(816) 857-9277
Backyard of a brick split-level house after a storm, with standing water spreading from a downspout along the foundation across the lawn

French drains and yard drainage for Kansas City homes

A soggy yard and a damp basement corner usually share one cause: water with nowhere to go except toward your foundation. We trace where it’s coming from, then give it somewhere better to go.

Call (816) 857-9277 See where the water goes

Johnson County, Kansas City and the Missouri side.

Book a drainage check

Tell us where the water shows up. We’ll call back to set a time.

Or call (816) 857-9277

Got it, thank you.

We'll call to set a time. If it can't wait, call (816) 857-9277

Follow the water

Where rain goes on a typical Kansas City lot, and what stops it reaching the basement.

A Kansas City house after a spring storm

Swipe to follow the water across the yard.

Cross-section of a house, yard and basement Rain runs off the roof, out of a downspout at the wall, and across a yard that slopes toward the house. It soaks into clay soil and pushes through the basement wall and up where the wall meets the floor. In the fixed view, a buried downspout line, a French drain and interior drain tile carry the water away. clay soil basement 1 2 3 4 pop-up emitter French drain: gravel + perforated pipe sump 1 2 3 4
  1. 1

    Downspout at the wall

    A whole roof’s worth of rain lands in one spot, right against the foundation.

    Buried downspout line carries it underground to a pop-up emitter well out in the yard.

  2. 2

    Yard slopes toward the house

    Surface water runs back to the foundation and pools in the low spot.

    Regrade so the soil falls away from the house for the first several feet.

  3. 3

    Water trapped in clay

    Clay drains slowly, so water sits in the ground and pushes sideways on the wall.

    A French drain gives it a gravel path and a pipe to a safe outlet.

  4. 4

    Wet where wall meets floor

    Pressure forces water through the joint at the bottom of the basement wall.

    Interior drain tile collects it under the floor edge and a sump pumps it out.

Start with what you’re seeing

Most people call us describing a symptom, not a product. Here’s what each one usually points to.

What you noticeWhat usually fixes it
Open French drain trench in a lawn lined with filter fabric, with black perforated pipe on washed gravel and clay subsoil in the trench walls “A strip of lawn that never dries out”

French Drain Installation

A gravel trench and perforated pipe that collect water sitting in the ground and carry it to a safe outlet.

 French drains Freshly raked topsoil sloping away from a brick foundation with a rake, board and string line set up to check the fall “Puddles against the house after every storm”

Yard Drainage & Grading

Reshaping the soil so surface water runs away from the foundation instead of back toward it.

 Grading Downspout at the corner of a house connected to black pipe running into a shallow trench, with a pop-up emitter waiting on the grass “Downspouts dumping right at the wall”

Buried Downspout Drainage

Solid pipe underground from each downspout to daylight or a pop-up emitter well away from the house.

 Downspouts Square black catch basin with a slotted grate set flush in a lawn low spot, draining a puddle after rain “A low corner that turns into a pond”

Catch Basins & Dry Wells

A grated inlet at the low point, piped to an outlet or an underground chamber that lets water soak away slowly.

 Catch basins Unfinished basement with water seeping in where the concrete wall meets the floor and white efflorescence on the wall “Water in the basement after heavy rain”

Basement Leak Repair

Water in the basement after rain has a source outside. We trace it, then fix the cause rather than the stain.

 Basement leaks Basement floor cut open along the foundation wall with perforated pipe in gravel running to a sump basin “Water where the basement wall meets the floor”

Interior Drain Tile & Sump

A drain along the inside edge of the basement floor that collects water before it spreads, with a sump pump to send it outside.

 Drain tile Excavation along a house exposing the foundation wall coated in black waterproofing membrane with drain pipe at the footing “A basement wall that stays damp from the outside”

Exterior Basement Waterproofing

Excavate to the footing, seal the wall with a membrane and lay drain pipe at its base.

 Waterproofing

Why Kansas City yards hold water

It isn’t just the rain. It’s what the rain lands on.

Clay under the lawn

Much of the metro sits on clay-rich subsoil. Water soaks in slowly, so after a storm it stays near the surface and moves sideways, often toward the nearest foundation.

Spring storms

Heavy spring rain arrives fast, more than saturated clay can absorb, so the excess has to run off somewhere.

Houses with basements

A basement is a hole in wet ground. Any water held against its walls is looking for a way in.

Spade cut into a wet lawn showing dark topsoil over dense reddish-brown clay with water pooling in the hole
Lawn

Grass slows runoff but can’t fix a slope that points at the house.

Topsoil

A few inches that fill up fast in a heavy storm.

Clay

Holds water for days. This is where a French drain does its work.

Footing depth

Where water pushes on the bottom of the basement wall, and where drain tile sits.

How a drainage check works

We don’t quote a drain before we know where the water comes from.

  1. Send a photo or call

    Show us where water collects. Pictures taken during or right after rain help most.

  2. We trace the water

    Roof, downspouts, grade and low spots, then the basement, following the path the water takes.

  3. You get a written plan

    Where the drain runs, where it outlets, and what it costs, before any digging.

  4. Install and clean up

    Utilities marked first, trench dug, pipe laid, soil and sod put back.

French drain trench open along a wooden fence with sod rolled aside, gravel and perforated pipe going in

What a French drain costs

It depends on the yard more than the drain. These are the things that move the price, and the written plan prices each one before any digging.

Drain route marked with white paint and utility flags across a lawn from a downspout toward the back of the yard

Both sides of State Line Road

Johnson County in Kansas, plus Kansas City and eastern Jackson County in Missouri.

Kansas

State Line Road

Missouri

Questions people ask before they call

Do I need a French drain, or just regrading?

If water runs across the surface toward the house, grading and downspout lines often solve it on their own. If the ground stays soggy days after rain, the water is below the surface and a French drain is usually the answer. Many yards need both.

Will a French drain fix my wet basement?

It can if the water is coming from the yard side. If it's coming up where the wall meets the floor, interior drain tile and a sump are usually the fix. The drainage check is how you find out which.

Where does the water go?

To daylight on a downhill slope, a pop-up emitter in the lawn, a dry well, or a storm connection where the city allows one. It never goes onto a neighbour's property.

What happens to my lawn?

There will be a trench. Sod and soil are set aside and put back after the pipe is in. Expect a visible line for a few weeks while it knits back.

Can I put in a French drain myself?

Plenty of people do. The parts that go wrong are the fall of the pipe, the filter fabric and the outlet. If you're unsure where the water will end up, a check first can save a second dig.

Book a drainage check

Tell us where the water shows up and we’ll call back to set a time. The form is at the top of the page, or call:

(816) 857-9277

Call, or text a photo of the problem to the same number.

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Healed lawn weeks after a drain install with only a green pop-up emitter showing in the grass
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