Buried downspout lines
Each downspout drops into a buried solid pipe that runs out to a pop-up emitter in the lawn, so roof water comes up well away from the foundation. No extensions to trip over or mow around.
French drains & downspout drainage in Belleville, MI
Downspouts dumping against the foundation, extensions lying across the lawn, a side yard that never dries out. We get the water into a pipe and out to somewhere it can actually go.
- The owner is on every job, start to finish
- Everything we cut or pull gets hauled away
- Written quote before a shovel goes in
- You approve the work before you pay
01 What’s included
Which fix does your yard need?
Most wet yards come down to one of two sources: roof water coming off the downspouts, or groundwater with nowhere to go. They get fixed differently, and plenty of yards only need the first one.
French drains
For ground that stays wet: a trench lined with filter fabric, filled with washed stone, with 4″ perforated pipe pitched to daylight. It collects the water underground and carries it out.
Low spots
Sometimes the problem is a dip that holds water. Grading out low spots can be part of the fix, or its own small job.
Signs the water needs somewhere to go
- Water standing in the yard a day or more after it rains
- Downspouts emptying right at the foundation
- Extensions or splash blocks that get knocked loose or mowed over
- Mulch or soil washing out below a downspout
- A side yard or strip along the house that stays soggy
- Ice sheets on walks and drives below downspouts in winter
- 1Sod: cut and set aside where it can be saved, then laid back over the trench.
- 2Backfill: soil topped off so the trench sits flush once it settles.
- 3Filter fabric: lines the trench and folds over the top so silt stays out of the stone and pipe.
- 4Washed stone: gives the water an easy path down to the pipe.
- 54″ perforated pipe: pitched the whole way to daylight, so it drains instead of holding water.
- 6Groundwater: seeps into the trench from the wet soil on both sides and gets carried out.
02 Process
How a drainage install goes
01
Show us the water
Photos or video taken during or right after a storm are worth more than anything else. They show where the water comes from and where it sits.
02
Walkthrough and a written quote
We walk the grade, find where the water can go, and put the route, the materials, and the price in writing.
03
MISS DIG, then dig
A MISS DIG 811 ticket goes in before any digging, and we wait out the required period so gas, electric, water, and communications lines get marked.
04
Pipe in, trench closed
Sod is cut and set aside where it can be saved. The line goes in with fall the whole way, the trench is backfilled and topped, and the spoil is hauled off.
05
Walkthrough
We walk the finished work with you, and you approve it before you pay.
03 Pricing
What this usually costs
Every property is different, but most people want a ballpark before they call. Here’s where these jobs typically land.
Downspout extensionBuried solid line from one downspout out to a pop-up emitter
from $300 each
French drainPriced by the foot based on depth, access, and where the outlet goes
$1,200 – $4,500
These are typical ranges, not a quote. The only number that counts is the written one you get after the walkthrough — and that one doesn’t change unless you change the scope.
04 Job log
More from the Canton job
The third downspout on the same house. Tap any photo to see it full size.
Driveway-side downspout run underground
05 Questions
Drainage questions we get every week
How much does a French drain cost in Belleville?
Most residential French drains run between $1,200 and $4,500. Price comes down to trench length, how deep the pipe has to sit to keep fall, whether a machine can reach the area or it has to be dug by hand, and how far the water has to travel to reach a legal outlet. A short run along one side of a house is a very different job than a 100-foot line across a fenced back yard.
How much do buried downspout extensions cost?
They start at $300 per downspout for a buried solid line out to a pop-up emitter. Longer runs, or pulling out an old buried line first, add to it.
What’s the difference between a French drain and a downspout extension?
A downspout extension carries roof water in a solid pipe from the gutter to an outlet. A French drain uses perforated pipe in a stone-filled trench to collect water that’s already in the ground and move it out. Plenty of yards only need the downspouts handled; some need both.
Where does the water go?
Somewhere lower than where it started, where it can drain away without causing a new problem: usually a pop-up emitter out in the lawn, or a daylight outlet at a lower spot. The outlet is worked out at the walkthrough, before we quote.
Is my lawn going to be destroyed by a drain install?
There will be a visible trench line for a few weeks, and we won’t pretend otherwise. Sod is cut and set aside where it can be saved, spoil is hauled off instead of spread around, and the trench is backfilled and topped so it sits flush once it settles. By the next mowing season you generally can’t tell where it ran.
Do you call MISS DIG before digging?
Always. A MISS DIG 811 locate ticket is filed on every excavation and we wait out the required period before breaking ground so gas, electric, water, and communications get marked first. It’s the law in Michigan and it’s the difference between a routine day and a very expensive one.
06 Service area
Serving Belleville and the surrounding communities
If your property sits just outside the list, call anyway — larger projects are often worth the drive.
- Belleville
- Van Buren Twp.
- Sumpter Twp.
- Willis
- Whittaker
- Huron Twp.
- New Boston
- Exeter Twp.
- Maybee
- Carleton
- Romulus
- Ypsilanti
- Milan
- Flat Rock
- Brownstown Twp.
- Canton
07 Other services
Most yards need more than one thing
Rather than send you to three different contractors, we do the removal, the hauling, the planting, and the water work in one visit.
08 Free quote
Tell us what you’re looking at
Call, text a couple of photos, or fill in the quote form. Estimates are free and there’s no pressure to book.