# What a typical French drain job looks like: an illustrative walkthrough

> An illustrative walkthrough of a typical Irving side-yard French drain job, from the first photo to the water test, showing how each decision gets made.

URL: https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/blog/what-a-typical-french-drain-job-looks-like/

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An illustrative example, not a record of a real job: a soggy side yard in central Irving, followed from the first photo to the water test, to show how each decision gets made.

> This is an illustrative walkthrough built from how a typical job runs. It is not a description of a real customer, address or project.

This walkthrough follows a typical French drain job on a made-up central Irving lot, so you can see how the decisions fit together before anyone digs in your yard. [Rein Irving Drainage Company](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/) plans every [French drain installation](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/french-drain-installation/) the same way: confirm the water is in the soil, find the outlet, then build each layer to do its job.

## The problem

Picture a single-story brick house with a narrow side yard between it and a wooden fence. The homeowner’s photo shows a strip of lawn that stays soft for days after rain, with no puddle on top. Mosquitoes are bad there in summer. The downspout at the back corner discharges onto a splash block.

The address sits in central Irving, where the USDA soil survey sample point near Irving Boulevard shows about 15 inches of loamy fine sand over sandy clay loam. That points to perched water: rain soaks through the sand and stops on the clay. A puddle on hard clay would point to a different fix, a [catch basin](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/catch-basins/).

## The site visit

The first visit answers three questions.

1. **Where does the water come from?** The downspout splash block sends roof water straight into the side yard, and the yard is the low side of the lot.
2. **Is the water in the soil or on top?** A test hole about two feet deep shows sandy soil to about 14 inches, then dense, damp clay. Water seeps into the hole from the sides at the top of the clay. That confirms the water is moving through the soil.
3. **Where can it go?** Elevations shot from the back of the side yard to the street show the curb is lower than the far end of the side yard by enough to give the pipe steady fall. The outlet will be at the curb, which in Irving means confirming the rule for that address first.

## The plan

| Part | What it does in this example |
| --- | --- |
| Buried downspout line | Takes roof water off the side yard in its own solid pipe |
| French drain along the side yard | Intercepts perched water at the top of the clay, about 14 to 18 inches down |
| Nonwoven fabric around clean stone | Keeps clay fines out of the stone |
| Rigid perforated pipe | Carries collected water quickly |
| Solid pipe to the curb | Carries both lines past the front yard without leaking water back |
| Cleanouts | At the back corner and at the turn toward the street |

The roof water and the French drain stay in separate pipes until they meet in the solid line, so a burst of roof water never floods the drain’s stone. That is the same rule a [whole-yard drainage system](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/yard-drainage/) follows.

## The estimate

The written estimate lists the length of French drain, the length of solid pipe to the curb, the downspout connection, the curb outlet and any approval it needs, sod replacement along the trench, and repair of the sprinkler line the trench will cross. In this example, a 50-foot French drain section would fall within the typical Dallas-area range of about $25 to $55 per foot installed, with the downspout line, the solid run to the curb and the curb outlet as separate lines. The [French drain cost guide](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/french-drain-cost-irving/) explains each part.

## The work

1. **811 locate.** Paint and flags appear in the yard a few days after the request.
2. **Layout.** The trench line is marked along the side yard, a few feet off the slab, with the depth at each end.
3. **Trench.** The trench follows the top of the clay and falls steadily toward the front.
4. **Build.** Fabric lines the trench, a bed of clean stone goes in, the perforated pipe is laid and checked for fall, more stone covers it, and the fabric is folded over the top.
5. **Downspout line.** A separate solid pipe runs from the back corner downspout alongside the drain.
6. **Connect.** Both join the solid line to the curb.

Rein Irving Drainage Company plans and manages each job; installation is carried out by licensed and insured drainage contractors we work with.

## The test

Before anything is covered, a hose runs into the far end of the French drain and into the downspout. Water should appear at the curb outlet within a minute or two. Only then is the trench backfilled, the sod re-laid and the sprinkler line repaired. The guide to [what happens during drainage installation](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/what-happens-during-drainage-installation/) covers this stage day by day.

## After the first storm

The first heavy rain is the real check. The ground over the line should firm up within a day, and the curb outlet should show flow. If a strip stays soft, the outlet and cleanouts are the first places to look. The guide to [French drains in clay soil](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/do-french-drains-work-in-clay-soil/) explains why this kind of build holds up.

## Your yard will differ

No two lots are alike. Las Colinas clay, a back yard lower than the street, or water arriving from a neighbor would each change the plan. If any of this sounds like your yard, send a photo through the [estimate request](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/contact/) page, or try the [yard drainage check](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/tools/drainage-assessment/).

## Get an estimate

Tell us where the water stands and send a photo. After a site visit, you get a written price.

[(469) 680-8773](tel:+14696808773)

## Guides

- [What happens during drainage installation](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/what-happens-during-drainage-installation/)
- [French drains in clay soil](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/do-french-drains-work-in-clay-soil/)
- [French drain cost in Irving](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/french-drain-cost-irving/)

## Sound like your side yard?

Send a photo of where the ground stays wet and your address.