You can knock off a trench that would take 6 hours to dig by hand in about an hour with a trenching tool. Related: French Drains: When You Need Them Renting a DIY Trenching ToolĪ trenching tool cuts work time. Landscape fabric, 3-by-50-foot roll: $40.Washed drainage gravel, 3 yards: $75 plus $40 delivery charge.If you can get a friend or two to help out, even better.Ĭosts for a hand-dug, 50-foot-long French drain, 12 inches wide, 18 inches deep: The good news is that digging your own trench by hand won’t cost you anything but time, plus what you’ll spend for drain pipe and gravel, a new shovel, and maybe a bottle of aspirin for the following day. You can get additional information on digging services at Dig Safe. This free service makes sure underground utilities are marked before you begin. Phone the Call Before You Dig hotline at 811. Dig Safelyīefore doing any digging, contact your city services to mark the location of any underground utilities. However, installing a footing drain to cure a wet basement is definitely a job for a pro. Reality check: A French drain to cure soggy areas and minor flooding in your yard, sometimes called a curtain drain, can be a DIY undertaking. You’re going to refill your trench with gravel (another 4 to 5 tons), so the excavated dirt needs a new home, such as fill for a low spot on your property or a couple of raised garden beds. Not only do you have to dig out the dirt, you’ll have to move it somewhere. Depending on how wet your soil is (if you have a drainage problem, it’s probably pretty wet), that means 4 to 5 tons of dirt. A single exterior French drain trench that’s 50 feet long means excavating about 75 cubic feet of soil.
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