Drainage Solutions Archives - Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping

How Much Does It Cost to Install Drainage Systems in Kansas City

by Adam Wright | May 23, 2026 | Drainage Solutions

Kansas City has been wet this year. It feels like we’re simply going from one thunderstorm warning to another. Weather conditions like this put a heavy burden on your drainage system. Before the summer rainstorms are fully upon us, now is the time to install or upgrade what you have. In this guide, we’ll talk about how much it costs to install drainage systems in Kansas City, the different types of options available, their pros and cons, and how to move forward.

Types of Drainage Systems

The most common types of drainage systems installed in Kansas City homes include the following:

Grading: A drainage method done by raising or lowering the ground.
French Drain: A buried pipe drainage system with gravel that runs beneath the ground.
Flow Well: A newer drainage option that uses large storage tanks that slowly let out water they collect.

Some homes also add an erosion control system to further prevent soil from washing away. Many also choose to bury their downspouts to better direct the rainwater, improve aesthetics, and protect their home’s foundation.

Types of Drainage Systems and their Pros & Cons

	Definition	Pros	Cons	Cost
Grading	Raising or lowering the ground to influence water flow	Enhances soil stability;Can protect foundation and basements from water damage	Requires ongoing maintenance;May cause run-off to neighboring properties	$100–$200 per hour
French Drain	Covered drainage system to soak up ground water	Cost-effective;Low maintenance;Aesthetically-pleasing	Might clog over the time;Not the most effective in high-water situations	$4,000 – $7,000
Flow Well	Large storage containers	Controlled water release to prevent erosion;More affordable and DIY-friendly	Capacity limitation; Qualities vary significantly between brands;Can break under impact	$750 – $1,500

grading around a property's back walkway for additional drainage. — Grading at a client’s property.

Cost of Grading

Grading is one of the simplest drainage solutions for homeowners who do not want to install more extensive options like French drains or flow wells. This method raises or lowers the ground to direct water away from your home’s foundation and, eventually, off your property.

While the concept seems simple enough, grading must be done by a drainage professional in Kansas City because improper grading can cause more harm than good. Machine grading typically costs $100 – $200 per hour. Grading is also frequently used to level the ground and prepare the site for other projects.

Pros

There are many advantages of using grading as a simple drainage solution:

Grading is the least intrusive method and can often be completed rather quickly
Grading is especially effective in protecting your home’s foundation
Can be combined with other erosion control systems to prevent soil loss from the water flow

Cons

Grading also comes with several drawbacks that must be factored into consideration, especially in areas with high precipitation, such as Kansas City:

Grading would need regular maintenance to ensure the ground’s slope still runs the way you need it to be. The more it rains, the more frequently you might need to maintain the grading.
Depending on the area needing grading, the initial cost can be rather high.
Can cause water to run into your neighbor’s properties.

a newly installed french drain before filling the trench — French Drain

Cost to Install French Drains

French drain comes with three different components: the trench that houses the drain pipe, the pipe itself, and the filler material that provides additional drainage support and visual compensation.

Most landscaping companies in Kansas City use perforated drain pipe and gravel for the best results. French drain installation with a 4” pipe costs from $4,000 to $7,000 in Kansas City.

Pros

French drains are often favored by homeowners as one of the most cost-effective modern drainage solutions:

Pipe-plus-gravel system provides double drainage protection.
More aesthetically pleasing than a normal trench, with the pipe being invisible and covered.
Very long-lasting.

Cons

The surface-level drain can get clogged by debris.
Not the most effective in high-water situations.
The pipe can be subjected to root and other types of damage over time.

Cost to Install Flow Wells

Flow wells, as the name suggests, use large underground container systems to contain the water flow. The containers collect stormwater and slowly release it into the soil.

You can DIY a flow-well installation by purchasing kits from most hardware stores. However, professional installation will ensure the best result. Flow well installation in Kansas City ranges from $750 – $1,500. Royal Creations uses systems with 50-gallon container wells.

Pros

Multi-container configurations give more flexibility and higher drainage capacity.
Sustainable and environmentally friendly, as water is slowly released back into the ground.

Cons

Quality varies from brand to brand. Some containers are prone to breaking.
Maintenance and repair can be labor-intensive.

Erosion Control Systems

Erosion control covers bare soil with different materials to prevent washout. While it’s not necessarily a drainage system, it’s often used hand-in-hand with other stormwater management methods to ensure soil integrity.

Common materials used in erosion control systems are straw mat, sod, ground cover plants, mulch, weed barrier fabric, and river rock.

Cost of different erosion control materials

Material	Price
Straw mat (8ft x 30ft)	$40 – $50 ea
Sod installation	$2.10 – $3.50 per sqft
Ground cover plants	Varies by plant type
Mulch installation	$0.70 – $1.40 per sqft
Weed barrier fabric	$0.50 – $2.50 per sqft
River rock (installation not included)	$1 – $3 per sqft

burying downsout and covering the soil with river rocks can ensure more effective drainage at home — Burying downspout

Cost to Bury Downspouts

Another way to improve your drainage system at home is to bury downspouts. Typically, it costs between $500 and $750 to bury a downspout approximately 10 feet away from the house.

There are many reasons why you’d want to bury your downspout. Mainly, burying your downspout ensures water flows out and away from your home’s foundation, regardless of grading. It also makes your landscape look cleaner now that the gutter drain is buried underground.

Professional Drainage Solutions for Homes in Kansas City

While many landscaping tasks have DIY alternatives, the drainage system is one thing that should absolutely be left to a professional. Improper installation of your drainage system can lead to severe water damage to your landscape and your home’s foundation.

Depending on your existing landscape, sometimes it’s worth your while to consider bundling your drainage project with other projects, such as installing an irrigation system.

Grading and Drainage Issues

by awright | Apr 22, 2024 | Drainage Solutions

With the spring rains last week, we have noticed many people are experiencing drainage issues. If these are not taken care of, they can damage your foundation and other structures, cause erosion issues, or make your yard a swampy mess. Here are some things to consider making sure you don’t have those problems.

Swales and Berms

Swales and berms work to channel and direct stormwater, so it doesn’t impact your foundation or other hardscape areas. Swales are the valleys and berms are the hills. If you have a row of houses with similar stormwater problems, you may have to work with your neighbors to create a swale and berm system to shield all the homes without making the problem worse for some of them.

Burying Downspouts

A lot of water can move off the roof of your home through the downspout and cause a problem with your foundation. The solution is to bury the downspout and channel that water at least ten feet from the foundation. Alternatively, you can make a rock stream path lined with plants that can tolerate being submerged for twelve to twenty-four hours after a heavy rain, but can also tolerate being dry for long periods. Native grasses work well for this with their thick crowns that resist erosion.

French Drains

If you have a low spot that doesn’t drain well but can’t be filled in, like around the foundation, you may need a French drain. This is a trench that is lined with a fabric barrier. A perforated pipe is placed in the trench and it is filled with rock. Some people put a layer of sod on top, while others leave the rock exposed. The French drain helps the surface water drain instead of standing and providing a home for mosquitoes.

Drainage Plan

Developing a comprehensive drainage plan can help you safely direct stormwater around your landscape. Some jurisdictions require such a plan if you add more than 400 square feet of impervious surface. Comprehensive drainage plans are important to make sure you do not send water into your neighbor’s house.

We Can Help

If you are having stormwater and drainage problems, Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping can help design a comprehensive drainage plan and install it for you. Simply schedule a consultation and we will come out.

Stormwater Management and Drainage Solutions

by awright | Apr 15, 2023 | Drainage Solutions

With spring rains falling, you may be experiencing some problems with stormwater management. Are there places where the soil is eroding? Does stormwater get into your home or pool in your yard after a heavy rain? If so, here are some things that can help manage that water, so it doesn’t cause problems for you or your neighbors.

A drawing of swales and berms around a house.

Grading Surface Water

Swales and berms work to slow stormwater down and direct it to give it a chance to absorb into the ground instead of running onto the hardscape. The swales are the valleys, and the berms are the ridges or high points. Swales and berms direct rainwater so that it does not cause a problem. In some cases when water passes along the back of several homes, you may have to work together with your neighbors to come up with the best solution that benefits everyone.

Bury Downspouts

In heavy rain, all the water that goes down the downspouts from your roof can dig a hole around your foundation, causing problems. One way to deal with that is to bury the downspout and get out from the foundation to where it can drain away from the house. You can also establish a rain garden where the downspout outlets the water. A rain garden lets the water soak in instead of running off and doing damage. The end of the downspout should be at least ten feet from the house to keep moisture from accumulating inside. Choose plants that can withstand being submerged up to six inches deep for twelve to twenty-four hours but can also do well when conditions are dry. Native ornamental tall grasses work really well for this.

French Drains

A French drain is a solution to help soak up groundwater in saturated lawn areas and is typically found in the low areas of the yard along swales & valleys. A French drain installation consists of a trench below a drainage problem with a perforated pipe and clean gravel. The first step is to dig a ditch that is 12” – 24” deep for the gravel and pipe to fit in. This ditch needs to slope down with the natural grade. After you dig the trench, place the perforated pipe with the drainage holes down in the ditch. Cover the pipe with gravel until the trench is filled in. Some people put a layer of soil and sod over the gravel, so it blends in with the lawn. Other times the decorative rock can be used to cover with allows more surface water to enter directly into the pipe and move the water faster.

Drainage Plans

Before you start making changes to the drainage of your property it is best to come up with a comprehensive drainage plan. In fact, in some jurisdictions, you are required to come up with a drainage plan if you add more than 400 square feet of impervious surface. This drainage plan will include changes you need to make to your landscape and the effects on neighboring properties. You don’t want change the drainage to direct your stormwater straight into your neighbor’s house, so make sure to think things through.

We Can Help

Royal Creations Architectural Landscaping has trained professionals that can develop a drainage plan for your property and install the needed structures. Schedule a consultation now so we can take care of your stormwater problems.