Service
Clean stone
Exterior drainage: keeping water from collecting
Water pooling on your driveway, against your foundation or in your yard is not just a nuisance. It is a problem that gets worse with freeze-thaw and can damage your surfaces and your foundation. We assess it, propose a solution, and install it.
What you are seeing
Is water pooling on your pavers? Do puddles sit there after rain? Is water running toward the house? Are your pavers settling exactly where the water travels? Those are signs of failing drainage.
What causes it
Failing drainage is usually caused by insufficient slope, soil that does not drain, no French drain at all, a blocked existing drain, or paving that was laid without drainage in mind.
A downspout discharging in the wrong place is often enough on its own to hollow out a driveway within a few years.
What we do
We work out where the water comes from, where it should go, and what is stopping it getting there.
Possible solutions: regrading, a French drain, a surface drain, a catch basin, or rebuilding the paver base. We propose the one that solves the problem rather than a patch.
What the work can include
- Shooting the levels and tracing the flow
- Excavating the trench
- Geotextile fabric and clean stone
- Perforated pipe, catch basin or surface drain
- Correcting the surface grade
- Reinstating the pavers or the lawn
- Testing the flow before we leave
Where it applies
- Driveways and parking areas
- Along a foundation
- Back yards that hold water
- Behind a retaining wall
- Downspout outlets
How it goes
- 01
Assessment
We identify the source of the water, the slopes, and where it can be sent.
- 02
Plan
We propose the solution the site calls for, and explain why that one.
- 03
Excavation
We open the area and dig the trench to the fall it needs.
- 04
Installation
Fabric, pipe, clean stone, then backfill - in that order, which is what keeps the drain from silting up.
- 05
Reinstatement
Pavers, lawn or surface go back in place.
- 06
Testing
We test the flow, clean up, and stand behind the result.
Our projects
See all projects- Interlocking pavers
- Interlocking pavers
What our customers say
Mes marches n’étaient plus sécuritaires, heureusement Oasis Construction sont venus remettre le tout comme neuf.
David Travail propre, rapide et très professionnel. Le résultat dépasse nos attentes, je recommande sans hésiter.
William
What affects the price
The cost of a drainage project depends on several things:
- The length and depth of the trench
- The type of drainage needed
- How much surface has to come up and go back
- Where the water can be discharged
- The soil type
- Access for machinery
Free on-site assessment. Where the water can exit is often what determines the cost, and that does not show up in a photo.
Service areas
Across much of the North Shore the soil is clay and drains poorly: water sits on the surface instead of going down. Combined with freeze-thaw, that is what deforms driveways and pushes the area’s retaining walls over.
Service areasFrequently asked questions
No. Properly installed pavers with adequate slope should not pool water. If water sits there, it is a sign of failing drainage or grade.
A surface drain catches water running across the top: a grate, a channel, a catch basin. A French drain is perforated pipe buried in stone that catches water held in the soil before it rises or pushes. Many lots need both, and one does not replace the other.
Sometimes, yes - and if that solves your problem, we will tell you. Redirecting a downspout that discharges against a foundation or into the middle of a driveway is the cheapest correction there is. It will not fix a lot that holds water across its whole surface, though.
Yes, as long as the ground is not frozen. Fall is often a good time: the ground is dry, and the drain is in before the spring thaw, which is exactly when the problem shows itself most.