French Drain in Jacksonville & Northeast Florida
Give the water somewhere else to go.
When water keeps ending up under the house, a liner alone will not hold. A French drain in a gravel trench intercepts the water before it reaches the crawlspace and carries it to a low point or a sump.
Typical price$10–$35 / linear ftinstalled · market range, not a quote →
In their words
French drains are placed in a trench around homes that have consistent flooding/standing water issues.
What's included
The actual scope
- Perforated pipe in a gravel-filled trench
- Filter fabric to keep sand out
- Routed to daylight or a sump basin
- Grading and downspout extensions as needed
- Yard restored afterward
How it runs
Inspection to finished
- Walk the property and find the water path
- Design the route and outfall
- Trench, pipe, gravel and backfill
- Test with water before we leave
Terms, plainly
Free inspection. Photos and moisture readings delivered to you. A written quote with each solution priced on its own, so you can do it all or do it in stages.
French drain and sump, in cross-section
Where you live changes the job
Four kinds of ground, four versions of this job
Northeast Florida has four distinct ground conditions, and each one changes how we size and sequence this work. Your town page has the specifics.
Barrier islands and the Intracoastal
Full encapsulation with a sealed liner and dehumidifier, stainless or coated fasteners, and a sump where the water table reaches the crawl floor in storm season.
St. Johns River and tidal creek lowlands
Drainage first: a perimeter French drain and a sump sized for the volume, then a sealed liner and dehumidifier so the wood can finally dry out.
Pine flatwoods and hardpan
Vapor barrier or full encapsulation with a dehumidifier to break the humidity cycle, plus grading, downspout extensions and a French drain where water perches against the foundation.
Karst and clay uplands
Moisture control with a sealed liner and dehumidifier, drainage where clay holds water against the foundation, and an honest assessment of any pier or block movement before anything is sealed.
Questions about french drain
French Drain: what people ask
How much does a French drain cost in Jacksonville?
Published 2026 cost guides put an exterior French drain at $10–$35 per linear foot, about $1,000–$3,500 for every 100 feet, with most jobs between $2,000 and $7,000. Length, depth, where the water can be sent, roots and buried lines in the way, and putting the yard back afterward move the number. Deeper drains dug down to a footing run more, around $30–$70 per linear foot.
Do French drains work in sandy Florida soil?
Yes, with filter fabric. Sand washes into unprotected gravel and pipe until the drain clogs and stops working, so the trench is lined with fabric before the gravel and pipe go in. On flatwoods lots the drain is placed to catch water perched on the hardpan before it reaches the foundation.
Where does the water from a French drain go?
Downhill to daylight where the lot allows it, or into a sump basin where it does not, which is common on flat Northeast Florida lots. From the sump it is pumped out through a discharge line well away from the house. The drain is tested with water before the job is done.
Who calls 811 before a French drain is dug?
The company doing the digging. Florida law requires an excavator to notify Sunshine 811 at least two full business days before digging (Florida Statutes, section 556.105), and the member utilities then mark their lines. Sprinkler lines, landscape lighting and other lines you own may not be marked, so point them out before the trench goes in.
Will a French drain tear up my yard?
There is a trench, so there is some mess while it is dug, lined, piped, filled with gravel and backfilled. The yard is restored afterward, and any grading or downspout extensions that go with the drain are done at the same time. Flag anything you care about, like irrigation heads or plantings, before the work starts.
Typical prices for every service are in the crawl space cost guide, and general questions are on the FAQ page.
Other things we fix while we are under there
- Vapor BarrierThe floor of a dry crawlspace.
- Crawl Space EncapsulationSeal it, condition it, forget about it.
- Sump PumpMove the water out before it does damage.
- ExclusionKeep the critters out for good.
- InsulationStop paying to cool the ground.
- Crawl Space Clean-OutStart from clean.
- DehumidifierHold the humidity where wood stays dry.
Not sure if you need this? That's what the inspection is for.
Free inspection anywhere in Northeast Florida, and an honest answer about whether it can wait.