9 Steps to Install a French Drain Around Your House

May 1st, 2023

Spring season is already upon us. On one hand, it means fresh and cool breeze all day long, it also means light to heavy rain on the other. Spring season is known to be wet in Ontario and it can have a detrimental effect on your house. Here’s how.

How does rain affect your house?

When your area has heavy rainfall, there are high chances of standing water around your house. This water can seep into the foundation and thus your basement damaging the overall structural integrity of the house. If you house doesn’t have basement waterproofing Barrie, water seeping inside can cause damage to your personal belongings too. This can cost you a lot to repair. However, it’s never too late!

On one hand, you can get basement waterproofing services from a reputed company, you can also install a French drain. If you want to go the DIY route, here’s how you do it.

How to Install a French Drain?

Start by looking at the region where water is pooling near your house. And determine a way to make that water flow away from the house.
Once you have the pathway, use a spray to mark the length, width, and direction of the draining trench.
Once marked, start digging to build a trench. (3 feet deep and 12 inches wide). Ensure you dig the draining trench parallel to your house or on a slope around your house.
While digging the trench, you must ensure to provide a good slope for water to flow away from the house. Provide 1 inch of slope at every 10-12 feet length of the trench. If you don’t do this, there would be no point in building a French drain. Without the right slope, water will accumulate around the house and cause damage resulting in wet basement repair Barrie or foundation repair services which are expensive.
The pipe must be have holes which are covered with perforated fabric.
Lay down the pipe with holes facing the soil and fill the sides with gravel to avoid debris.
Water enters the pipe from one end and flows out at the other end. It can also be absorbed in the perforated fabric along the length of the pipe and flow out at the other end.
The other end of the pipe should open at roadside or at another pool of water.
Cover the draining trench with soil. You can also reseed it to grow small plants.

Bottom Line

Installing a French drain will surely help you remove water from the immediate vicinity of your house preventing it from affecting your foundation and basement. However, if you want professional help in installing a French drain, you can get in touch with us at Ontario Wet Basement Solution Inc. We not only install French drain systems, but we also provide several other services such as wet basement waterproofing, foundation crack repair Barrie, crawl space encapsulation and more.

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