A Specialized Drainage Company Providing Consistency

Our Process

This is how you do drainage right:

  • Slope: The most critical factor to landscape drainage is proper slope or fall. We ensure you have sufficient fall to allow the water to drain the direction you want. The minimum slope required to achieve this is 1% for PVC or 2% for corrugated pipe, which can be calculated by dividing the rise over the run. In other words, if your drop-off was only 1 foot, you could push that water as far as 100 feet with PVC pipe (1 over 100 is 1%). In situations where you do not have at least 1 or 2 percent, other options must be considered, such a sump pump.
  • Depth: We want to maintain a preferable depth of 6″ below grade when at all possible. This means that to burry a 4″ pipe, we will need to dig down 10″. Obviously for some tasks, this will be impossible, in which case the standard minimum is 2″ below grade.

  • Local Regulations: We make sure to check the local regulations and obtain any necessary permits before installing drainage. While many cities do not require permits for drainage work, a few do (such as Highland Park) especially when it comes to curb coring for drainage outlets.

  • Safety Precautions: When necessary, we call 811 before we dig to determine the location of any cable wires, gas, or electric lines. This is very important! We also locate the irrigation mainline shut-off, just in case we hit an irrigation line. Irrigation is not always buried very deep, and is the most likely thing to be hit during a dig. (If any irrigation is damaged during a dig, our team will repair or re-route as necessary at no cost to you.)

  • Site Conditions: The area must be evaluated to determine the type of drainage system that will be required. The topography of the land, the soil type, and the amount of rainfall in the area are important factors to consider. Also, whenever possible, we avoid cutting any large tree roots, which can severely damage a priceless piece of your landscape. We design our systems with your trees in mind.
  • Water Source and Quantity: The source and quantity of water must be determined to ensure that the drainage system is properly designed to handle the amount of water that is expected to be discharged. Runoff from a 1,000 square foot roof or driveway is not the same as runoff from a 1,000 square foot lawn, and must be factored into our system design. We utilize a stormwater drainage calculator provided by NDS, which allows us to calculate the exact needs of a drainage system.
  • Maintenance: A properly installed system should not require much maintenance. The key word here is properly. By ensuring sufficient slope, not overloading a system and designing a system that is easy to clean, we help you avoid costly repairs down the road. We design our systems to not require significant maintenance, as well as so that they are easy to maintain when necessary. This is very important – the last thing you want is to have a several thousand dollar system installed that is unserviceable!

Laser Level

When in doubt, we use a laser level to calculate the exact fall from one point to another. This allows us to determine with exact certainty the slope we are dealing with, and whether a particular route design will work.

Call or Text to schedule a Free Estimate:

(972) 269-5639