French drain Nashville
A French drain in Nashville is pipe in stone that collects water already ponded in a yard or under a patio and daylights it downhill. A swale is an open ditch that silts in. A curtain drain cuts water off on the high side of the house before it hits the foundation. We measure length, daylight, and grade on the walk. Civil drawings when required. Wallaby Land Works, FWF Construction LLC, GC #75052. Call 629-231-1117.
A French drain is a collection trench. The water is already in the yard, under a patio, or in a low spot that never dries. We cut a trench through that wet ground, line it with fabric so Middle Tennessee clay stays out of the stone, set perforated pipe, bury it in stone, and take the flow to daylight.
If the pipe dead-ends, you just moved the wet spot.
This is the job people mean when they type french drain nashville. A soggy lawn. A patio that holds a puddle. A corner that stays soft for days after the rain.
It is not a curtain drain. A curtain drain sits on the high side of the house and intercepts water in the soil before it hits the wall. Read that page: Curtain drains in Nashville.
It is not a swale. A swale is an open ditch. It takes yard, it silts in, and it only moves what you can see.
Curtain vs French vs swale on clay
Middle Tennessee clay holds water. It does not perk like sand. Open dirt does not save you.
A swale needs room and a clean grade you keep mowing. Next to a house you usually do not have that room. In a wide yard a swale can move surface water you can see. It will not pull water that is already sitting in the clay.
A French drain pulls that held water out of a wet zone. Patio. Lawn. Low corner. The trench is in the wet, and the pipe has somewhere downhill to go.
A curtain drain is a cutoff. The lot falls toward the house. Water walks downhill through the clay and sits on the foundation. We trench on the high side, often around a corner so the flow cannot sneak past, and send it around the building. That page is curtain-drains.html.
Some lots need both. A curtain on the high side so new water stops arriving, and a French drain in the low spot so the water that already sat can leave. We say that on the walk. We do not sell you the word you typed if the grade says otherwise.
What we measure on the walk
We do not quote from a photo of a puddle. We walk the lot after we know where the water wants to go.
Length. How many feet of trench from the wet zone to a real outfall. A 20 foot patio run is not the same job as 120 feet across a side yard.
Daylight. Where the pipe can exit downhill. Gravity has to win. If there is no daylight, a pump is a different conversation. If the outfall dumps on a neighbor or back onto the slab, it is not a drain.
Grade. Fall across the lot, toward or away from the house, and whether the wet spot is a collection problem or an intercept problem. Grade is what decides French, curtain, swale, regrade, or more than one.
Rock, trees, a slab we have to saw, and how we get a machine in also change the work. Those show up on site. They are not a price list.
The full walk (curtain vs French vs regrade) is on drainage-walk.html.
How we build one
Fabric goes in first so clay stays out of the stone.
Stone goes in, then a perforated pipe, then more stone.
We wrap it, backfill, and seed or sod the scar.
Yard runs are often 18 to 24 inches deep. We set depth to the water we find, not to a catalog.
The pipe has to fall. A flat pipe in clay is a stone trench that fills and stays full.
Typical work
Civil drawings when required
Most yard French drains do not need an engineer. Some lots do.
Hillside sites. A county or city desk that wants a drainage plan before anyone cuts a trench. A stormwater facility on paper, including Metro's modified French drain, which is a designed BMP, not a patio trench we invent on a Saturday.
When that paper is required, civil drawings are available. They draw the water path, the outfall, and what the desk will stamp. We build to that plan.
If you already have a survey or civil sheets, send them with the quote form. If you do not, we will tell you on the walk whether you need them.
What changes the number
Length, daylight, and grade first. Then access, rock, sod versus seed, and whether the same visit needs a curtain on the high side.
We quote on site. No published Wallaby prices. A real number for your lot.
If the yard is wet after every storm, or a patio holds water, call or text (629) 231-1117.
French drain FAQ
What is a French drain in Nashville?
A gravel trench with perforated pipe that collects water already sitting in a yard or under a patio and sends it to daylight. Clay holds that water. We wrap the stone in fabric so the clay does not choke the pipe.
Curtain drain vs French drain vs swale, which one do I need?
A French drain collects water that already ponded. A curtain drain cuts off water on the high side of the house before it hits the foundation. A swale is an open ditch. It silts in and only moves what you can see. Clay next to a house usually needs pipe, not a ditch. We decide on the walk. The curtain page is curtain-drains.html.
How much does a French drain cost in Nashville?
It depends on length, daylight, and grade. Rock, access, and sod versus seed move it too. We do not publish Wallaby prices. Call or text (629) 231-1117. We walk the lot and give you a real number.
How deep is a French drain?
Yard runs are often 18 to 24 inches. We set depth to the water we find in the clay, not to a catalog number.
Does a French drain work in Middle Tennessee clay?
Yes, if you keep the clay out of the stone and the pipe daylights. Fabric first. Dead-end a pipe in clay and you moved the wet spot.
Does the pipe have to daylight?
Yes. Gravity has to win. If there is no downhill exit, say so on the walk. A pumped drain is a different job.
When do you need civil drawings?
When the lot or the desk requires them. Hillside sites, a drainage plan before a trench, or a Metro-style modified French drain on paper. Civil drawings are available when required. FWF Construction LLC, GC #75052. 26+ years, since 2000.
One crew for the whole job
Curtain Drains
Rain on a slope will walk water to your foundation. A curtain drain cuts it off and sends it around the house.
See details →Drainage Walk
Length, daylight, and clay. Curtain, French, or regrade. What we measure before we write a quote.
See details →Retaining Walls
Nashville clay holds water behind a wall. Techo-Bloc SRW with a drain so the water leaves.
See details →Grading
Wet spots, uneven ground, or a pad that needs to be dead level, we grade it and move the water where it belongs.
See details →Site Prep
GCs and developers, get your lot cleared, graded, and build-ready on schedule.
See details →Serving Nashville & Middle Tennessee
Davidson, Williamson, Rutherford, Wilson, and Sumner counties and the surrounding area.
Tell us about your property
Send a few details and we'll set up a free on-site quote, a real number, not a guess. Most quotes booked fast.
Wallaby Land Works · A division of FWF Construction LLC
Serving Nashville & Middle Tennessee
Phone / Text: (629) 231-1117
Hours: Mon–Sat 7am–6pm · Sun closed