Exterior footing drain

Access near a foundation may involve steps, planted beds, utilities, paving or attached structures. A route that looks open on an aerial image may still be difficult to excavate. Ask how the work will be planned around the existing foundation and who is responsible for assessing excavation safety.

Do not use a generic trench illustration as an instruction to dig beside a wall. The sequence of excavation and backfilling must suit the actual building. A site visit is needed before the work and its limits can be agreed.

Ask where the pipe will sit relative to the footing, how it will be protected from soil and how water reaches a suitable discharge point. An exterior drain still needs somewhere to send the collected water. A pipe around the wall with no usable outlet can simply hold water beside the house.

Have the contractor identify any existing connection and explain how it will be checked. If discharge depends on additional equipment or permissions, those dependencies should appear in the written proposal rather than being discovered after excavation.

Quotes can look very different when they include different lengths of wall or different reinstatement work. Ask each bidder to mark the wall sections, describe obstacles and identify what will be removed and replaced. A price for drainage pipe alone cannot be compared directly with a proposal that also repairs the wall, adds waterproofing or rebuilds paving.

Keep those items separately described. The cost guide uses the exterior pipe planning rate; it does not establish a budget for structural work or imply that exposing the entire house is necessary.

Ask for a record of the installed route, cleaning points and outlet before backfilling hides them. Keep photographs with the written scope so a future contractor can understand what was installed. After rain, check accessible discharge points and note whether the original outside water problem has changed.

Water inside the house may need a separate investigation even when exterior drainage is working. For basement and interior waterproofing work, use the linked waterproofing site; this service page covers the outside footing drain only.

Exterior drainage pipe only; excludes wall waterproofing and structural repair.

Exterior drainage pipe only; excludes wall waterproofing and structural repair. The worked example isolates the selected job so you can compare the underlying scope. A different outlet, a disturbed lawn or difficult access can change the project.

Ask which parts of a proposed price are already included in the package before adding a separate allowance. Keep a marked route or work boundary with the quote so a later change can be priced against the same starting point.

The calculator adjusts for surface and access. A lawn route with open access is a different basis from work through paving or an area that must be dug by hand. Tell each bidder about narrow gates, steps, planting and surfaces that must remain.

An aerial image cannot confirm buried utilities, soil conditions or the condition of an existing outlet. Checking terrain on the map does not update the price; confirm the ground conditions in the calculator.

Permits, engineering, utility relocation, structural repair, taxes and unlisted work are excluded from these planning examples. Ask for those items explicitly if the job needs them. Imported fill, topsoil and sod are also outside the yard-regrading base rate.

A contractor's written scope should explain the finish, cleanup and any work left for you after the drainage installation. Missing items are a reason to ask a question, rather than a reason to assume that the lowest total is complete.

Before agreeing to work, walk the proposed route with the contractor and identify the original water problem, the collection area and the discharge point. Ask what will be tested or checked before excavation. A written description should identify the materials, the work boundary and what will be put back afterward.

Keep photographs of the problem and the agreed route; they give you something concrete to compare with the completed installation.

Doing the work yourself still leaves you responsible for finding utilities, checking local requirements and choosing a suitable outlet. Do not use a planning rate or a photograph as an excavation design. If the work approaches a foundation, crosses an uncertain utility route or requires a public connection, resolve those conditions with the appropriate qualified help before digging.

A contractor should explain the installation sequence and how the work will be checked before it is covered.

Ask for maintenance instructions, access locations and a record of the installed system at handover. Observe the same water path after rain and document any remaining problem so the installer can respond to a specific observation. Only a written agreement and service to your ZIP are established partner conditions today; no unverified licence, insurance, rating or workmanship claim is implied.

• HomeGuide — French drain cost, published 2026-02-05, checked 2026-10-26
• HomeGuide — drainage system installation cost, published 2026-02-06, checked 2026-10-26
• Richmond Retaining Wall Company — grading planning rates, checked 2026-10-26. Published planning rates, topsoil and vegetation separate