# What happens during drainage installation?

> From site visit and 811 locate to trenching, water testing and restoring sod and sprinklers: what a yard drainage job looks like and how to prepare.

URL: https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/what-happens-during-drainage-installation/

Guide

A drainage job moves from measuring to digging to testing to cleanup. Knowing the order helps you prepare the yard, and know what a finished trench should look like.

## Key takeaways

- Every job starts with a site visit and elevations, then an 811 utility locate before anyone digs.
- Paint and flags from the locate appear a few days after the request; leave them in place.
- Each line should be water tested before it is backfilled.
- The trench line will settle a little in the first few rains; that is normal and is topped up.

A drainage job runs in a set order: a site visit and measurements, a written plan, an 811 utility locate, layout, trenching, building the drain, a water test, then backfill, restored sod and sprinklers, and haul-off of extra soil. [Rein Irving Drainage Company](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/) plans and manages each stage; the length of each depends on the yard and the weather.

## Before the work

### Site visit and estimate

The first visit is about measuring, not digging. The wet areas are walked, downspouts and sprinklers noted, and elevations shot from each low spot to every possible outlet: the curb, the alley, a swale line or a lower part of the lawn. Photos taken during rain help a great deal here. The result is a written scope naming the route, the depth, the outlet and what will be restored. The [step-by-step guide](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/how-to-fix-yard-drainage-problems/) explains how that plan is chosen.

### Permits, where needed

Some cities require a permit for work at the curb or for changing a lot’s grade. Coppell, for example, issued a residential curb core for yard drains as an engineering permit in 2022, and Grand Prairie requires an earthwork permit when the grade or drainage pattern is altered. For Irving addresses we confirm the rule per address. The [drainage permits guide](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/drainage-permits-irving-dallas/) covers the nearby cities.

### The 811 utility locate

Before any digging, an 811 locate request goes in. Utility companies send crews to mark their buried lines with colored paint and small flags, usually a few days after the request. Private lines are not marked by 811: sprinkler pipes, landscape lighting, a line to a detached garage or a gas line to a grill. A sprinkler map or a note on where those run saves surprises.

## How to prepare the yard

- **Pets.** Keep them inside or away from open trenches and gates.
- **Gates.** Leave side gates open or unlatched, and note any gate narrower than about four feet so equipment can be planned.
- **Sprinklers.** Show where the controller is and mark zones and heads near the work if you know them.
- **Vehicles.** Keep the driveway clear on the first day if materials will be dropped there.
- **HOA.** If your HOA needs to approve exterior work or a curb connection, start that early.
- **Valuables.** Move pots, furniture and decorations out of the drain route.

## During the work

1. **Layout.** The route is marked with paint or stakes and checked against the locate marks. This is the time to raise questions about where lines or basins will sit.
2. **Trenching.** A trench is cut with a small excavator or trencher where access allows, or by hand in narrow side yards and near utilities. Sod is often cut and set aside first. Soil goes on tarps or plywood where possible.
3. **Building the drain.** Depending on the plan, this means fabric, washed stone and perforated pipe for a [French drain](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/french-drain-installation/); solid pipe for [buried downspouts](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/downspout-drainage/); basins set at low spots for [catch basins](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/catch-basins/); cleanouts at turns; and the outlet, such as a curb core or pop-up emitter.
4. **Water test.** Before backfill, each line is tested with a hose or by filling the basin, and the water is watched until it leaves at the outlet. Ask to see it.
5. **Backfill.** Trenches are filled and tamped in layers, with clean stone where the plan calls for it.
6. **Restoration.** Crossed sprinkler lines are repaired and tested, sod is relaid or replaced along the trench, and any cut concrete is patched.
7. **Haul-off.** Extra soil, old pipe and debris are removed, and walks and driveways cleaned.

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

## What the yard looks like afterward

| Right after | In the first few weeks |
| --- | --- |
| A visible line of new or relaid sod along each trench | Sod knits in with regular watering |
| A slightly raised or crowned trench line | Settling in the first rains; low spots topped up with soil |
| Flush grates and pop-up lids in the lawn | Grass grows in around them; keep mulch off grates |
| Some trampled lawn along the access route | Recovers with watering in the growing season |

Some settling along a trench line is normal, especially after the first heavy rain on clay. A low line that holds water should be topped up with soil, not left. Restoration in summer heat or a winter dormant season can take longer to look finished.

## After the first storm

Walk the yard during or after the first real rain. Check that water reaches each inlet, that the outlet runs, and that no new puddle forms over a trench. If something looks wrong, photos with times make it easy to diagnose. Over the long term, a little upkeep keeps a system working; see [how long a French drain lasts](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/how-long-does-a-french-drain-last/).

## A practical next step

The best way to start is with photos of the wet area during or after rain and a note of where the downspouts empty. Try the [cost tool](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/tools/drainage-cost-estimator/) for a quick range, read about [whole-yard drainage](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/yard-drainage/), or [request a site visit](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/contact/).

## Questions people ask

### Do I need to be home during drainage installation?

Not for most of it, as long as gates are open or left unlatched, pets are inside and the sprinkler controller can be reached. It helps to be available at the start to confirm the layout and at the end to see the water test.

### What are the colored paint marks and flags in my yard?

They come from the 811 utility locate. Each color stands for a type of buried line, such as red for electric, yellow for gas, orange for communications and blue for water. Leave them in place until the work is finished.

### Can I run my sprinklers right after drainage work?

Usually yes once crossed lines are repaired and tested, and new sod needs regular watering to root. Just avoid soaking the trench line hard in the first days, which can wash fill out from under the sod.

## 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)

## Related service

[Yard drainage systems](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/yard-drainage/)

## Related services

- [Yard drainage systems](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/yard-drainage/)
- [French drain installation](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/french-drain-installation/)
- [Catch basin installation](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/catch-basins/)
- [Downspout drainage](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/downspout-drainage/)

## Guides

- [How to fix yard drainage problems](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/how-to-fix-yard-drainage-problems/)
- [Where a French drain drains](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/where-does-a-french-drain-drain/)
- [Drainage permits in Irving and Dallas](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/drainage-permits-irving-dallas/)
- [How long a French drain lasts](https://reinirvingdrainagecompany.com/guide/how-long-does-a-french-drain-last/)

## Ready to plan the work?

Send photos of the wet area and your address to start with a site visit.