How much does a curtain drain cost?
An installed curtain drain costs $10–$35 per foot nationally (as of Oct 2026). Length, ground, machine access and the outlet move the price.
- Curtain drainAcross the slope, above the area it protects. It catches water on its way down.
- Yard French drainIn the wet lawn itself, where water has already collected.
Curtain drain cost by length
| Length | Range | Typical* |
|---|---|---|
| 25 ft | $210–$1,010 | $560 |
| 50 ft | $420–$2,020 | $1,130 |
| 100 ft | $850–$4,030 | $2,250 |
*Typical is the midpoint of the published low and high rate. Includes a 15% allowance on length.
Sources
HomeGuide — French drain cost (Feb 5, 2026), checked Oct 26, 2026.
How a curtain drain is built
Find where the water comes from
Watch the yard in heavy rain. The drain goes across the path the water takes, uphill of the area that stays wet.
Call 811 and set the line
Utility owners mark their buried lines for free. The trench runs across the slope with a steady fall toward one end, where the outlet will be.
Dig, line and fill
A shallow trench is lined with filter fabric and filled with washed gravel around a perforated pipe. The gravel can come up to the surface to catch runoff too, or sit under soil and grass.
Finish the installation
Lead it to the outlet
The pipe carries the water around the area you want dry, to a pop-up emitter, a dry well or another drain.
What's in the price
In the price
- Digging the trench across the slope
- Filter fabric, washed gravel and perforated pipe
- Running the pipe to the outlet
- Putting the soil back over the trench
Added or excluded
- The outlet: pop-up $30–$85, dry well $300–$1,500
- Lawn repair: new sod $0.90–$1.80 per ft²
- Permits, engineering, moving utility lines and taxes
Curtain drain scope varies more than a French drain's. Check the depth and route in the written quote.
Curtain drain or French drain?
Both use the same fabric, gravel and pipe. What differs is where the drain goes, and that follows where the water comes from.
Water arrives from higher ground: a hill, a neighbor's yard or the slope behind the house. The drain runs across the slope, above the area you want dry.
Water collects in the lawn itself: a low spot or ground that stays soggy. The drain runs through the wet area to lower ground.
Some yards need both: a curtain drain to stop water coming down the slope, and a French drain for what still collects below it.
Ways to keep the cost down
- Pick the shortest route to an outlet
You pay by the foot, so a closer outlet saves the most.
- Route it under lawn, not paving
Through pavers the per-foot price runs about 40% higher, through concrete about 60%.
- Clear a way in for a mini excavator
Digging by hand only costs about 45% more than a yard a machine can reach.
- Seed the strip yourself
New sod adds $0.90–$1.80 per ft². Seeding the trench line yourself is cheaper.
- Compare quotes with the same scope
Same length, route, outlet and lawn repair in every quote, so the prices line up.
Questions to ask before you hire
- 1How will the pipe slope, and where does the water leave?
The outlet decides whether the drain works. Ask to see it on the route.
- 2Is a permit needed, and who gets it?
Rules differ by city. Get the answer in writing.
- 3What fabric, gravel and pipe go in?
Ask for each in the written quote, so quotes compare like for like.
- 4How is the lawn put back?
Sod, seed or bare soil changes both the price and the result.
- 5What does the written quote include?
Length, route, outlet, materials, cleanup and the payment schedule.
