French Drain Installation in Shreveport, LA
Need to install a French drain? We are the local French drain installers for Shreveport and Bossier City. A French drain is a trench filled with gravel with a perforated pipe at the bottom, wrapped in fabric, that collects water from a wet lawn or from along the foundation and carries it to an outlet. It is the standard fix for a Shreveport yard that stays wet for days after rain, because the clay here does not soak water up and the lots are too flat for it to run off. Installation is usually one to two days and $1,500 to $6,000, with the outlet planned before the first shovel goes in. Call (318) 216-6513 for a free on-site look and a written price.
When a French drain is the right fix
A French drain is for water that is spread out: a lawn that squelches for days, a side yard that stays muddy, a bed along the house that never dries, water seeping into a crawl space from the sides. It collects water along its whole length and moves it sideways to somewhere it can leave.
It is not the right fix for everything. Water that pools at one low spot is usually a job for a catch basin. Water that lands at the foundation because the gutters dump it there is a downspout drainage job. Water in a crawl space or low corner with no downhill path at all needs a sump pump, because a French drain has to run downhill to work. Most yards we see need a French drain plus one of those, and the on-site look is where that gets decided.
The one thing every French drain needs is an outlet: a ditch, the street drain, a dry well, or a low point on the lot away from the house. In Shreveport clay a drain with no outlet does not drain; it stores water underground and lets it back out slowly. If your lot has no place for the water to go, we will tell you that on the visit and quote a pump instead.
How we install a French drain
Find the outlet first. We check the levels across the yard and pick the point the water will leave from. Everything else is laid out to fall toward it.
Cut the trench. Usually 12 to 24 inches deep and 6 to 12 inches wide, running through the wet area and along the foundation where needed, with a steady fall toward the outlet.
Line it with fabric. Filter fabric goes in the trench before anything else. Without it, the clay and silt here work into the gravel within a few years and the drain clogs. This is the step cheap installs skip.
Gravel, pipe, more gravel. Clean washed gravel on the bottom, perforated pipe on top of it with the holes facing down, then gravel over the pipe. The fabric is folded closed over the top.
Connect the outlet and tie in the downspouts. The pipe runs solid, not perforated, from the end of the drain to the outlet. Downspouts near the drain are usually connected into the same line.
Put the lawn back. Soil and sod over the trench. After a few weeks of growth you should not be able to see where it ran.
Most residential French drains are one to two days of work. A foundation perimeter or a whole-yard system with several runs can take longer.
What French drain installation costs in Shreveport
Most residential French drains in Shreveport run $1,500 to $6,000 for a 30 to 100 foot run. What moves the price is the length of the run, how deep the trench has to be to get the fall right, how far away the outlet is, and what is in the way: tree roots, a slab, a fence line, a driveway to go under. A foundation perimeter with downspouts tied in is more than a single run across the lawn. A whole-yard system with several drains and a catch basin is priced as yard drainage.
See the French drain cost guide for how the number breaks down, and the Shreveport drainage cost page for every service.
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.
Why French drains fail, and how ours are built not to
Almost every failed French drain we dig up in Shreveport failed for one of three reasons. No fabric, so the gravel filled with clay and the pipe sits in mud. No fall, so the water sat in the pipe instead of moving. Or no real outlet, so the drain filled up in the first storm and stayed full. None of those is a French drain problem; they are shortcuts. Fabric, a measured fall, and an outlet that is chosen before the trench is cut are what make the drain last twenty years instead of two.
If you already have a French drain that has stopped working, that is a drainage repair job: we camera the line, jet it if it is clogged, and replace it if it was never going to work.
How to get started
Call (318) 216-6513 and tell us where the water sits and how long it stays after rain. We book a visit, walk the yard, and give you a written quote that says where the drain runs, where it comes out, and what it costs. If you would rather write, use the contact page.
Related services
- Yard Drainage Solutions in Shreveport, LA
- Catch Basins & Channel Drains in Shreveport, LA
- Downspout & Gutter Drainage in Shreveport, LA
- Foundation Drainage & Waterproofing in Shreveport, LA
- Sump Pump Installation in Shreveport, LA
- Drainage System Repair in Shreveport, LA
- Drainage in Bossier City, LA
French drain questions
How much does French drain installation cost in Shreveport?
Most residential French drains in Shreveport run $1,500 to $6,000 for a 30 to 100 foot run. Length, trench depth, distance to the outlet and obstacles like roots, slabs and driveways move the price. You get a written quote after someone has walked the yard.
How long does a French drain take to install?
A typical residential run is one to two days: trench, gravel, pipe, fabric, outlet, and the lawn put back on top. Longer runs, foundation perimeters and jobs that need a pump take longer.
How long does a French drain last?
Twenty to thirty years or more when it is built with fabric-wrapped pipe, clean gravel and a proper outlet. The ones that fail early were built without fabric, so clay and silt filled the gravel, or had no working outlet to begin with.
Can a French drain go along the foundation?
Yes, and it is one of the most common jobs here: a trench along the wet side of the house, below the level where water collects, carrying it to an outlet away from the slab. Downspouts are usually tied into the same line so roof water stops landing at the foundation.
Do I need a permit for a French drain?
Not for a drain inside your own lot in most cases. If the outlet connects to the street drain or the city storm system there are rules on where the water can be discharged, and we take care of that.
Who installs French drains near me in Shreveport?
We do: Shreveport, Bossier City, Haughton, Benton, Blanchard, Greenwood, Stonewall and Keithville. Call (318) 216-6513, describe where the water sits, and we book the on-site look.
Ready to install a French drain in Shreveport?
Call (318) 216-6513 for a free on-site look at the yard. Written quote, no obligation.