Gilmer, Texas
French drains & drainage in Gilmer
French drains, regrading and downspout fixes for Gilmer yards that hold water, starting with finding where the water really comes from.
- Upshur County, Texas
- Free written estimate within a day
- Same crew every visit, never subcontracted
Who does drainage and grading in Gilmer, TX?
Yard Dog Landscapes, a family-owned, fully insured company based in Longview, fixes yard drainage in Gilmer and across Upshur County. We've worked East Texas yards since 2017 and hold a 5.0 rating across 143 Google reviews. We trace the water first, then regrade, reroute downspouts, cut swales or install French drains with sock-wrapped pipe and #57 stone. Most projects run $2,000 to $3,750. Request a free walkthrough in Gilmer online.
Drainage & Grading for Gilmer yards
Sand drains fast, so drainage trouble in Gilmer usually comes down to a clay layer underneath, a low spot, a downspout dumping into a flat bed, or runoff cutting gullies through a sandy slope. We regrade, reroute downspouts, and install French drains and dry creek beds that move water to a real outlet. Most projects run $2,000 to $3,750.
Half the yards we get called to for a French drain don't need one. Standing water is a symptom, so we start by finding the source. Roof water dumping at the foundation gets rerouted in solid pipe. Ground that tips back toward the house gets regraded to fall away, about six inches over the first ten feet. Only water that's trapped in the ground calls for a French drain.
What's included
- French drains with sock-wrapped pipe and #57 stone
- Surface grading and re-sloping away from the foundation
- Downspout extensions and solid-pipe reroutes
- Catch basins, channel drains and pop-up emitters
- Swales and dry creek beds
- Erosion control on slopes
- Drainage behind retaining walls
- Site prep for new builds and additions
How the job goes
We fix drainage year-round, but the best time to see the problem is during or right after a rain. Digging goes faster in a dry stretch, when the clay isn't saturated. Getting it done before the spring rains means you don't spend another season with a pond in the back corner.
Watch the water
We walk the property during or right after a rain when we can, and trace where the water comes from and where it sits.
Pick the right fix
Downspouts, regrading, a swale or a French drain. You get a written, itemized estimate that says what we're installing and why.
Trench to a real outlet
We dig with a steady fall toward somewhere the water can actually leave: daylight, a curb, a lower part of the lot, or a pop-up emitter.
Build the drain
Pipe, fabric and stone go in to spec, backfilled with stone so clay fines can't clog it.
Put the yard back
We cap the trench with soil and sod, or finish it in river rock or a dry creek bed.
Examples of our drainage and grading work
Real jobs by our crew around East Texas. Each photo says where it was taken.
Drainage & Grading questions in Gilmer
My Gilmer yard is sandy. Why does it still hold water?
Sand on top often sits on clay underneath. Water soaks through the sand fast, hits the clay and stops, so low spots stay wet. We look at the grade and where the water collects, then fix it with regrading, a French drain or a swale that moves it to an outlet.
How much does a French drain cost in East Texas?
Most of our drainage projects run $2,000 to $3,750. A standard single French drain run is usually $1,900 to $3,000. Small fixes like a downspout reroute run $450 to $1,000, full systems $3,000 to $4,500, and large or combined projects $4,500 and up. Pipe length, dig depth, the outlet and what goes back on top set the number.
Do I really need a French drain?
Maybe not. Most soggy yards are fed by surface water: roof runoff, a neighbor's lot that sits higher, or a driveway sloping back toward the house. Those get fixed with downspout reroutes and regrading, for less money. A French drain is for water already in the ground, like a spot that stays spongy for days, a seep at the bottom of a slope, or the back of a retaining wall.
Why does my Longview yard hold water after it rains?
Our soil. Most yards here are sandy loam over dense red clay that water can't soak through, so once the top foot saturates, the water sits or runs sideways. Settled grading, downspouts that dump at the foundation and dead-flat lots make it worse. We trace the flow path first, then fix the source instead of guessing.
More we do in Gilmer
Lawn Maintenance
Gilmer lawns on sandy ground dry out fast, and a low cut makes it worse.
Fertilization
Gilmer's sandy ground does not hold onto fertilizer, so one heavy feeding mostly washes past the roots.
Sod Installation
When a Gilmer lawn has been scalped, burned out or overrun, sod is the clean restart.
Flower Bed Installation
In Gilmer's sand, a new flower bed needs organic matter in it or it will dry out between every rain.
Landscaping
Beds in sandy Gilmer soil drain well, which is good news for heat lovers like lantana, salvia and plumbago and bad news for anything thirsty.
Christmas Lights
Gilmer is an easy run from our shop, so standard light pricing applies, and most homes start at $900.
Leaf Removal
Between the oaks, pecans and pines around Gilmer, fall cleanup is not a one-weekend job.
Hedge Trimming
Country homes around Gilmer often have long hedge lines along a drive or fence, and those take a different approach than a foundation shrub.
Get a free drainage and grading quote in Gilmer
Tell us what you need and where. We call within a day, walk the property with you and send a written, itemized estimate. No pressure and no surprise add-ons.
- Free on-site walkthrough
- Written estimate, usually within a day
- Same crew every visit, never subcontracted
- Fully insured, 5.0 on Google from 143 reviews