Keeping water away from the slab and the crawlspace
Tallahassee Yard Drainage Foundation Drainage in Tallahassee
The house is the one thing in the yard that must stay dry. Foundation drainage moves water away from it before it can soak the soil the slab rests on.
- Tallahassee, Bradfordville and Crawfordville
- Written price before any digging
- Licensed, insured local contractors
- Priced for Red Hills clay and karst sand
Tallahassee Yard Drainage arranges foundation drainage for Tallahassee homes where water is collecting against the house, soaking the soil under the slab or showing up in the crawlspace or garage. Around a foundation the goal is simple: water should arrive at the house only as rain on the roof, and leave it immediately through gutters, grading and pipe.
Moving water away from a foundation usually costs $3,000 to $12,000; letting clay subsoil under a slab swell and shrink with every wet and dry season is how houses end up needing $20,000 or more in foundation stabilization.
$3,000 to $12,000 for most homes
Foundation drainage in Tallahassee typically runs $3,000 to $12,000, depending on how many sides of the house need work and which methods are combined. Correcting grade and piping downspouts sits at the low end. A deep curtain drain along the uphill wall, with a solid outlet line to daylight, sits at the high end.
Get a price: (850) 604-5871Signs water is getting to the foundation
- Soil along the house stays wet or muddy long after the rest of the yard dries
- Water pools against the slab or the garage door after rain
- Damp or musty smell in a crawlspace, standing water under the house
- New cracks in brick veneer, drywall corners or tile, or doors that start sticking
- Mulch beds piled higher than the slab edge, sloping toward the house
- Efflorescence, the white powdery deposit, on block or brick near the ground
The three layers of foundation drainage
Roof water
A typical Tallahassee roof sheds thousands of gallons in a summer storm. Every downspout that discharges within a few feet of the house is pouring that water straight into the soil beside the foundation. Piping them underground to an outlet well away from the house is usually the first and cheapest step. See downspout drainage.
Surface grade
The ground should fall away from the house, ideally about six inches over the first ten feet. Years of mulch, settled backfill and a patio poured at the wrong pitch reverse that. Restoring grade often removes most of the problem on its own.
Subsurface water
On hillside lots, water travels along the top of the clay-enriched subsoil and reaches the uphill wall of the house underground. That is the case for a curtain drain: a deep French drain across the uphill side that intercepts the water before it arrives and carries it around the house to an outlet.
Clay under a slab
The subsoil in the Red Hills contains enough clay to change volume as it wets and dries. A slab that sits on soil that is soaked on one side and dry on the other is being pushed unevenly. That is why cracked brick and sticking doors so often appear on the same side of the house as the soggy flower bed. Consistent moisture around the whole foundation, achieved by moving water away evenly, matters as much as keeping it dry.
Drainage work is not foundation repair. If the house has already moved, a structural engineer should look at it. Drainage is what stops the cause.
Not sure which of these your yard needs? Describe it on the phone and get a straight answer.
Call (850) 604-5871Crawlspace homes in older neighborhoods
Older houses in neighborhoods like Myers Park, Los Robles and Waverly Hills often sit on crawlspaces with block piers. Water that runs under the house evaporates into the framing and feeds rot, mold and termites. The fix is usually the same outside work plus, where water has nowhere else to go, an interior perimeter drain and pump. See crawl space drainage.
Doing it without making it someone else's problem
Water moved away from your foundation has to end somewhere. Florida's reasonable-use rule for surface water means you can protect your house but cannot unreasonably dump that water onto a neighbor. Outlets into a street or ditch in the right of way need a permit. A good foundation drainage design names its outlet on paper before anyone digs.
Water against the slab after every rain?
That is the drainage problem that should not wait for a dry month. Call and describe which side of the house it collects on.
Call (850) 604-5871Questions people ask
How much does foundation drainage cost in Tallahassee?
Typically $3,000 to $12,000. Grade correction and downspout piping sit at the low end; a deep curtain drain along the uphill wall with a solid outlet line sits at the high end.
How do I stop water pooling against my foundation?
Start with the roof water: pipe downspouts at least ten feet away. Then restore the grade so the soil falls away from the house. If water still arrives underground on the uphill side, add a curtain drain.
What are the signs of foundation drainage problems?
Soil that stays wet against the house, water at the slab or garage door, a musty or wet crawlspace, new cracks in brick or drywall, sticking doors, and white efflorescence on block.
Is a French drain around the house a good idea?
On the uphill side of a hillside lot, often yes. Around the whole house it is often unnecessary if the grading and downspouts are right, and it costs considerably more.
Will foundation drainage fix cracks in my house?
No. It removes the water that causes movement. If the house has already moved, have a structural engineer assess it.
How far should water drain away from a house?
The ground should drop about six inches over the first ten feet, and downspouts should release at least ten feet from the foundation.
Often done together
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Downspout drainage
Every downspout that dumps beside the slab is pouring a roof's worth of rain into the soil your foundation sits on. This is usually the cheapest fix on the list.
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Crawl space drainage
Water under a house evaporates up into the floor framing. The fix almost always starts outside, and only sometimes needs a drain and pump underneath.
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Yard grading
The cheapest drain is the one you never have to bury. Regrading reshapes the surface so rain runs away from the house and off the lot the way it should have from the start.
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