Drainage System Installation in Orange County

Coastal Orange County sits on heavy clay that absorbs water slowly, and decades of added patios and planters block the original grade. We do not sell pipe by the foot: every project starts with a walk of the property, a look at the grades, and a clear explanation of where water enters, where it stalls, and where it must go.

• Clay soil percolates slowly, so surface water needs an engineered path off the property
• Downspouts dumping roof water at the foundation are the most common single problem we correct
• Planters and hardscape against the house hold water at stucco and slab edges, and inch-level grade errors send it the wrong way

Each system is designed from the property's actual topography and built with commercial-grade NDS components and proper bedding, so it works silently for decades:

• NDS storm drain networks — catch basins and buried solid pipe routing water to the street, with downspout tie-ins off the foundation
• French drains — perforated pipe in washed gravel with filter fabric, intercepting subsurface water along foundations and soggy zones
• Channel and trench drains — linear capture across driveways, patio thresholds, and pool decks
• Grading and slope correction — re-establishing positive flow away from the house, with sump-and-pump solutions where gravity cannot reach the street

Drainage is one of the highest-value investments on a property: the system itself is modest compared to the foundation, hardscape, and planting it protects. Typical installed ranges across our Orange County projects:

• Downspout extensions & tie-ins — usually $800–$2,500 depending on run length and surface restoration
• Channel or trench drain runs — commonly $1,500–$4,000 installed with connection to a discharge line
• French drain systems — most residential runs fall in the $3,000–$8,000 range depending on depth and length
• Full-property NDS storm drain networks — typically $6,000–$12,000 for multiple basins, mainlines, and street discharge
• Grading and re-sloping — scoped with the drainage plan, often combined with new hardscape or planting