French Drains

French drains are trenches filled with gravel and a perforated pipe wrapped in cloth. This system filters water and redirects surface moisture away from the house. The French drain is installed up against the foundation of the home, catching all the water attempting to weep through underneath the slab or into the crawl space.

Here is something to consider when deciding whether you need a French drain; for instance, if you have Priority Pest treat your home for termites, the technician sprays pesticides around the perimeter of your house. If there is environmental moisture or standing water sitting up against the foundation of the house, it will quickly dilute the pesticides. That is a waste of the money you spent on treating your home for termites. Also, standing water in a crawl space is another concern that a French drain can prohibit, as the fungus growth, termites, and rotting wood that can come along with water in a crawl space.

We know that each house is different, so the inspectors draw up a customized graph for each home, pointing out the areas of concern where water is, or could be, leaking through the foundation and causing problems under the home.

We take great pride and care in how we dig our french drains. We always have Miss Utility mark the yard for any gas lines, cable, electric and etc. We know some yards have the best grass in the neighborhood, and we don’t want to ruin all your hard work. So when we dig, we lay plastic out next to the trench and pile all the dirt on our tarps, and we cut the sod out carefully before digging the drain trenches and set it aside while working, and replace it when we are done so that when we are done you cannot even tell we were there. We do make a point to leave the dirt with a small hump, a bit higher than the area not dug, so the sod will settle nicely and back to a level normal with the yard.

Have a drainage problem? Maybe you need some French drains installed. Call Priority today for a free home inspection for your drainage problem.