Drainage & grading
Every paving failure we are called to is a water problem.
Cracked driveways, leaning walls, sunken patios, wet basements. Different symptoms, one cause. Water that had nowhere to go, sat where it should not have, and froze. Fixing the surface without fixing the water buys you two seasons.
Where the water is coming from
Roof water is the biggest volume by far. A downspout discharging at the foundation puts thousands of litres a year into the soil against your basement wall. Extending it three metres out changes more than any other single intervention.
Surface runoff from a driveway or patio graded toward the house rather than away from it. Common on properties where a surface was replaced without re-establishing the fall.
Neighbouring grade. On tight GTA lots the property next door often drains onto yours. That is a swale problem, and it is solvable without a dispute.
A high water table or clay lens holding water in one part of the yard long after the rest has drained. That one usually needs a subsurface solution.
The tools, and when each applies
Soft grading — reshaping the soil surface so water runs where you want it. The cheapest fix and often the whole answer. Nothing buried, nothing to maintain.
A swale — a shallow shaped channel that carries surface water around the house to a low point or the street. Invisible once grassed.
A French drain — perforated pipe in clear stone wrapped in filter fabric, buried, collecting subsurface water and carrying it away. The right answer for a saturated area, the wrong answer for surface runoff, and frequently sold for both.
A dry well — a buried chamber that holds a volume of water and lets it infiltrate slowly. Used where there is nowhere legal to discharge to.
Permeable paving — turning the hard surface itself into part of the drainage system. Increasingly required by the City on new and expanded driveways.
Why we assess before quoting anything above ground
If your driveway is failing because water sits on it, a new driveway on the same grade fails the same way. If a wall is leaning because of trapped water, a new wall without drainage leans too.
So the site visit checks fall, discharge points and where water actually pools after rain before we quote a surface. Sometimes that means the drainage work costs more than you expected and the paving costs less. Sometimes it means we recommend fixing a downspout and doing nothing else this year.
Pricing
Ranges we actually quote across the GTA in 2026. Your number depends on square footage, access, disposal and what has to come out first — all confirmed on site.
| Work | Price | Typical project |
|---|---|---|
| Soft grading | Quoted | By area and volume of material |
| Swale | Quoted | Per linear foot, includes restoration |
| French drain | Quoted | Per linear foot, includes stone, fabric and pipe |
| Downspout extension | From $250 | Buried line to a suitable discharge point |
| Dry well | Quoted | Sized to the catchment area |
Ranges are for planning, not a quote. Get your exact number →
Questions
Water pools on my driveway after every rain. Is that fixable?
Usually, yes. Sometimes it is a re-grade of the surface, sometimes a drain at the low point, sometimes the driveway has settled and needs a section rebuilt. The assessment tells us which — and the answer changes the cost significantly.
What is the difference between a French drain and a swale?
A swale moves water across the surface. A French drain moves water below it. Saturated ground needs a French drain; runoff needs a swale. Installing the wrong one is a common and expensive mistake.
Will fixing the grade stop my basement leaking?
It removes the most common cause, which is water pooling against the foundation. It is not a substitute for waterproofing if the wall itself has failed — but it is the first thing to try because it is cheaper and it fixes many cases outright.
Do I need a permit for drainage work?
Not usually for grading and drainage within your own property. Discharging to the municipal system or altering flow onto a neighbouring property can require approval, and we flag that during the assessment.
Can drainage be done at the same time as a new driveway?
It should be. The excavation is already open, which makes it the cheapest possible moment to install it. Doing it afterwards means cutting into work you just paid for.
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