Fixing standing water in a yard in the Birmingham area typically costs $1,000 to $4,000, with a larger sub surface yard drainage system at $1,200 to $8,000, regrading at $500 to $5,000 and a buried downspout drain at $150 to $350 per downspout, according to HomeGuide's February 2026 drainage system guide. Water that pools in the same spot after every storm is following the shape of the lot, and NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals give the Birmingham airport station 56.62 inches of rain a year to feed it. BDry Alabama installs exterior drainage, grading, French drains, dry creek beds and erosion control, and a free inspection finds where the water comes from and sets the exact price.
We fix standing water and yard drainage problems 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 yard drainage 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 drainage and French drain guides, not quotes. Your exact price depends on where the water comes from, how far it has to travel to a safe outlet, and what is in the way, and it comes from a free inspection.
| Yard drainage fix | Typical installed range |
|---|---|
| Downspout extension, above ground | $5 to $25 each |
| Downspout buried and piped away | $150 to $350 per downspout |
| Regrading around the house | $500 to $5,000 |
| Drainage swale or shaped channel | $5 to $15 per linear foot |
| French drain in the yard | $10 to $35 per linear foot |
| Typical yard drainage project | $1,000 to $4,000 |
| Sub surface yard drainage system | $1,200 to $8,000 |
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:
NOAA's 1991 to 2020 climate normals for the Birmingham airport station put 14.85 inches of rain on the three winter months and another 5.66 inches on March, the wettest single month of the year. Cool weather and bare trees mean little of that water evaporates, so clay soil stays saturated for weeks and every new storm runs across the top of it. That is when low spots turn into ponds, downspouts carve trenches in the mulch, and water sits against the foundation. October is the driest month at 3.34 inches, which makes fall a good time to see the bones of a yard and plan the fix before the wet season returns.
Call a drainage contractor that looks at the yard and the foundation together, not just the puddle. Pooling water almost always comes from a low spot, ground that slopes toward the house, a downspout emptying too close, or dense clay that will not soak it up, and the right fix depends on which one it is. BDry Alabama installs exterior drainage, grading, French drains, dry creek beds and erosion control, and the free inspection starts by walking the yard to see where the water comes from and where it can safely go. Call 205 942 1976, Monday through Friday from 7 in the morning to 6 in the evening. For budgeting, HomeGuide's February 2026 drainage guide puts a typical yard drainage project at $1,000 to $4,000. If water is still standing a day after the rain stops, the yard is not keeping up.
Because the water has nowhere better to go. Clay subsoil, common around Birmingham, takes in water slowly, and once it is saturated, every new storm runs across the top and settles in the lowest spot it can find. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals give the Birmingham airport station 17.7 days a year with an inch of rain or more, enough to overwhelm a flat yard. Other common causes are ground compacted by foot traffic or construction, a driveway or patio that sheds water toward the lawn, a yard that slopes back toward the house, and downspouts that dump roof water in one place. A puddle that returns to the same spot after every storm is a pattern, not bad luck. Water still standing 24 hours after the rain ends is the usual sign the yard needs a drainage fix.
Yard drainage in the Birmingham area typically costs $1,000 to $4,000 for a single problem area, according to HomeGuide's February 2026 drainage system guide, and a larger sub surface system of pipes and inlets runs $1,200 to $8,000 depending on the size of the lawn. Smaller fixes cost much less: an above ground downspout extension is $5 to $25, a downspout buried and piped away is $150 to $350, and regrading around the house is $500 to $5,000. A French drain in the yard runs $10 to $35 per linear foot. The distance to a safe outlet, clay soil, and fences, beds or irrigation lines in the way move the total. BDry Alabama publishes no chart price; a free inspection ends with one written number, and financing is available.
HomeGuide, the national cost source used for every figure on this page, does not publish a separate dry creek bed price. The closest line in its February 2026 drainage guide is a drainage swale, a shaped channel whose surface may be grass, plants or crushed stone, at $5 to $15 per linear foot. A dry creek bed carries more stone than a plain swale: river rock in the channel, larger accent stones along the edges, a base layer and fabric underneath to hold the soil, which is how BDry Alabama describes its own builds. Stone choice, length, how much digging the channel needs and how far the rock has to be carried set the price. Where the creek bed is carrying water from a downspout, HomeGuide prices burying that downspout instead at $150 to $350, so it is worth comparing both.
Erosion control slows runoff down and gives it a safer path so soil stays where it belongs. It usually starts with a walk of the property to find the washouts, bare patches, grooves and spots where water speeds up or changes direction, then pairs the right drainage with the slope: a planned channel, a dry creek bed, a French drain, regrading, or relocating a downspout that is cutting a trench. Adding more mulch or topsoil only covers the damage until the next storm. Costs follow the method. HomeGuide's February 2026 drainage guide puts a swale at $5 to $15 per linear foot and regrading at $500 to $5,000, and where a steep slope needs a wall, its January 2026 retaining wall guide puts walls at $35 to $65 per square foot, with many contractors setting a $1,500 to $3,000 minimum. BDry Alabama prices the method your slope needs at a free inspection.
The 2021 International Residential Code, Section R401.3, says lots "shall be graded to drain surface water away from foundation walls" and that the grade "shall fall not fewer than 6 inches within the first 10 feet." Where a lot line, wall or slope makes that impossible, the code calls for drains or swales instead, and hard surfaces within 10 feet of the foundation should slope at least 2 percent away from the house. Many older Birmingham area homes have lost that fall over the years as soil settled, beds were built up, and patios were poured. HomeGuide's February 2026 drainage guide puts regrading at $500 to $5,000. A simple check: lay a straight board from the wall outward and see whether the ground drops away or runs back toward the foundation.
It can be, because water that sits against a foundation does not stay outside. Saturated soil pushes on basement and crawl space walls, feeds the clay that swells and shrinks under footings, and finds its way through cracks and joints. A soggy strip along the house, mulch that washes away below a gutter, or a white chalky line on the inside of a basement wall are the early signs. Fixing the water outside is usually far cheaper than fixing what it causes: HomeGuide's February 2026 drainage guide puts regrading at $500 to $5,000, while its February 2026 foundation repair guide puts a settling or sinking foundation at $4,500 to $20,000. BDry Alabama looks at the yard and the foundation in the same visit, so a drainage fix and any wall or crack repair are planned together.
Sometimes, and it is worth ruling out. HomeGuide's February 2026 drainage guide notes that persistent pooling or puddles in the yard or near the house may come from a hidden leaking pipe underground, and puts the average cost to fix a leaking pipe at $150 to $850. Clues that point to a leak rather than rain: a wet spot that stays wet during a dry week, grass that is greener in a line across the lawn, a water bill that climbs without a reason, or a meter that keeps turning with every fixture off. Irrigation lines and the main water service are the usual suspects. A plumber or the water utility finds and fixes supply leaks; drainage work will not cure them. Rule the leak in or out first so the money goes to the right fix.
It has to end somewhere it will not cause a new problem. HomeGuide's February 2026 French drain guide lists the usual outlets: daylight at a lower part of the property, a dry well, a sump basin, or a storm drain, and notes that tying into a public storm drain often needs a permit, with drain permits at $100 to $375 in its drainage guide. A dry well, which HomeGuide prices at $50 to $3,000 depending on type, works best in sandy soil and a low water table, so dense clay common around Birmingham can limit how much it takes in. Water should never be pushed onto a neighbor's lot or across a sidewalk where it can erode the edges. Picking the outlet is part of designing the drain, not an afterthought.
Call BDry Alabama at 205 942 1976 or send the form, Monday through Friday from 7 in the morning to 6 in the evening. Photos or a short video of the yard during or just after rain help a lot, because they show where the water actually runs. At the visit we walk the yard, check the slope, the soil, the gutters and the downspouts, and look at the foundation for signs the water is already reaching it. You get the fix that matches the cause and one written price, and if a downspout change will do the job we say so. For scale, HomeGuide's February 2026 drainage guide puts a buried downspout drain at $150 to $350 against $1,000 to $4,000 for a typical yard drainage project. French drains, downspouts and grading are covered for one year.
The best yard drainage is the cheapest fix that matches where the water comes from: downspouts and grading for runoff, and a French or curtain drain for ground that stays soggy. HomeGuide's February 2026 drainage system guide prices downspout extensions at $5 to $25 each, a buried downspout drain at $150 to $350, regrading at $500 to $5,000, a shaped drainage swale at $5 to $15 per linear foot, and a curtain drain at $1,000 to $4,000. The International Residential Code, Section R401.3, requires the ground to fall at least 6 inches within the first 10 feet from the foundation, so grading near the house comes first. Dry wells are a weaker choice on many lots here; HomeGuide says they work best in sandy soil with a low water table, and the clay subsoil common around Birmingham takes in water slowly. BDry Alabama installs grading, French drains, dry creek beds and erosion control, so the fix can follow the water.
Fix poor backyard drainage in order: find where the water comes from, move roof water away, reshape the ground, and only then bury a drain. Watch the yard during a heavy rain and note whether water runs in from a slope, a downspout or a patio, or rises from ground that stays wet for days. HomeGuide's February 2026 drainage system guide says downspouts should release water at least 10 feet from the house, and prices extensions at $5 to $25 each and regrading at $500 to $5,000. If the ground is still soggy after that, a French drain at $10 to $35 per linear foot carries water through the soil to a safe outlet. Call 811 before anyone digs; HomeGuide puts drainage permits at $100 to $375 in most areas. Water pooling against the foundation or showing up in a basement or crawl space is the point to call BDry Alabama, which looks at the yard and the house together at a free inspection.
BDry Alabama
1490 Valley Drive, Bessemer, AL 35022
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