French Drain Cost Estimator
Price a French drain before you call a drainage contractor: pick the drain type, enter the length, and get a realistic installed range. Everything runs in your browser. Nothing is sent anywhere.
A French drain costs $10 to $100 per linear foot installed in 2026, depending on which of the five jobs you mean: a shallow exterior yard drain runs $10 to $35 per foot, an exterior drain excavated to the footing $30 to $90, an interior basement perimeter system $40 to $85 per foot ($4,000 to $17,000 for a full basement including the sump pump), and a crawl space system $20 to $40 per foot. Depth and soil are the biggest cost drivers.
Estimate your French drain cost
Figures current as of October 2026. Sources: HomeGuide and Angi 2026 cost data, contractor-published pricing guides.
How the math worked
This is an estimate for planning only, not a quote. Drainage costs vary widely by soil, access, depth, permits, and how the water exits the property. Always call 811 before digging, and confirm where the water will go before signing a contract.
Learn how French drain costs work
2026 French Drain Costs by Type
Installed cost per linear foot from 2026 contractor-published guides and HomeGuide cost data. Totals assume typical residential lengths.
| Drain type | Cost per linear foot | Typical total | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Curtain / shallow yard drain | $10 to $25 | $1,500 to $8,800 | Intercepting surface water before it reaches the house |
| Exterior shallow drain | $10 to $35 | $500 to $5,300 | Soggy lawns, downspout water, surface pooling |
| Exterior to the footing | $30 to $90 | $1,200 to $4,500 per side | Water against the foundation; the depth is the cost |
| Interior basement perimeter | $40 to $85 | $4,000 to $17,000 | Chronic basement water; includes sump pump |
| Crawl space | $20 to $40 | $2,000 to $8,000 | Damp crawl spaces without breaking a slab |
| Trench / channel drain | $30 to $90 | $2,500 to $8,000 | Driveways and patios; hard-armored grate |
| Sump pump and basin (adder) | $300 to $800 | Per pump | Required with interior systems |
| Landscaping restoration | 15 to 30% of project | Billed separately | Sod, mulch, and paver resets |
| Clay soil adder | +20% | On excavation | Dense soil roughly halves digging speed |
Why one name covers five different jobs
"French drain" is one name for five different jobs, and the price spread from $10 to $100 per foot is not vagueness; it is five different scopes. A shallow curtain drain intercepting surface water is a half-day trench. An interior basement system means breaking the concrete slab, excavating beneath it, installing pipe and gravel, pouring concrete back, and adding a sump pump. Same name, ten times the work.
Depth is the cost. Excavation, hauling, and backfill make up half to two-thirds of a typical quote. Pipe, washed gravel, and filter fabric are the smallest part of the materials bill. That is why clay soil adds about 20 percent (crews move roughly half as many feet per day in clay as in sand) and rocky soil adds more: you are paying for cubic yards of digging, not for pipe.
The outlet decides whether the system works. A French drain needs somewhere to send the water: daylight (a downhill slope), a dry well, or a storm drain tie-in. Free slope costs nothing; building an outlet can cost thousands. Any quote that does not specify the outlet is incomplete. Ask where the water goes, and get it in writing.
Restoration is the forgotten line item. Sod, mulch beds, patios, and fences disturbed by trenching typically cost 15 to 30 percent of the project to restore, and many contractors bill it separately. Budget it from the start so the finished yard does not surprise you.