Landscape Drainage Services in Charleston, SC
Drainage Standing Water, and Who to Call About It
If part of your yard is still wet three days after it rains, or water runs toward the house instead of away from it, that is a fixable problem and it is one we are called out for constantly.
It is also the problem most worth fixing first. Drainage decides whether sod takes, whether plants survive, whether a patio settles and whether a crawl space stays dry. Every yard we regrade or drain is work done before the parts anyone photographs.
Doug and Zach Cramer look at the yard themselves, in person. A wet yard cannot be diagnosed from photos, because the fix depends on where the water comes from and where there is anywhere for it to go.
What We Install
- French drains — perforated pipe in gravel, to collect water out of ground that stays saturated.
- Catch basins — for the low point that collects everything after a storm.
- Piping off the gutters — taking roof water away underground instead of dumping it at the foundation, which is the single most common cause of a soggy strip beside a house.
- Channel drains — across a driveway or at the edge of a patio, where sheet water needs intercepting before it reaches somewhere it should not be.
There are a lot of solutions to drainage, and which one applies depends on the yard. Most real fixes use two or three of these together.
The One Most Homeowners Never Think About
Channel drains are very common, and often necessary, where a pool deck connects to the house. A pool deck is a large hard surface that sheds every drop that lands on it, and it usually runs right up against the back of the house. Without a channel drain along that junction, that water has nowhere to go but toward the foundation.
It is almost never on a homeowner’s list when they plan a pool, and it costs far less to include while the deck is being built than to retrofit afterwards.
Drainage or Grading?
Every wet yard is one of two problems, and the answer changes the job completely.
Proper drainage needs proper grading — or it needs a drainage system. If the ground is bumpy or slopes toward the house, we would rather regrade it, because moving water with the shape of the ground is the fix that keeps working with nothing to maintain.
Plenty of Lowcountry houses sit low, though, and simply cannot be given slope away from them. Those yards need a drainage system. And on a yard that already has mature landscaping, adding drainage instead of regrading can save tearing out and redoing the planting — which is often the difference between a sensible job and an expensive one.
How We Approach It
- Consultation at your home. The consultation at your home is free around Charleston, Mount Pleasant and Summerville. For Kiawah, Seabrook, Wadmalaw and Awendaw, or anywhere else more than an hour from Charleston or Summerville, there is a charge for the proposal trip. It comes off the price if you go ahead with the build, and it is not refundable if you do not. Where the water comes from, where it collects, and where it can legally and practically go.
- Grading or system. We tell you honestly which one your yard needs, and what each would cost.
- Installation by our own crew — French drains, basins, gutter piping or channel drains, in whatever combination the yard calls for.
- Restoration. Sod, planting and any hardscape put back so the yard looks like nothing happened.
Cost depends entirely on the problem being solved and what solutions are possible on the site, so we quote after seeing it rather than from a price list.
Drainage Services Across Charleston & the Lowcountry
Cramers Landscaping provides professional landscape drainage services throughout Charleston and surrounding communities:
We understand Lowcountry soil, climate, and drainage challenges, and we engineer systems specifically for Charleston's unique conditions.
Worth Reading Before You Start
Frequently Asked Questions
Who do I call about drainage problems in my yard?
We handle yard drainage across Charleston and the Lowcountry: French drains, catch basins, piping off the gutters and channel drains, plus regrading where that is the better fix. The consultation at your property is free around Charleston, Mount Pleasant and Summerville. For Kiawah, Seabrook, Wadmalaw and Awendaw, or anywhere else more than an hour from Charleston or Summerville, there is a charge for the proposal trip. It comes off the price if you go ahead, and it is not refundable if you do not.
What causes standing water in a Charleston yard?
Either the ground is graded so water has nowhere to go, or there is no system to carry it away. Roof water dumped at the foundation is a very common contributor, which is why we often pipe the gutters underground.
Do I need a French drain or regrading?
Proper drainage needs proper grading, or a drainage system. If the yard is bumpy or slopes toward the house we prefer to regrade. If the house sits low and cannot be given slope away from it, a drainage system is the answer. On an established yard, drainage can also save you redoing the landscaping.
How much does yard drainage cost?
It varies with the problem being solved and which solutions are possible on your site, so we quote after walking the yard rather than from a price list.
Request Drainage Consultation
If part of the yard stays wet after it rains, we will come and look at it. What the fix is depends on where the water comes from and whether there is anywhere for it to go, so it gets quoted after we see the yard.
Call or text Doug at (843) 614-9773, or request a consultation.