy yards, and foundation problems after heavy rain.
Installing a French drain in clay requires digging deeper, using the right gravel that won’t compact over time, and making sure the slope is aggressive enough to move water efficiently. We also pay close attention to where the water exits the system, because clay soil downstream can cause backups if the outlet isn’t planned correctly.
The good news is that once a French drain is installed properly in clay, it makes a dramatic difference. Water that used to sit against your foundation for days gets channeled away in hours. Your yard dries out faster, your crawl space stays drier, and your foundation stops taking on the constant pressure that leads to cracks and settlement.
French drains handle subsurface water and groundwater that’s soaking into your soil and threatening your foundation. Trench drains handle surface water—like runoff from your driveway, patio, or areas where water sheets across the ground before it has a chance to soak in.
If water is pooling on the surface and you need to move it quickly before it floods your garage or seeps under your house, a trench drain is the right call. If you’re dealing with soggy soil, crawl space moisture, or foundation water intrusion, a French drain is what you need. Sometimes you need both.
We’ll look at how water is moving on your property and recommend the system that actually solves your problem. You’re not paying for something that doesn’t fit the situation. Plenty of homes in Walkertown need French drains because of how clay soil holds water below the surface, but every property is different.
You’ll see results the first time it rains after installation. Water that used to pool near your foundation or flood your crawl space will move through the drainage system and exit away from your home. Your yard will dry out faster, and you won’t see standing water in the same problem areas.
The long-term benefits take a little longer to notice. Your crawl space will stay drier, humidity levels will drop, and you’ll stop seeing new moisture damage or mold growth. If you’ve been dealing with musty smells or damp floors, those issues will gradually improve as the space dries out.
Foundation protection is the benefit you won’t see directly, but it’s the most important one. By keeping water away from your foundation, the French drain stops hydrostatic pressure, prevents soil expansion and contraction around your home, and eliminates the conditions that cause cracks and settlement. That’s the kind of result that saves you serious money over time.
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