Nacogdoches, Texas
French drains & drainage in Nacogdoches
French drains, regrading and downspout fixes for Nacogdoches yards that hold water, starting with finding where the water really comes from.
- Nacogdoches County, Texas
- Free written estimate within a day
- Same crew every visit, never subcontracted
Who does drainage and grading in Nacogdoches, TX?
Yard Dog Landscapes, a family-owned, fully insured company based in Longview, fixes yard drainage in Nacogdoches and across Nacogdoches 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 Nacogdoches online.
Drainage & Grading for Nacogdoches yards
On a sloped Nacogdoches lot, water picks up speed coming downhill and dumps against whatever sits at the bottom, often a slab or a back patio. We slow it and steer it with swales, French drains and downspout reroutes that outlet to daylight or a pop-up emitter. Most drainage projects run $2,000 to $3,750, with full systems running $3,000 to $4,500.
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 Nacogdoches
Water runs down my hill into the back of the house. What fixes that?
Usually a swale or French drain across the slope above the house to catch the water, with a run that carries it to a daylighted outlet or pop-up emitter. We look at where the water comes from before we pick the fix. Most projects run $2,000 to $3,750.
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 Nacogdoches
Hardscaping & Patios
Patios and walkways are one of the main reasons we make the drive to Nacogdoches.
Retaining Walls
Plenty of Nacogdoches yards slope hard toward the street or down toward a creek, and a retaining wall turns that slope into flat, usable ground and stops beds from washing out.
Landscaping
A full landscape install is exactly the kind of project we make the drive to Nacogdoches for.
Sod Installation
Shade decides the grass in Nacogdoches: under pines and oaks, St. Augustine is the only common lawn grass that holds on, and the deepest shade is better turned into a bed.
Christmas Lights
Christmas lights are one of the main jobs we travel down to Nacogdoches for, and installs more than an hour from Longview start at $1,800.
Lawn Maintenance
Weekly mowing is the one service we rarely run this far from Longview, and we would rather say so up front.
Leaf Removal
Nacogdoches yards under tall pines and oaks get needles and leaves from October into February, and a wet leaf mat over shaded St. Augustine through winter is how lawns come up dead in spring.
Fertilization
Pine needle duff and acidic rain push Nacogdoches soil low on pH, and fertilizer cannot do its job until that is corrected, so a soil test comes first and lime follows if the numbers call for it.
Get a free drainage and grading quote in Nacogdoches
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