Drainage
Water is the number one enemy of your home's foundation. When rainwater doesn't drain away from your property properly, it saturates the soil around your foundation, creates hydrostatic pressure against your basement walls, and eventually finds its way inside. Over time, this leads to cracking, mold growth, structural damage, and a significant decrease in your home's value. What starts as a puddle in the yard becomes a five-figure foundation repair if left unaddressed. The same is true for any commercial structure.
Proper drainage on farmland is also essential. It maintains soil health and optimizes crop yields. Without effective drainage systems, excess water can accumulate, leading to waterlogged soils that suffocate plant roots and cause pathogen growth. Additionally, adequate drainage helps to prevent soil erosion and nutrient leaching, ensuring that essential minerals remain accessible to crops. By investing in proper drainage solutions, farmers can enhance productivity, protect their investments, and promote sustainable agricultural practices.
How We Complete Drainage Projects
Central New York gets plenty of rain every year, plus snow melt in winter and spring. With the region's variable conditions, drainage problems are all too common. But most drainage issues can be solved with proper grading and drainage infrastructure, when done correctly by an expert who understands both water movement and excavation.
Many homeowners try temporary fixes — extending a downspout, adding soil against the foundation, or trenching a shallow ditch across the yard. Solutions like this rarely work in the long run because they don't address the root problem—where the water is coming from, where it needs to go, and how to get it there. A properly designed and installed drainage system solves the problem once and protects your home for decades.
Drainage work requires an understanding of both surface and subsurface water movement — and the excavation skills to install the solution properly. That's exactly what Lewis Excavating brings to every drainage challenge. We're excavation pros who understand soil, water, grade, and the physics of how they interact on your property. Every drainage system we install is designed to handle the worst water issues you can encounter—and thwart it for good.
Top Drainage Services
Grading for Drainage
Regrading to establish proper slope, assuring water runs away from your home is often the simplest and most effective fix. Lewis excavation can create proper and consistent grade to move water solely by gravity.
French Drains
French drains use perforated pipe in a gravel-filled trench to intercept and redirect subsurface water away from your foundation. Installed at proper depth and slope for maximum water capture.
Downspout Extensions
We're able to redirect roof runoff away from your foundation using buried downspout lines connected to dry wells or daylight outlets at the property edge.
Curtain Drains
Curtain drains are essentially interceptor drains placed uphill from your home which catch water migrating through the soil before it reaches your foundation walls.
Dry Wells
Underground collection chambers that capture and slowly disperse stormwater runoff into the surrounding soil. Ideal for managing roof runoff and surface water from paved areas.
Full Drainage System
Lewis Excavating can design multi-component systems with French drains, dry wells, grading, and downspout management for total water control on land with complex drainage challenges.
If you're looking for drainage services in Central New York, give us a call today.
Frequently Asked Drainage Questions
Should I have a French drain or dry well? The answer is specific to your land and situation. French drains intercept subsurface water while dry wells collect and disperse surface runoff. Many homes benefit from both.
Can you handle standing water? Yes. Standing water is a very common problem. Regrading and/or installing a French drain usually will solve a standing water problem for good.
Do I need drainage system maintenance? Properly installed drainage systems are usually maintenance-free. It is good to occasional inspect outlets and inlets to be sure there are no blockages.
The Dirt on Lewis Excavating
Lewis Excavating has Central New York at heart. From Syracuse to Rochester and all across Wayne County (our home), we've dug, moved, and uncovered just about everything...more than once. That's how we've gotten to know exactly what we're doing.
When we begin a job, we take everything into account and measure it against our real-world experience. Whether we're digging a foundation, trenching for utilities or adding a pond to a farm, we know what to watch out for—and how to do it right.
With all that in our back pockets, we consider ourselves a top excavation company, holding a dedication to delivering high-quality excavation services. We specialize in site preparation, grading, and earthmoving for both residential and commercial projects, as well as a range of agricultural services. Our team, under the guide of owner Chris Lewis, is committed to safety and efficiency at every job site. That's why you can trust Lewis Excavating to provide reliable excavation solutions tailored to your specific needs.
Give us a call or fill out our form to learn more about how we can work together.