Grading
Grading 101: what positive drainage actually looks like.
If water is hitting your foundation, the cheapest fix is almost never a sump pump. It is regrading. Here is what we look for on every property.
February 8, 2026 / 5 min read
When we walk a property for a drainage call, the first thing we do is forget about the basement and look at the ground. Most water problems start outside, not inside.
Positive drainage means the ground slopes away from every structure on the property, fast enough to move water during a heavy rain, but gentle enough that nothing erodes.
What we look for.
We are looking for the first six feet around the foundation. That zone should drop at least six inches over those six feet. If it slopes toward the house, even a tiny bit, water will pool against the foundation and find a way in.
We also look at downspouts. If they discharge within five feet of the house and the ground is flat, you are essentially watering your foundation every storm.
Swales, berms, and grade transitions.
Once water leaves the structure zone, it still needs a path. Swales are gentle, shallow channels that carry water across a yard to a safe outlet. Berms hold water back where you want it. A properly graded yard does not look engineered, it just feels right under your feet and dries out evenly.
When grading is not enough.
On some lots the topography or neighbor conditions mean grade alone cannot solve the problem. Then we add a French drain, a dry well, or a hard-piped outlet to daylight. But grade is always step one. We have watched plenty of people install $4,000 of pipe to fix a problem that $1,200 of regrading would have solved.
