Guide · Cost

What drainage costs.

Honest Hill Country ranges for bioswales, French drains, and regrading — and the reason about a third of properties need less than they were quoted. The on-site read is $300, credited — free when you build.

Small: $1,200–$3,500 Major: $3,500–$15,000+ Diagnosis free

Drainage is the one landscape problem people are scared to price, because the number swings wildly and nobody will commit to one. Here's the honest version.

Cost is driven by three things: linear feet, dig depth, and access. A small bioswale on a flat lot near street access is a different project than a 60-foot French drain through a side yard with no machine access. But the ranges below hold for most Hill Country residential work.

§ 1 · The ranges

Honest numbers.

Diagnostic only
Free
On-site Site Read with written diagnosis and DIY recommendations. About a third of clients stop here — the on-site read is credited to your build.
Small project
$1,200–$3,500
Single bioswale, regrade, or short French drain. One to two day install.
Major project
$3,500–$15,000+
Multi-system, deep trenching, structural regrade, or estate-scale. Engineered.

By the linear foot: a planted bioswale runs about $30–$60 per foot; a French drain runs about $50–$120 per foot. That gap is most of why we don't default to French drains.

§ 2 · What moves the price

Why two quotes differ.

§ 3 · Spend less

A third need less.

About a third of the properties we read don't need trenching at all. The fix turns out to be a regrade of one corner, downspout extensions, or a mulched depression nobody had called a rain garden. Most contractors quote a French drain by default because it's the answer they know — but it's overbuilt for roughly 70% of the residential drainage problems we see in the Hill Country.

That's the whole reason the Site Read is $300, credited — free when you build and read-first: you find out you need less before you spend on more. A Land Report of the property maps the actual storm path and where the water collects, so you're pricing the real problem instead of a default trench.

Service
Drainage & Bioswales
How we diagnose and what we build — bonded for the street and right-of-way.
Guide
Bioswale vs. French Drain
Cost, looks, and lifespan, side by side.
Guide
Why Is My Yard Flooding?
Read what's actually happening before you spend.
§ 4 · FAQ

Common questions.

How much does drainage work cost in San Antonio and the Hill Country?
A small project — a single bioswale, a regrade, or a short French drain — typically runs $1,200 to $3,500 and installs in one to two days. Major work — multi-system, deep trenching, structural regrade, or estate-scale — runs $3,500 to $15,000 and up. The first on-site Site Read with a written diagnosis is free, and about a third of properties solve their problem with the diagnosis alone, usually a regrade and downspout extensions.
Why is a bioswale cheaper than a French drain?
A planted bioswale runs about $30 to $60 per linear foot; a French drain runs about $50 to $120 per linear foot. The bioswale uses soil and plants to do the infiltration instead of buried pipe and geotextile, so it costs less to build, often installs in a day, and improves over time as the planting establishes — while a French drain is at full capacity on day one and degrades from there.
Can I fix my drainage for less than a contractor quoted?
Often, yes. About a third of the properties we read don't need trenching at all — the fix is a regrade of one corner, downspout extensions, or a mulched depression that nobody had called a rain garden. Most contractors quote a French drain by default because it's the answer they know, but it's overbuilt for roughly 70% of the residential drainage problems we see in the Hill Country.
Is the drainage estimate free?
The first Site Read is $300, credited — free when you build — a 60-to-90-minute on-site reading of your property and the actual storm flow path, plus a written diagnosis and price range within 48 hours. It's the honest version of an estimate: you get a real plan whether or not you build with us.
From first look to built

Three steps. No leap of faith.

Start free. See your property in 3D before you spend a dollar on the build. Then build it for a number you can see coming.

  1. 01 · Free

    Preliminary Read.

    We come read your property — soil, water, light, the lay of the land — and sketch a direction. Credited in full, no obligation.

  2. 02 · $300, credited in full

    3D LiDAR Design.

    A drone-LiDAR scan and a measured 3D design — exactly where the water flows, drawn to the inch. The $300 comes off your build.

  3. 03 · Priced clear

    We build it.

    Curbside bioswales from $300 a linear meter, plus fountains, native landscapes, and water systems — built by the same hands. No surprise numbers.

Book a Site Read
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Get your real number.

We walk the storm path on your property and write the diagnosis and price range in 48 hours. Credited in full — free when you build.

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