Who has good French drain guy?

Note - as soon as I install it from my back yard to the street, it will dry up like the Sahara. So, I proceed with caution. Karma is a real *****.

I need one as well.

I have a friend use Thompson & Sons Landscaping and Lawn Service to put a French drain into his backyard in Bryan about a year ago. He has been happy with how everything turned out.

I second Thompson and Sons. Excellent work and customer service.

Try to go with a swale if you can. Cheaper and no longterm maintenance. Less likely to cause drama when you go to sell the house.

CS78 said:

---

Try to go with a swale if you can. Cheaper and no longterm maintenance. Less likely to cause drama when you go to sell the house.

---

100% agree with CS78 on lower install and maintenance cost. With our soils most of the problem is from surface drainage after extended rainy periods like we've had.

However, selling the home won't be an issue. I've talked with countless homeowners that bought a home with a french drain and assumed it would last forever without any upkeep. If you don't know where they start, where they end, and how they were installed you can safely assume they won't work!

French drains are seldom done correctly, seldom maintained, and eventually contribute to more problems than they are supposedly preventing.

How are you supposed to maintain them?

Because they're usually poorly done they get jammed up with all sorts of sediment and debris. They need to be maintained just like gutters and washed out and cleared of build up periodically.

Swale is a good idea. I'm not sure I have enough of a grade to my street for a formal drain. And then to maintain a French drain.