You get a dry foundation that won’t crack. Your landscape beds stay healthy instead of drowning. Your kids can play in the yard without sinking into mud.
That’s what happens when water goes where it’s supposed to go instead of pooling around your house. No more standing water breeding mosquitoes all summer. No more frozen puddles killing your grass in winter.
The right drainage system turns your biggest property headache into something you never think about again. Water flows away from your foundation, through designed channels, and off your property entirely.
R.E. Douglas Company Inc has been solving water problems in Westmoreland County for years. We understand how Virginia’s clay soils hold water and cause the drainage headaches you’re dealing with.
Your neighbors have called us when their basements flooded, their yards turned into swamps, and their foundations started showing stress cracks from poor water management. We’re the local crew that shows up with the right equipment and actually fixes the problem.
Every project gets our full attention because your property matters to us. We live and work here too.
First, we walk your property and identify exactly where water collects and where it needs to go. We look at your soil type, your foundation, and how water moves across your land during heavy rains.
Then we design a system that makes sense for your specific situation. Maybe that’s French drains to handle groundwater. Maybe it’s catch basins for surface runoff. Maybe it’s regrading to change how water flows entirely.
Installation means digging in the right places, laying proper drainage materials, and connecting everything so water has a clear path away from your house. We restore your landscaping when we’re done so you’d hardly know we were there.
Ready to get started?
Every drainage system we install handles the specific water challenges your Kinsale property faces. That means working with the clay soils and seasonal groundwater patterns that make drainage tricky in our area.
Your system might include French drains with perforated pipes and gravel beds that capture groundwater before it reaches your foundation. Surface drains and catch basins collect rainwater from low spots and channel it away from your house.
We also handle the grading work that makes everything function properly. Water needs to flow downhill, so we make sure your property slopes the right way. All materials are chosen to last in Virginia weather and soil conditions.
You need drainage if water stands in your yard for more than a day after rain, if you see water pooling near your foundation, or if your basement stays damp. Other signs include muddy areas that never dry out, erosion channels forming in your yard, and water stains on foundation walls.
In Kinsale, clay soil makes drainage problems worse because water can’t soak in naturally. If you’re dealing with any of these issues, a proper drainage system will solve them permanently instead of just hoping the next dry spell fixes things.
French drains work extremely well in clay soil because they create an underground pathway for water that can’t penetrate the clay naturally. We install perforated pipes surrounded by gravel that collect water and move it away from problem areas.
For surface water, we often combine French drains with catch basins and proper grading. The key is understanding that clay soil in our area needs help moving water, so we create those pathways artificially. Every system is designed specifically for your soil conditions and water flow patterns.
Most residential drainage installations take 1-3 days depending on the scope of work. A simple French drain might be completed in one day, while a comprehensive system with multiple components takes longer.
We work efficiently but don’t rush the important details. Proper trenching, correct pipe placement, and thorough backfilling all take time to do right. Weather can affect timing since we can’t work in muddy conditions, but we’ll keep you informed about any delays.
We take care to minimize disruption to your landscaping, and we restore areas after installation. Most drainage work requires some excavation, but we plan trenching routes to avoid mature trees and established garden beds when possible.
After installation, we backfill trenches properly, replace topsoil, and reseed or resod affected areas. Many clients are surprised how quickly their landscaping recovers. The long-term benefit of proper drainage actually helps your landscaping thrive by eliminating waterlogged conditions that stress plants.
Drainage system costs vary based on your property’s specific needs, soil conditions, and the complexity of the solution required. Simple French drains start at one price point, while comprehensive systems with multiple components cost more.
We provide free consultations where we assess your property and give you an accurate estimate based on what actually needs to be done. No surprises, no hidden costs. The investment pays for itself by protecting your foundation and eliminating ongoing water damage issues.
Properly installed drainage systems require minimal maintenance. We design systems to be self-cleaning and use materials that won’t clog easily. The main maintenance is keeping surface drains clear of leaves and debris.
French drains typically function for decades without intervention when installed correctly. We use landscape fabric and proper grading techniques that prevent soil intrusion. If you ever have questions about your system’s performance, we’re available to check things out and make sure everything is working as designed.
Other Services we provide in Kinsale