Groundwork and paving
French drain installation cost
A 60 ft French drain in a yard, 24 in deep, is about $1,720 installed — $28.67 a foot — with 4.7 to 5.5 tons of clean stone, perforated pipe, filter fabric and a pop-up emitter where the water comes out. The digging is most of the price, the stone and pipe the small part, and the outlet the part that decides whether it works: the pipe needs to fall an eighth of an inch a foot to somewhere lower. At the foundation it becomes a footing drain, about $12,203 for 120 ft; under the basement slab, drain tile with a sump pump, $9,910. This gives the stone in tons and the cost of each.
Written and edited by Pablo Ruiz Quintero
Last reviewed 2026-09-25 · Nothing you type leaves your browser
French drain installation cost calculator
Where the drain goes, how long, and where the water ends up
The trench gives the stone in tons, the pipe and the fabric; the place gives the digging; the outlet decides whether it works.
A trench across or along the wet ground, 18 to 24 in deep, filled with stone round a perforated pipe and capped with soil and sod.
Falls 7.5 in at 1%.
18–24 in for a yard drain.
12 in is usual.
Flexible, cheap, easy to lay; harder to clean out if it clogs.
A buried outlet with a lid that lifts when water comes and drops shut when it stops.
For flushing it later.
A drainage contractor.
Used only to pick a regional labour rate. It stays in your browser.
60 ft yard or curtain drain, installed
$1,720
$29 a foot · 4.7–5.5 tons of stone · falls 7.5 in to pop-up emitter in the lawn
The outlet decides whether it works
A French drain only moves water downhill. Over 60 ft the pipe needs to fall at least 7.5 in — an eighth of an inch a foot — to pop-up emitter in the lawn. If there is no lower ground, the water needs a dry well or a pump. The stone, pipe and fabric are $369; the digging is most of the rest.
In the trench
4.7–5.5 tons of stone, 352 sq ft of fabric.
Fabric lines the trench, clean washed stone goes in round a perforated pipe — holes down — and the fabric folds over the top before the soil goes back. Stone with fines, or no fabric, and the drain silts up in a few years.
The same length, three places
Yard, footing and basement at their usual depths.
What the contractor charges for
- 4.7–5.5 tons of clean #57 stone
3.79 cubic yards, 8% over for settling. Clean stone only.$230 - 63 ft of corrugated perforated pipe with filter sock
Flexible, cheap, easy to lay; harder to clean out if it clogs.$69 - 352 sq ft of filter fabric
Non-woven filter fabric lining the trench and wrapped over the stone, so the soil does not silt it up.$70 - Pop-up emitter in the lawn
A buried outlet with a lid that lifts when water comes and drops shut when it stops.$150 - Digging and laying, 60 ft
A trench across or along the wet ground, 18 to 24 in deep, filled with stone round a perforated pipe and capped with soil and sod.$1,200
What it costs
National average. 60 ft of yard or curtain drain, 12 × 24 in trench, corrugated perforated pipe with filter sock, to pop-up emitter in the lawn. Not included: regrading the yard, downspout extensions, lawn repair beyond the trench, or foundation crack repair.
The stone on its own is on the gravel calculator; a basement that grows mold from the damp, on the mold removal page.
Worth knowing
- 60 ft of trench 12 in wide with 20 in of stone is 3.8 cubic yards of clean #57 stone — 4.7 to 5.5 tons, because stone's weight is a range. Clean stone only: anything with fines silts up and the drain stops. Plus 63 ft of corrugated perforated pipe with filter sock and about 352 sq ft of filter fabric.
- The outlet decides whether it works: pop-up emitter in the lawn — A buried outlet with a lid that lifts when water comes and drops shut when it stops. Over 60 ft the pipe needs to fall at least 7.5 in (1%, an eighth of an inch a foot); a flat lot with nowhere lower needs a dry well or a sump.
- A French drain collects ground water and water soaking down; it does a poor job of roof water. Downspouts go in their own solid pipe, not into the perforated one, or the drain floods from the inside.
On this page — 4 sections
What goes in the trench
The short version
- 60 ft yard drain: $1,720, $28.67 a foot.
- 4.7–5.5 tons of clean stone, pipe and 352 sq ft of fabric.
- Footing drain $12,203; basement drain tile $9,910 for 120 ft.
- The outlet decides whether it works.
A French drain is a trench lined with filter fabric, filled with clean stone round a perforated pipe, the fabric folded over the top and the soil put back. Ground water finds the stone because it is the easiest path, drops into the pipe, and runs downhill to an outlet. A 60 foot trench 12 inches wide with 20 inches of stone takes about 3.79 cubic yards of clean #57 — 4.7 to 5.5 tons, a range because stone’s weight is — about 63 feet of pipe and 352 square feet of fabric. The materials are the small part; the digging is most of the price.
$230
5.1 tons of stone
Clean #57
$139
Pipe and fabric
Perforated, sock
$1,200
Digging and laying
$20 a foot
$150
Pop-up emitter
Where it comes out
MaterialsEstimator, French drain and drain tile installation price survey · checked 2026-09-25
An outlet that works
A French drain only moves water downhill. The pipe needs to fall at least an eighth of an inch a foot — 7½ inches over 60 feet — and end somewhere lower than it started: out to daylight, into a pop-up emitter in the lawn, into a dry well that lets the water soak away, or into a sump that pumps it. Many towns forbid tying into the sewer. A drain on a flat lot with nowhere to go is a buried pond, and the commonest failure there is.
| Outlet | For | |
|---|---|---|
| Daylight | Free — $1,570 for the 60 ft drain | A lot that falls away |
| Pop-up emitter | $150 | A lawn that is lower at one end |
| Dry well | $1,000 | A flat lot on sandy soil |
| Sump pump | $1,000 | Basements, and flat clay lots |
At the foundation, and under the basement
The same pipe, stone and fabric at the foot of a foundation is what the code calls foundation drainage: stone a foot beyond the footing and six inches above it, a filter over it, discharging by gravity or to a sump. Outside, that means digging down the side of the house — the price of the job — with the chance to damp-proof the wall while it is open. Inside, it means cutting the basement slab along the walls, laying the pipe below it to a sump, and pouring new concrete: drain tile. It does not stop water coming through the wall; it catches it and pumps it out.
| 120 ft | Per foot | Stone | Installed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yard or curtain drain | $27.42 | 9.5–11 t | $3,290 |
| Exterior footing drain | $102.94 | 8.5–9.8 t | $12,353 |
| Interior basement drain tile | $82.59 | 5.5–6.4 t | $9,910 |
Yard at 24 in with an emitter; footing at 84 in with the wall damp-proofed; basement with a sump pump.
International Code Council, International Residential Code, Section R405, Foundation drainage · checked 2026-09-25
What goes wrong
Before the trench is dug
- 811 called; utilities marked.
- An outlet chosen, lower than the high end.
- The fall checked with a string line: an eighth of an inch a foot.
- Clean washed stone ordered — not gravel with fines.
- Fabric enough to line the trench and fold over the top.
- Holes down in the pipe; a cleanout at the high end for long runs.
01No outlet
Water collects in the stone and stays there.
Instead — Daylight, an emitter, a dry well or a sump.
02Gravel with fines
The fines fill the voids and the drain silts up.
Instead — Clean #57 stone.
03No fabric
Soil washes into the stone in a few seasons.
Instead — Fabric lining the trench and folded over.
04Downspouts into it
A flood the perforated pipe cannot take.
Instead — Downspouts in their own solid pipe.
05Flat pipe
Water sits in it and sediment settles.
Instead — At least 1% fall, checked every few feet.
06Drain tile without a backup pump
The storm that fills it is the one that cuts the power.
Instead — A battery-backup sump pump.
- 01Find where the water is and where it can goThe wet spot, and a lower point, a dry-well site or a sump location. No outlet, no drain.
- 02Measure the runFrom the high end to the outlet, along the route the trench will take.
- 03Check the fallAt least an eighth of an inch a foot; a string line and level show whether the ground gives it.
- 04Pick the depth and pipe18 to 24 in in a yard; down to the footing for a foundation. Corrugated for short runs, rigid PVC for long ones.
- 05Order the stoneClean #57 by the ton — the calculator gives the range.
- 06Call 811Utilities cross yards at trench depth.
The gravel calculator gives clean stone by the ton for any trench, bed or base, with the same density range.
The stone on its own- French drain
- A trench lined with filter fabric, filled with clean stone round a perforated pipe, that collects ground water and carries it downhill to an outlet.
- Curtain drain
- A French drain dug across a slope uphill of what it protects, to intercept water before it arrives.
- Footing drain
- A perforated pipe in stone at the base of a foundation, outside. The code's foundation drainage.
- Drain tile
- The same pipe inside a basement, under the slab along the walls, running to a sump. Named after the clay tiles it replaced.
- #57 stone
- Clean crushed stone about ¾ to 1 in, with no fines. The standard drain stone because water moves freely through it.
- Filter fabric
- Non-woven geotextile that lets water through and keeps soil out of the stone.
- Pop-up emitter
- A buried outlet whose lid lifts to release water and drops shut when it stops.
- Dry well
- A buried perforated tank or stone pit that stores the water and lets it soak into the ground.
- Sump pump
- A pump in a basin at the low point that lifts collected water out of the house.
- Daylight
- Running the pipe out to lower ground, where the water leaves by gravity.
- Slope
- The fall the pipe needs: at least 1%, an eighth of an inch per foot.
Common questions
- How much does a French drain cost?
- About $1,720 for a 60 ft yard drain, 24 in deep — $28.67 a foot: $1,200 of digging and laying, 4.7 to 5.5 tons of clean stone ($230), pipe, filter fabric, and a pop-up emitter. Run to daylight instead it is $1,570; 100 ft of rigid pipe to a dry well $3,864.
- How much does a French drain cost per foot?
- $28.67 a foot for a yard drain with an emitter, about $20 of it digging. An exterior footing drain is about $101.69 a foot because the trench goes down to the footing; interior basement drain tile $82.59, with the slab cut and patched and a sump pump.
- How much gravel do I need for a French drain?
- For a 60 ft trench 12 in wide with 20 in of stone, about 3.79 cubic yards — 4.7 to 5.5 tons of clean #57 stone, because stone's weight per yard is a range and it settles about 8%. Clean stone only; gravel with fines silts the drain.
- How much does basement drain tile cost?
- About $9,910 for 120 ft along the basement walls — the slab cut and broken out, a pipe in stone, new concrete over it — with a sump basin and pump ($1,000). It catches water coming through and under the wall and pumps it out; a battery-backup pump is worth adding.
- How much does an exterior foundation drain cost?
- About $12,203 for 120 ft, most of it the excavation down the side of the house to the footing — with the wall damp-proofed while it is open ($720), which is the cheapest it will ever be.
- Where does a French drain drain to?
- Somewhere lower. To daylight, if the lot falls away; to a pop-up emitter in the lawn ($150); to a dry well that soaks it away ($1,000); or to a sump pump. Many towns forbid tying into the sewer. A drain with nowhere to go is a buried pond.
- Can I install a French drain myself?
- Yes, a yard drain: about $660 for 60 ft — stone, pipe, fabric, an emitter and a trencher for the day (about $200). Call 811 first, set the fall with a string line, holes down in the pipe, fabric wrapped over the stone.
- Corrugated or PVC pipe?
- Corrugated pipe with a sock ($1.1 a foot) is cheap and easy for short runs. Rigid perforated PVC ($2.5) holds its slope over long runs and can be flushed through a cleanout when it silts.
- Should downspouts go into the French drain?
- No. Roof water arrives in a flood the perforated pipe cannot carry, and it floods the drain from the inside. Downspouts go in their own solid pipe to their own outlet.
- How long does a French drain last?
- Thirty years or more when it has clean stone and fabric and an outlet that stays clear; five to ten when it was built with dirty gravel and no fabric and silts up.
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About the author
Pablo Ruiz Quintero — Editor
Editor of MaterialsEstimator. Decides which documents count as a source, what every default value is, and where the line sits between what the reader parses and what the engines compute.
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