French Drain Cost (2026)
A French drain costs $25 to $100 per linear foot installed, putting a typical job between $2,500 and $12,000. Yard drains are at the bottom of that range, interior basement or crawl space drains in the middle, and exterior foundation drains requiring excavation to the footing at the top.
- How much does a French drain cost?
- A French drain costs $25 to $100 per linear foot installed, or $2,500 to $12,000 for a typical job. A yard drain is $25 to $50 per foot, an interior basement or crawl space drain $50 to $100 per foot, and an exterior foundation drain $80 to $200 per foot because it requires excavating to the footing.
- Is an interior or exterior French drain better?
- An exterior drain intercepts water before it reaches the foundation and is the more complete solution. An interior drain collects water that has already arrived and pumps it away, which works reliably and costs a third as much. For most homes with a wet basement or crawl space, interior is the proportionate choice.
- Can I install a French drain myself?
- A yard drain, yes — materials are $10 to $20 per linear foot and the work is trenching, gravel and perforated pipe. An interior drain means cutting and repouring concrete against the footing, and an exterior one means excavating beside the foundation, neither of which is a reasonable DIY project.
- How long does a French drain last?
- 30 to 40 years when installed with proper filter fabric and clean gravel. The common failure is sediment clogging the pipe, which comes from skipping the fabric or using the wrong aggregate — a shortcut that saves a few hundred dollars and costs the whole installation a decade early.
| What you're pricing | Low | Typical | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yard / surface drain$25–$50 per linear foot | $1,200 | $2,800 | $5,000 |
| Interior basement or crawl space drain$50–$100 per linear foot, concrete cut and replaced | $3,000 | $6,000 | $12,000 |
| Exterior foundation drain$80–$200 per linear foot, excavation to the footing | $8,000 | $15,000 | $25,000 |
| Curtain drain, upslope interceptionCatches water before it reaches the house | $1,500 | $3,500 | $7,000 |
| Add: sump pump and pitNeeded wherever gravity discharge is not possible | $900 | $1,800 | $3,500 |
| Add: dry wellWhere the discharge has nowhere to go | $1,200 | $2,500 | $5,000 |
What drives the price
- Linear feet
- The primary unit of pricing. Partial-perimeter installations are proportionally cheaper and are correct when the water consistently enters on one side.
- Interior, exterior or yard
- Interior means cutting concrete. Exterior means excavating and reinstating whatever is above it. Yard means neither, which is why it is half the price.
- Where the water goes
- Gravity discharge to daylight is free. No slope means a sump pump at $900 to $3,500, and no legal discharge point means a dry well at $1,200 to $5,000.
- What has to be removed and put back
- Patios, driveways, decks and mature planting over an exterior run can add more to the quote than the drain itself.
When a French drain is the wrong purchase
If the water reaching the foundation comes from gutters and grading rather than from the water table, a drain is an expensive way to manage a problem that should be eliminated. Downspout extensions and regrading cost a few hundred dollars and resolve a large share of wet basements outright.
The diagnostic question is timing. Water that appears within an hour of rain starting is almost always surface water — gutters, grading, a hard surface sloping toward the house. Water that appears a day later, or that is present regardless of rain, is groundwater, and groundwater is what a French drain exists for.
Common questions
- How much does a French drain cost?
- A French drain costs $25 to $100 per linear foot installed, or $2,500 to $12,000 for a typical job. A yard drain is $25 to $50 per foot, an interior basement or crawl space drain $50 to $100 per foot, and an exterior foundation drain $80 to $200 per foot because it requires excavating to the footing.
- Is an interior or exterior French drain better?
- An exterior drain intercepts water before it reaches the foundation and is the more complete solution. An interior drain collects water that has already arrived and pumps it away, which works reliably and costs a third as much. For most homes with a wet basement or crawl space, interior is the proportionate choice.
- Can I install a French drain myself?
- A yard drain, yes — materials are $10 to $20 per linear foot and the work is trenching, gravel and perforated pipe. An interior drain means cutting and repouring concrete against the footing, and an exterior one means excavating beside the foundation, neither of which is a reasonable DIY project.
- How long does a French drain last?
- 30 to 40 years when installed with proper filter fabric and clean gravel. The common failure is sediment clogging the pipe, which comes from skipping the fabric or using the wrong aggregate — a shortcut that saves a few hundred dollars and costs the whole installation a decade early.
How we price this. Figures are national 2026 estimates built from contractor quote ranges, material pricing and regional labour rates, then cross-checked against published industry cost data. Reckon Home does not sell, broker or perform this work. Use these numbers to judge whether a quote is reasonable — not as a quote.