Foundation swale installation across Indiana
A foundation swale is a trench we dig by hand along your house, not right up against it, that leads water away from the foundation. Then it gets covered with river rock, so what you see when we leave is a clean stone bed along the house.
A foundation swale is a trench dug along your house, not up against it, that carries water away from the foundation. It is covered with river rock, so once it is in you see a stone bed along the house instead of a wet strip of dirt or mulch.
Rain comes off the roof and down the yard, and a lot of it ends up sitting against the foundation. The swale gives that water somewhere to go. It runs along the house, set back from the wall, and leads the water away.
Anthony will often suggest a foundation swale before a basement French drain. It stops the water before it gets to the foundation and overwhelms it, instead of dealing with it once it is already inside.
We dig it by hand. No machine in your yard, no ruts, and our crew works around roots and the plants you want to keep.
More on that order of work: why a swale often comes before a French drain.
Signs you need this
What tells you water is sitting against the house
- Water stands along the side of the house after a rain.
- The mulch or soil right next to the foundation stays soggy long after the rest of the yard dries out.
- Soil is washing out along the house, or there is a worn line in the ground under the roof edge.
- The basement or crawlspace gets damp on the same side of the house every time it rains.
- A downspout empties right beside the foundation and the water has nowhere to go.
How we do it
Dug by hand along the house
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Walk the house with you
We look at where water comes off the roof, where it runs, and where it collects along the house. That tells us which sides need a swale and where the water can go.
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Mark the line
The trench runs along the house, set back from the foundation, and heads toward a spot where the water can get away from the house. We mark it before any digging starts.
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Dig it by hand
Our crew digs the trench with shovels. Roots and plants you want to keep get worked around, not torn out.
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Send the water away from the house
We start at the high point and add 1/8 inch of fall for every foot the drain travels, so the water in it moves away from the house, not back toward it.
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Cover it with river rock
River rock goes over the trench. It lets water in, and it leaves a clean stone bed along the house.
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Clean up
Beds and edging go back and the work area is cleaned up before we leave.
Recent work
Foundation swales we have put in
What it costs
What moves the number
One side of a house is a smaller job than the whole house. Where the water has to go and what is in the way decide the rest.
The things that actually move the price:
- How much of the house needs it. One side is a different job from all four.
- Where the water can go. The farther it has to travel to get away from the house, the longer the trench.
- What is in the way. Steps, patios, walks, established beds and roots all slow hand work down.
- How much river rock it takes. A longer or wider run takes more stone to cover.
You get one fixed number for a defined scope after the on-site visit. Half holds the date, the balance is due when you have walked the finished job. We do not offer financing.
Often quoted alongside this
What homeowners say
Foundation swale questions
Answers before you call
A trench we dig by hand along your house, set back from the foundation, that leads water away from the house. It gets covered with river rock, so it looks like a stone bed along the house.
The point is to catch water before it gets to the wall and send it away. A trench right against the foundation would hold water in exactly the spot you are trying to keep dry.
You will see river rock along the side of the house. The trench is under the rock.
They are built the same way, a hand-dug trench covered in river rock. A foundation swale runs along the house. A trench drain carries water out through the yard, sometimes under a path or out to the far side of a driveway.
No. We dig by hand, so there are no ruts in your yard and we can work around roots and the plants you want to keep.
Yes. We work by hand around beds, steps and walks. If something has to move, we will tell you on the estimate before the work starts.
Free estimate
Let us get the water away from your foundation.
Send the form and we will reply within about 30 minutes during business hours. The visit and the written quote are free.
- Dug by hand along the house, covered in river rock
- Fixed written price for a defined scope
- Dug by hand, sod put back
- Serving all of Indiana from Kokomo and Bloomington