Enter the run in linear feet, pick the drain type — exterior yard, curtain / deep perimeter, interior basement, or channel / driveway — add a sump pump tie-in or concrete cutting if the job needs it, and get a competitive 2026 price range in seconds. Then hand the customer a branded estimate before they call the next drainage contractor.
French drains cost $10–$100 per linear foot installed in 2026, depending on the type: an exterior yard drain runs $10–$35, a curtain or deep perimeter drain $30–$75, an interior basement drain $40–$100, and a channel / driveway drain $30–$70. A sump pump tie-in adds $600–$2,500 as a flat add, concrete cutting and slab patch on an interior job adds $5–$15 per foot, and a catch basin or pop-up emitter adds $3–$8 per foot. A typical 100-foot exterior yard drain lands around $1,000–$3,500, while an interior basement system runs far higher. The calculator below prices it instantly by linear foot and type, and QuoteIQ turns the result into a sendable, branded estimate — or an online self-quote your customers run themselves. Plans start at $29.99/mo.
French drains are priced by the linear foot: the length of the run times a per-foot rate for the drain type, plus add-ons for the dig conditions and discharge. The formula: run length × drain-type rate × soil/access factor = base price. The drain type is the biggest lever — a shallow exterior yard drain and an interior basement drain can differ by 5× per linear foot — and the dig is the wildcard, because depth, rock, clay, and tearing out concrete all add cost before a foot of pipe goes in the ground. The calculator above uses the 2026 U.S. market ranges below; your soil, dig depth, and local labor decide where you land inside each band.
| Drain type / add-on | Typical 2026 rate (per linear ft, installed) |
|---|---|
| Exterior yard / surface drain | $10 – $35 |
| Curtain / deep perimeter drain | $30 – $75 |
| Interior basement drain | $40 – $100 |
| Channel / driveway drain | $30 – $70 |
| Concrete cutting & slab patch (add-on) | $5 – $15 |
| Catch basin / pop-up emitter (add-on) | $3 – $8 |
| Sump pump tie-in (flat add-on) | $600 – $2,500 |
The dig is the silent margin killer. Bidding a clean per-foot rate on a yard that turns out to be rock, heavy clay, or full of roots and buried utilities — without pricing that dig as its own line — is how a one-day drain becomes a three-day money pit. Quote the soil, or the excavator eats the profit.
Three factors move every quote beyond the drain type itself: dig conditions (rocky soil, high clay, roots, or a high water table slow excavation and can add 25% or more to labor), the discharge point (a drain that has to reach a daylight outlet, dry well, or pop-up emitter adds pipe and often a catch basin at $3–$8 per foot, and interior systems usually need a sump pump tie-in at $600–$2,500), and concrete — cutting and patching a basement slab adds $5–$15 per foot, which is why interior drains price highest. The calculator’s rocky / hard-dig toggle applies a 25% increase to reflect that. For benchmarks on managing job costs and margins, the U.S. Small Business Administration is blunt: price from your costs, not your competitors’.
A $4,000 yard-drainage job isn’t $4,000 in your pocket. Pipe, washed gravel, geotextile fabric, catch basins, excavator or trencher rental, fuel, disposal of spoil, labor, and the sod or hardscape you have to put back all come out first — and drainage margins live or die on dig time and how the soil behaves, not on any single quote. The SBA’s guidance on managing finances is blunt: track cost per job, not per month.
If the calendar is full but the bank account isn’t growing, the quotes weren’t the problem — under-priced digs and surprise rock were. QuoteIQ Job Costing attaches material, labor, equipment, and dig time to every drain so you see real margin per job, not a guess.
Drainage work is a trust game: the contractor who shows up with a clear, professional number usually wins the job. Inside QuoteIQ, the price you just calculated becomes a branded estimate sent from the job site, a slot on the schedule, and an invoice that collects card payment the day the trench is backfilled — and customer self-quoting puts this same linear-foot logic on your website so homeowners price their own yard drainage and book while you’re on another job. Map the run before you roll a truck with MapMeasure Pro.
Review Multiplier turns finished installs into Google reviews automatically — the social proof that sells the next drain. QuoteIQ serves drainage and foundation repair crews among 50+ home service industries — and if you run other services too, try the free lawn care, pressure washing, and tree removal calculators, the detailing price list template, or browse all our free tools.
Drainage work is priced per foot but won on the site visit. See the best software for yard drainage businesses ranked for 2026, or how QuoteIQ’s basement waterproofing software handles inspection photos and tiered interior/exterior quotes for water-management crews.
Turn this estimate into a branded, sendable quote in about 60 seconds — or put this calculator’s logic on your own website with customer self-quoting, then run the schedule, the invoice, and the review request without leaving QuoteIQ. Plans start at $29.99/mo.
“It’s very well made, free version has great features but I’m upgrading to full version because I like it so much!”
Verified App Store ReviewA french drain costs $10–$100 per linear foot installed in 2026, depending on the type: an exterior yard drain runs $10–$35, a curtain or deep perimeter drain $30–$75, an interior basement drain $40–$100, and a channel / driveway drain $30–$70. A typical 100-foot exterior yard run lands around $1,000–$3,500, and the dig is the most common reason a quote climbs — rocky soil, heavy clay, or tearing out concrete all add cost. Enter your run length and drain type in the calculator above and the range updates instantly, then send it as a branded quote through QuoteIQ.
French drains run $10–$100 per linear foot installed in 2026. The spread is wide because the type drives the price: a shallow exterior yard drain is $10–$35 per foot, a curtain or deep perimeter drain is $30–$75, a channel / driveway drain is $30–$70, and an interior basement drain is $40–$100. Add-ons stack on top — a catch basin or pop-up emitter is $3–$8 per foot, concrete cutting and slab patch is $5–$15 per foot, and a sump pump tie-in is a flat $600–$2,500. Price your exact run by type in the calculator above.
An interior basement french drain costs $40–$100 per linear foot installed — the most expensive type, because the crew has to cut and remove the concrete floor along the foundation, dig the trench, set the pipe and gravel, patch the slab, and almost always tie in a sump pump ($600–$2,500). A full basement perimeter of 120–150 feet commonly runs $5,000–$15,000 or more. An exterior curtain drain at $30–$75 per foot is sometimes a lower-cost alternative when access allows. Price an interior run in the calculator above.
A 100-foot french drain costs roughly $1,000–$3,500 as an exterior yard drain ($10–$35 per foot), $3,000–$7,500 as a curtain or deep perimeter drain ($30–$75), and $4,000–$10,000 as an interior basement drain ($40–$100). Rocky soil, high clay, or tight backyard access can add about 25% to the dig, and a catch basin, pop-up emitter, or sump pump tie-in raises it further. Enter 100 in the calculator above, pick your drain type, and check the add-ons that apply.
Interior basement drains ($40–$100 per linear foot) cost far more than exterior yard drains ($10–$35) because of the work that happens before any pipe goes in. The crew has to break out and haul away a strip of concrete floor, dig inside a finished space with hand tools and small equipment, install the pipe and gravel, patch the slab, and tie the system into a sump pump that pumps water back up and out — concrete cutting and slab patch alone add $5–$15 per foot. An exterior drain is open-air trenching with a machine, so it digs faster and cheaper. Compare both types in the calculator above.
Contractors price by the linear foot: run length times a per-foot rate for the drain type, plus add-ons for the dig and discharge. The formula is run length × drain-type rate × a soil/access factor, with extras for a catch basin or pop-up emitter ($3–$8 per foot), concrete cutting and slab patch ($5–$15), or a sump pump tie-in ($600–$2,500 flat). Rocky soil, clay, roots, and tight access can add 25% or more to labor. If you are setting your own rates, build from your costs — pipe, gravel, fabric, equipment rental, disposal, labor, insurance — then check against the market table on this page and track real margin per job with QuoteIQ Job Costing.
QuoteIQ is the best software for french drain and drainage businesses because it runs the whole job from one app: customer self-quoting puts a linear-foot price calculator on your website so leads book themselves, quotes send from the job site, jobs land on the schedule, invoices collect card payment when the trench is backfilled, job costing tracks pipe, gravel, equipment, and dig time against every drain, and Review Multiplier turns finished installs into Google reviews automatically — all rated 4.7 stars across 4,100+ reviews and serving drainage crews among 50+ home service industries. Plans start at $29.99/mo, below comparable Jobber and Housecall Pro tiers and a fraction of ServiceTitan. Book a free demo to see it on your own pricing.
Yes — the calculator on this page is free to use and works on any phone or tablet, which helps when you are quoting a drain standing in the customer’s backyard. Enter the run length, pick a drain type, add a sump pump or concrete cutting if the job needs it, and get an instant range; the first time you download or print an estimate, enter your first name and email once and it is unlocked on this device for good. When you are ready to send branded quotes and collect payment, QuoteIQ offers a 14-day free trial on every plan, and a credit or debit card is required to start. Start a trial or keep using the calculator as often as you like.
Free Tools
Every QuoteIQ tool is free — price the job in seconds, then send it as a branded estimate.
Lawn Care Cost Calculator
Pick your services, enter the area, get an instant price range.
Open the Tool → FREEBasement Waterproofing Cost Calculator
Get an instant cost range for basement waterproofing jobs.
Open the Tool → FREEAuto Repair Invoice Template
Fill and download a clean, itemized auto repair invoice.
Open the Tool → FREEArtificial Turf Cost Calculator
Get an instant installed-cost range for artificial turf.
Open the Tool → FREEAir Duct Cleaning Cost Calculator
Get an instant price range for air duct cleaning jobs.
Open the Tool →One quick step
Pop in your first name and email and your PDF & PNG downloads unlock instantly — on this device, for good.
Please enter your first name and a valid email.
We’ll send occasional tips for running your drainage business. Unsubscribe anytime.
Estimates
Create and send professional estimates.
Invoicing
Send, track and collect invoices.
QuoteIQ Cam
Capture and document every job with ease.
Scheduling
Schedule jobs to your calendar in seconds.
Inspection Forms
Create and complete inspection reports.
MapMeasure Pro
Measure and price properties instantly.
Business Analytics
Real-time insight into your performance.
EmployeeHub
Assign, schedule & pay employees.
Virtual Call Team
Never miss a call with 24/7 AJ, assistant.
ClientHub
Send and keep messages inside QuoteIQ.
InstaQuote
Allow customers to create estimates themselves.
InstaSchedule
Let clients schedule appointments themselves.
Facebook User Group
Connect with and get advice from other QuoteIQ users.
Competitor Comparisons
See how QuoteIQ compares to it’s top competitors.
QuoteIQ Partners
Work with trusted partners that support your growth.
Earn 40% commissions by sharing QuoteIQ with others.
Press & Media
Brand assets and coverage about QuoteIQ’s journey.
