A French drain is a drainage system that uses gravity to drain water and because basic French drain cost is a relatively minimal compared to other more complicated yard drainage solutions a lot of homebuilders favor its use. Not to mention the fact that a French drain is easily set up and makes use of materials common to any hardware store. In fact some homeowners may have a built in French drainage systems without them even knowing it. What is a French Drain? A French drain is a drainage system that makes use of a trench, slightly sloped downwards, about one (1) inch for every eight (8) feet, away from an area that is usually saturated with subsurface water.  It makes use of a shallow trench, about two and a half (2.5) feet deep and one and a half (1.5) inches wide.

Basic French Drain Cost

French drain cost for installation is not much because it only makes use of gravel and pipes and/or tube made of steel, clay or Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC) material which is then perforated at one end and laid over the trench with the holes facing down.  The gravel is poured into the hole to secure the pipes. A French drain works by providing an avenue for subsurface water to drain away and creep into a less saturated area. The perforated pipes provide a line for the water to traverse and the perforations are laid with holes downward to ensure that they are not clogged by debris. French drain cost can be even lower if the set up is properly planned to minimize the trench to be dug and especially if the homeowner/builder is willing to dig the trench manually. Taking into consideration the cost of PVC pipes and gravel, French drain cost can mean ten dollars ($10.00) to twenty dollars ($20.00) per linear foot. However, French drain cost increases substantially if a French drain is installed to draw water out of basements installed deeper underground, since the trench has to be dug deeper, PVC and/or pipes laid will be longer and in some cases water has to be drawn out which means the installation of a water basin and the use and installation of a sump pump to draw water out.

French Drain Cost for Basement Installation

This type of installation would include the basic cost for pipes and gravel for the entire circumference of the basement; plus the cost of a basin to catch the water which is roughly five thousand dollars ($5,000.00) to twenty thousand dollars ($20,000.00); and around two hundred dollars ($200.00) to five hundred dollars ($500.00) cost for the sump pump that will suck out the water from the basin out of the basement and into the French drain; in some cases a crawl space also has to be installed. Obviously the cost of French drain of this type would be more and most likely would require the use of a professional to construct, set up and install.  French drain cost is relatively cheap, what makes it expensive is the use of accessories, accession, motors and/or basins to aid in the capture and collection of water.

In Closing a thrifty homeowner/builder may consider DIY French drain to lower overall French drain cost if this only involves yard French drains which require minimum amount of digging and little or no accessories, accessions and or motorized installations. The homeowner/builder only needs to purchase relatively cheap and common hardware material, and a simple manual on how to install French drain. However basement installation and other more complex French drain installation require professional advice and/or intervention which will drive up French drain cost.

If you require more information, please visit the following sites that are authorities in this topic…

yard drainage solutions
basement insulation. office of building technology state and …