A French drain in the Birmingham area typically costs $10 to $35 per linear foot installed in the yard, or $500 to $8,800 for most yard and curtain drains, while an interior basement French drain runs $40 to $85 per foot or $4,000 to $17,000, according to HomeGuide's February 2026 French drain cost guide. A French drain is a sloped, gravel filled trench with a perforated pipe that collects water moving through the soil and carries it to a safe outlet, which makes it the usual fix for a yard that stays soggy for days after rain. BDry Alabama plans the placement, depth, slope and outlet, and a free inspection sets the exact price.
We install French drains for homeowners in Birmingham, Hoover, and the surrounding towns. Reach out for local pricing and a free estimate.
Birmingham's housing is old by Alabama standards: Census ACS 2023 estimates put the median home at 1965, with about 42 percent of the city's 108,903 housing units built before 1960. The typical Birmingham home dates to around 1965 per Census data, roughly 61 years of Alabama weather and daily use. Call (205) 942-1976 or book a free estimate for Birmingham pricing. More on Birmingham
Hoover is a newer suburb: Census ACS 2023 estimates put its median home at 1994 across 39,090 housing units, with about 71 percent owner occupied. The typical Hoover home dates to around 1994 per Census data, roughly 32 years of Alabama weather and daily use. Call (205) 942-1976 or book a free estimate for Hoover pricing. More on Hoover
BDry Alabama handles French drains in all 28 of these cities and the towns around them. Linked cities have their own local page. See every service area.
These are typical installed ranges from HomeGuide's February 2026 national French drain guide, not quotes. Length, depth, the outlet and what sits in the drain's path set your price, and it comes from a free inspection.
| French drain type | Typical installed range |
|---|---|
| Surface level French drain in the yard | $10 to $30 per linear foot |
| Curtain drain, 2 feet or deeper | $1,500 to $8,800 |
| 100 foot yard French drain | $1,000 to $3,500 |
| Exterior footing drain, per side of house | $1,200 to $4,500 |
| Interior crawl space French drain | $2,000 to $8,000 |
| Interior basement perimeter French drain | $4,000 to $17,000 |
| French drain cleaning | $80 to $500 |
Figures are typical ranges and vary by project. Your free estimate is exact.
BDry Alabama measures your project and gives you a clear written estimate at no cost.
We are a local foundation repair and waterproofing contractor and we stand behind every job. You are not handed off to a subcontractor. Every job follows the same disciplined process:
A French drain earns its keep in late winter. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Birmingham airport station put 14.85 inches of rain on December through February and 5.66 inches on March, the wettest month, and cool weather keeps the ground from drying out between storms. Clay subsoil holds that water like a full sponge, so a section of yard can stay soft for days after the sky clears, and water keeps seeping toward the lowest point, often the foundation. A properly sloped drain gives that groundwater a path out of the soil before it pools on top or presses against the house.
A French drain in the Birmingham area typically costs $10 to $35 per linear foot installed in the yard, according to HomeGuide's February 2026 French drain guide. By length, HomeGuide puts a 50 foot yard drain at $500 to $1,800, 100 feet at $1,000 to $3,500 and 200 feet at $2,000 to $7,000. Depth changes the rate: a surface level drain runs $10 to $30 per foot, a curtain drain set 2 feet or deeper $10 to $35, and a deep exterior footing drain beside the foundation $30 to $90. Inside a basement, where the floor has to be cut along the walls, the rate is $40 to $85 per foot. The distance to a safe outlet and anything in the way move the total. BDry Alabama measures the run at a free inspection and gives you one written price.
It is when the water is coming through the soil rather than across it. Signs that point to a French drain: a section of lawn that stays soggy for days after rain, water that shows up near the foundation without visible runoff, a low area that still collects water after grading changes, or wet ground at the base of a slope. If the water is instead running across the surface from a downspout or a neighbor's yard, a grading change, a downspout fix or a surface channel may solve it for less. HomeGuide's February 2026 guide prices a French drain installed in a yard at $10 to $35 per linear foot, against $500 to $5,000 for regrading. French drain installation for a wet yard starts with figuring out which kind of water you have, and that is the first thing the inspection answers.
Where they sit and what they protect. An exterior French drain is buried in the yard or along the outside of the house and catches groundwater before it reaches the foundation; HomeGuide's February 2026 guide puts shallow yard and curtain drains at $10 to $35 per linear foot and a deep footing drain dug down to the foundation at $30 to $90. An interior French drain runs inside the basement or crawl space along the footing, collects water that has already come through the wall or floor, and sends it to a sump pump; HomeGuide puts that at $40 to $85 per foot, or $2,000 to $8,000 in a crawl space and $4,000 to $17,000 in a basement. A wet yard calls for the outside drain. Water on the basement floor usually calls for the inside one, and some homes need both.
HomeGuide's February 2026 French drain guide says most French drains last 30 to 40 years or more when installed correctly, and notes that systems tied to a sump pump typically need service within 10 years. Lifespan depends on what keeps soil and roots out of the pipe: clean gravel, fabric wrapped around the trench, the right pipe, and a correct slope so water never sits. Drains in sandy soil or under heavy vegetation tend to wear out sooner, and soil with iron ochre clogs faster. HomeGuide suggests cleaning at least once a year and prices a cleaning at $80 to $500, depending on how bad the clog is. Keep the outlet clear, avoid parking or heavy equipment over the line, and watch for new wet spots after landscaping changes.
Match the fix to the water. Regrading reshapes the ground so rain runs away from the house; the 2021 International Residential Code, Section R401.3, calls for a fall of at least 6 inches in the first 10 feet, and HomeGuide's February 2026 drainage guide prices regrading at $500 to $5,000. A dry creek bed is an open, stone lined channel that carries surface runoff you can see during a storm and doubles as landscaping. A French drain is buried and handles water moving through the soil, at $10 to $35 per linear foot in the yard per HomeGuide. If the yard slopes toward the house, regrade first. If water rushes across the lawn in a storm, a channel fits. If the ground stays soggy long after the rain, a French drain does. BDry Alabama builds all three and often pairs them.
HomeGuide's February 2026 French drain guide says most French drains should be 12 to 24 inches deep, at least 12 inches wide, and 2 to 5 feet from the foundation, running away from the house on a slope of at least 1 percent, which is 1 foot of fall for every 100 feet. It recommends 2 to 3 inches of gravel under the pipe and about 3 to 4 inches over it, with a 3 to 4 inch pipe suitable for most homes. A curtain drain for groundwater goes 2 feet or deeper, and a footing drain goes down to the foundation. The slope matters more than anything: a drain laid flat or backward just moves the puddle somewhere new. Getting the depth, slope and placement right for how water moves on your lot is the core of the installation plan.
Most do. HomeGuide's February 2026 French drain guide says drains that take in a lot of water at once usually need at least one inlet, and drains that cannot shed water into the soil fast enough as it moves along the pipe need an outlet, which can discharge to daylight at a lower part of the property, to a dry well, to a sump pump, or to a storm drain. In clay, which takes water in slowly, an outlet is usually part of the design. HomeGuide puts a dry well at $50 to $3,000 depending on type and notes it works best in sandy soil, a sump at $500 to $1,800 installed, and permits at $100 to $375, or more if connecting to a public storm drain. The outlet should be chosen so water does not cycle back toward the house or onto a neighbor.
Usually because of how they were built. Soil washes into a trench that was not lined with fabric, roots find a pipe that was not protected, or the line was laid without enough fall and water sits in it and drops its silt. A buried or crushed outlet stops the whole system. HomeGuide's February 2026 guide prices a French drain cleaning at $80 to $500, done with a drain snake and a water flush, and notes that soil containing iron ochre needs more frequent cleaning. Above ground, heavy compaction over the line, mulch or debris piled on the drain area, and landscaping changes that send new runoff into it all shorten its life. BDry Alabama covers exterior French drains for one year; clogs are not covered, since exterior drains need periodic cleaning.
Less than most people expect. A French drain is dug only along the planned drain path and the outlet, not across the whole lawn, and the trench is backfilled and the surface restored when the pipe is in. HomeGuide's February 2026 French drain guide says installation takes 4 hours to 3 or more days depending on the type, length and materials, with a shallow drain in an open yard often done in a day and a deep perimeter drain beside an existing house taking several days because of the excavation. Its guide also notes that utility lines should be marked first by calling 811, and that some installations disturb the lawn enough to need repair. Fences, irrigation and tight side yards add hand work. Ask for the drain path to be marked before digging so you can see exactly where it will run.
Call BDry Alabama at 205 942 1976 or send the form, Monday through Friday from 7 in the morning to 6 in the evening. Tell us where the yard stays wet and for how long after rain, and send photos if you have them. At the visit we look at the soggy areas, the slope, the soil and the runoff paths, decide whether the water is groundwater, surface runoff or both, and mark possible drain paths and outlets. You get the plan and one written price, and if regrading or a downspout change will solve it for less, that is what we recommend. For scale, HomeGuide's February 2026 guide puts a 100 foot yard French drain at $1,000 to $3,500, and financing is available.
The main downsides of a French drain are cost, a dug up strip of lawn, and upkeep, because the pipe can clog and has to be cleaned. HomeGuide's February 2026 French drain guide puts a yard drain at $10 to $35 per linear foot, permits at $100 to $375 in most areas, and a cleaning at $80 to $500 when roots or silt build up. The same guide recommends cleaning at least once a year and notes shorter lifespans in sandy soil or under heavy vegetation. A buried French drain is built mainly for water moving through the soil, so water sheeting across the surface from a slope often needs grading or a swale as well. It also needs somewhere to send the water, such as a slope to daylight, a dry well or a sump. BDry Alabama covers exterior French drains for one year and clogs are excluded, so the fabric, gravel and slope have to be right from the start.
Clear it by flushing and snaking the pipe, and if dirt keeps coming back, rebuild the trench with filter fabric. HomeGuide's February 2026 drainage system guide suggests a simple test: run a garden hose into the drain pipe's opening and watch whether water flows out cleanly at the exit point. Its French drain guide says contractors clear a clogged line with an electric sewer snake and then flush out the remaining debris with water, at $80 to $500 depending on how bad the clog is. A drain that silts up again soon after cleaning usually has a fabric problem. HomeGuide notes that a pipe sock keeps debris out of the pipe but leaves the gravel unprotected, and that covering a French drain with dirt can slow or stop it, so the trench has to be reopened, lined and refilled with clean gravel. BDry Alabama builds its drains with clean gravel and protective fabric for exactly that reason.
BDry Alabama
1490 Valley Drive, Bessemer, AL 35022
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