Yard Drainage & Grading in Minneapolis, MN

Yard drainage and grading protect the one thing almost every Minnesota home has: a basement. French drain installation is among the most searched excavation jobs in the Minneapolis area, and for good reason. When a winter's snow melts against a foundation or a summer storm drops an inch of rain in an hour, water that is not directed away ends up in the basement.

Two seasons of water

The airport averages 51.2 inches of snow a season and 31.6 inches of total precipitation a year. In spring, snowmelt runs over still-frozen ground that cannot absorb it, so grading is the first line of defense. In summer, thunderstorms test every gutter and low spot.

Regrading

Over decades, soil settles against foundations and patios and walks tilt back toward the house. Regrading restores the fall away from the foundation. A common guideline is about six inches of fall over the first ten feet.

French drains and swales

Where water comes from a neighbor's yard or sits in a low spot, a French drain with perforated pipe in clean rock, or a shaped swale, carries it to a legal outlet. In sandy soils water soaks in fast once it gets away from the house; in till and clay it needs a longer route. Discharging onto a neighbor's property or directly into the street may not be allowed, so we plan outlets with your city's rules in mind.

Downspouts

Buried downspout lines carry roof water well away from the house. In Minnesota, lines must be pitched to drain so they do not freeze full of ice.

Cost

HomeGuide lists French drains at $10 to $35 per linear foot, about $1,000 to $3,500 for 100 feet, and backyard regrading at $1,000 to $5,000.

Sandy versus clay lots

In sandy northern suburbs, the fix is often just moving water a few feet away from the house; the soil absorbs it quickly. On loamy till or clay lots, water sits and needs a longer path or a drain. We design for the soil we find.

Window wells and walk-outs

Window wells that fill with water and walkout doors at the bottom of a slope are common leak points. Grading, drain rock and a tie-in to a drain line help.