Underground Downspout & Gutter Drain Installation in Shreveport, LA
Water pooling around the house after every rain. Flowerbeds that flood. A wet strip along the foundation that never dries. On most Shreveport houses that water is coming off the roof: the gutters collect it and the downspouts dump it right next to the slab, onto clay that will not soak it up. We bury downspouts and install underground gutter drains in Shreveport and Bossier City: solid pipe from each downspout to an outlet away from the house, so the roof water leaves the yard instead of sitting against it. Usually one day, $500 to $2,500 for a house. Call (318) 216-6513 for a free look and a written price.
Why the roof is most of the problem
A roof is a big flat collector. On a typical Shreveport house a hard rain sends hundreds of gallons down the gutters in an hour, and every downspout drops its share within a foot or two of the foundation. The splash block moves it a couple of feet. A short plastic extension moves it a couple more. Either way the water lands on flat clay that takes in almost nothing, and it sits there, against the house, in the beds, and eventually under the slab or into the crawl space.
That is why piping the downspouts away is usually the first thing we do on a wet house, before anyone talks about a French drain. Take the roof water out of the yard and half the drainage problems on the lot disappear with it. The ones that are left are smaller and cheaper to fix.
How we bury downspouts
Pick the outlet. A ditch, the street drain where the city allows it, a dry well, a low corner of the lot, or a pop-up emitter in the lawn that releases the water at the surface well away from the house. This is decided first, because pipe with nowhere to go is a buried bucket.
Cut the trenches. From each downspout, below the surface, with a steady fall toward the outlet. On clay the fall matters more than the depth.
Lay solid pipe. Smooth-wall solid pipe, not the corrugated kind that crushes and silts up, and not perforated pipe, because roof water carries grit and leaves. A cleanout at the top of each run so it can be flushed.
Connect the downspouts. An adapter at the bottom of each downspout feeds the pipe. A leaf filter where the gutters get a lot of tree debris.
Finish the outlet and put the lawn back. The pipe ends at a grate, an emitter or an open outfall, and the trench is filled and the sod or beds put back on top.
Most houses are one day. If a French drain or a catch basin is going in at the same time, the downspout lines usually share its outlet, and it is all one visit.
What it costs to bury downspouts in Shreveport
Usually $500 to $2,500 for a house. What moves the number is how many downspouts there are, how far the pipe has to run to reach an outlet, and what it has to go under: a lawn is cheap, a driveway or a patio is not. One or two downspouts piped to a nearby ditch is at the bottom of the range; six downspouts run to the street under a drive is at the top. If a French drain or catch basin is going in at the same time, the shared trench and outlet bring the downspout part down. Every price on the site is on the Shreveport drainage cost page.
Prices on this page are estimates from previous work. We cannot quote an exact price. The actual cost can be lower or higher depending on the job. The person who knows is the professional who will do the work. You get a written quote after we see the house.
Gutter drains that have stopped working
If your downspouts were buried years ago and water is coming back up at the house, the line has clogged with leaves and grit, separated at a joint, or been crushed. We camera the line, jet it if it is blocked, and replace the bad section if it is broken. That is on the drainage repair page. If the gutters themselves are the problem, overflowing, sagging, pulling away from the fascia, that is a gutter contractor's job and we will say so.
How to get started
Call (318) 216-6513 and tell us how many downspouts the house has and where the water ends up. We book the visit, find the outlet, and give you a written price. If you would rather write, use the contact page.
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Downspout drainage questions
How much does it cost to bury downspouts in Shreveport?
Usually $500 to $2,500 for a house, depending on how many downspouts there are, how far the pipe has to run to reach an outlet, and what it has to go under. One or two downspouts piped to a nearby ditch is at the bottom of that range; six downspouts run to the street across a driveway is at the top. You get a written price after someone has walked round the house.
Where does the water go when downspouts are buried?
Through solid pipe to an outlet away from the house: a ditch, the street drain where the city allows it, a dry well, a low corner of the lot, or a pop-up emitter in the lawn that lets the water out at the surface well away from the foundation. We pick the outlet before any pipe goes in.
Is it worth burying downspouts?
On most Shreveport houses, yes, and it is often the first thing to do. A roof puts hundreds of gallons at the foundation in one storm, and the splash blocks and short extensions leave it within a few feet of the house on clay that will not soak it up. Piping it away fixes the wet strip along the house and the flooded beds, and it takes the roof water out of the yard before any other drain has to deal with it.
Can you connect downspouts to a French drain?
Downspouts go in solid pipe, not into the perforated French drain pipe, because roof water carries grit that would clog the drain. The two lines can share the same outlet, and often do, but they run separately to it.
How long does downspout drainage installation take?
Most houses are one day. Trenches are cut, pipe laid with a fall, downspouts connected, the outlet finished, and the lawn or beds put back on top.
Do you bury downspouts in Bossier City?
Yes. Shreveport, Bossier City, Haughton, Benton, Blanchard, Greenwood, Stonewall and Keithville. Call (318) 216-6513.
Ready to get the roof water away from the house?
Call (318) 216-6513 for a free look. Written price, no obligation.