What drainage work costs here, and why
Tallahassee Yard Drainage's Guide to French Drain Cost in Tallahassee
The per-foot price, the whole-job price, and the handful of things that decide where your job lands in the range.
- Tallahassee, Bradfordville and Crawfordville
- Written price before any digging
- Licensed, insured local contractors
- Priced for Red Hills clay and karst sand
Tallahassee Yard Drainage publishes typical prices because the question everyone asks first is the one most local contractors will not answer online. Below are the ranges for French drains and the other common drainage jobs in Tallahassee, what goes into them, and what makes a quote go up. The ranges match every service page on this site.
The cheapest French drain quote is often the one without filter fabric or a real outlet, and that $2,000 saving is gone the day the drain silts up and a $4,000 rebuild is the only way to fix it.
$30 to $65 per foot, most French drains $2,500 to $9,000
A French drain in Tallahassee typically costs $30 to $65 per linear foot installed. Most residential runs are 60 to 150 feet, so most jobs land between about $2,500 and $9,000. These are typical ranges for the work, not quotes; your price is confirmed in writing before any digging.
Get a price: (850) 604-5871Typical prices for drainage work in Tallahassee
- French drain installation: $30 to $65 per foot, most runs $2,500 to $9,000
- French drain repair: $250 to $650 to diagnose and jet, $1,200 to $4,000 to rebuild a section
- Downspout drainage: $400 to $1,200 per downspout, $1,600 to $4,800 for a whole house
- Pop-up emitters: $200 to $500 each
- Yard grading: $1,500 to $6,000
- Drainage swale: $1,500 to $5,000
- Catch basin: $800 to $2,000 per basin, $2,500 to $6,000 for a system
- Dry well: $1,500 to $4,500
- Dry creek bed: $1,500 to $6,000
- Channel drain: $60 to $150 per foot, most $1,200 to $4,500
- Foundation drainage: $3,000 to $12,000
- Yard sump pump: $1,500 to $4,000
- Erosion control: $1,000 to $7,500
- Standing water fixes: $1,500 to $8,000
- Clay soil drainage: $2,500 to $10,000
- Crawl space drainage: $2,500 to $8,000
- Patio drainage: $1,000 to $4,500
- Pool deck drainage: $1,200 to $5,000
- Retaining wall drainage: $1,500 to $6,000
- Driveway drainage: $1,500 to $6,000
Most real jobs combine two or three of these. A common Tallahassee job is four downspouts piped underground plus a 70-foot French drain along a side yard, which would typically land somewhere around $4,000 to $9,000 in total.
What you are paying for in a French drain
Materials are the smaller share. Washed stone, non-woven filter fabric and perforated pipe for a 100-foot run cost a few hundred dollars to perhaps a thousand, depending on trench size and pipe type. The larger share is labor and equipment: cutting and saving sod, digging a trench to a steady fall, hand-digging near roots and foundations, bedding the pipe, testing it, backfilling, restoring the lawn and hauling away spoil.
That is why the per-foot price varies so much, and why the French drain installation page quotes a range rather than a number. A straight run across open lawn a small excavator can reach sits near $30 a foot. A deep curtain drain along a house wall, dug by hand between beds and under oaks, sits near $65.
Not sure which of these your yard needs? Describe it on the phone and get a straight answer.
Call (850) 604-5871The six things that move the price
Length
Most drainage is priced by the foot, so the run length is the first number. It is also the one most affected by the outlet: a drain that has to travel an extra 60 feet to reach somewhere legal costs more than one that can daylight nearby.
Depth
A shallow drain for a soggy lawn is twelve to eighteen inches deep. A curtain drain protecting a foundation can be two to three feet. Deeper trenches move more soil and take more stone.
Access
A mini excavator through a gate is fast. Hand-digging behind a pool, through a narrow side yard or under a live oak's root zone is slow.
Soil and roots
Red Hills clay subsoil is dense and sticky to dig. Roots slow everything. Rock is rare near Tallahassee but not unknown south of town, where limestone can sit close to the surface.
Restoration
Replacing sod, patching a sidewalk or driveway crossing, and hauling spoil all cost money. Some quotes include them and some do not.
Permits
A drain that ties into a street, curb or ditch in the right of way needs a City of Tallahassee, Leon County or Wakulla County permit, and the time to get it.
What makes a quote go up
Any of the following usually pushes a French drain toward the top of the range or past it: a concrete or paver crossing, a very long run to reach a legal outlet, a trench along a house wall that has to be hand-dug, heavy root zones, a need for a sump pump because the lot has no downhill, and right-of-way work. Around Bradfordville, large rolling lots often mean longer outlet runs than in-town lots.
Want a number for your yard?
Call with where the water sits and roughly how long the run would be. You will get a realistic range before anyone visits.
Call (850) 604-5871Cheap quotes and what they leave out
A quote well below the range usually leaves something out. Check for these before comparing prices: filter fabric around the stone, rigid pipe rather than thin corrugated coil, a cleanout at the high end, a stated outlet location, sod restoration, spoil removal, the Sunshine 811 locate and any permit. A drain missing the fabric and the outlet is not a cheaper version of the same thing. It is a different thing that stops working sooner.
How to get an accurate price
Photos during or just after rain, a rough sketch of where water collects and where downspouts discharge, and your address are enough for a ballpark on the phone. An accurate price needs a site visit, ideally after rain, and should arrive in writing with the length, depth, materials, outlet and restoration spelled out.
French drain cost questions
How much does a French drain cost in Tallahassee?
Typically $30 to $65 per linear foot installed. Most residential runs of 60 to 150 feet cost about $2,500 to $9,000.
How much does a French drain cost per foot?
About $30 a foot for a straight, shallow run across open lawn up to about $65 a foot for a deep, hand-dug curtain drain along a house.
Why do French drain quotes vary so much?
Length, depth, access, soil and roots, restoration and permits all move the price, and some cheap quotes leave out fabric, a real outlet or sod restoration.
Is a French drain worth the cost?
When water is moving through the soil or keeping it soggy, yes. When the problem is roof water or surface flow, downspout piping or regrading is usually cheaper and just as effective.
What is the cheapest way to fix yard drainage?
Often piping the downspouts, from about $400 each, or regrading a problem area. Both should be ruled out before paying for a French drain.
What are the signs I need a French drain rather than something cheaper?
Ground that stays spongy for days, water seeping from a slope, and water reaching the house through the soil on the uphill side.
Talk it through before anyone digs
Describe where the water sits and where it comes from. You will hear which fix fits the yard, what it usually costs, and whether you need one at all.
Call (850) 604-5871