French Drains & Drainage in Irving, TX
A graded, fabric lined drain that pulls water away from the foundation instead of into it.
A French drain is a trench along the foundation, lined with filter fabric, filled with gravel, and fitted with a perforated pipe that carries water to a spot where it can drain safely. It exists to fix the biggest cause of foundation movement in DFW: water sitting against the slab or in the crawl space and soaking the clay under one side of the house. The photos on this page are our own installations, trench to finished gravel.
We build them properly. The trench is graded so water actually runs downhill, the fabric keeps clay from silting up the gravel, and the outlet goes to the street, a pop-up emitter, or a dry well, never to the neighbor's yard. Done right, a French drain is the cheapest insurance a North Texas foundation can have, and it often comes bundled with a repair so the fix stays fixed.
Signs you need french drains & drainage
How the work goes
- 1
Walk the drainage
We look at where water comes from, where it pools, and where it can go. Yard grade, downspouts, and the neighbors' lots all matter.
- 2
Lay out the run
The estimate shows the trench path, the outlet, and the depth. We check for utilities before any digging.
- 3
Trench and line
We dig to grade, lay filter fabric across the trench, and set perforated pipe with a consistent fall toward the outlet.
- 4
Gravel and finish
Clean gravel fills the trench, the fabric wraps over the top, and the surface is finished with more gravel or sod depending on what you want to see.
What it costs
French drains are estimated for free and priced by the foot. The length of the run, the depth needed to get a proper fall, and how far the outlet has to go are what set the number. A short run along one side of a house with a nearby outlet is a modest job; wrapping three sides and running to the street is a bigger one. When a drain is part of a foundation repair we list it as its own line so you can see the cost of each.
Recent french drains & drainage work
See Our Work
French Drains & Drainage questions
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Tell us what you are seeing and we will come out, measure the house, and give you a written price. No pressure, no fee.