Drain Tile & Runoff Control in Cincinnati, OH

Drain tile and runoff control cover the systems that collect water and move it somewhere harmless: French drains, curtain drains, downspout tightlines, swales and outlets. French drain installation is one of the most searched home projects in the Cincinnati area, and for good reason. Clayey soils here soak up water slowly, so rain runs across the surface, collects against foundations and soaks into slopes.

French drains and curtain drains

A French drain is a trench lined with filter fabric, filled with clean stone and fitted with perforated pipe. A curtain drain is the same idea set across a slope above the house to catch water coming downhill. HomeGuide lists exterior French drains at $10 to $35 per linear foot, about $1,000 to $3,500 for 100 feet, and curtain drains at $1,500 to $8,800.

Why outlets matter more on hills

On flat ground a poorly placed outlet causes a soggy patch. On a Cincinnati hillside it can start a slide. USGS research linked local slides to water and to disturbance of colluvium slopes. We never dump a drain or downspout line onto the face of a slope. Water is carried down in solid pipe to the bottom, to a stable channel, or to a connection the city allows.

Downspout tightlines

Roof water is often the largest single source on a lot. Burying downspouts in solid pipe and running them to the same outlet as a yard drain is one of the cheapest fixes we offer, and on hillsides it is often the most important.

Swales and surface grading

Sometimes the right answer is a shallow grassed swale that steers water around the house. Combined with regrading next to the foundation, it reduces how much a pipe has to carry.

When a drain is not enough

Water coming up through a basement floor or through cracks in a wall may also need interior drainage or waterproofing. We tell you what we see and which part we can fix from outside.