Freshly graded lot with a low spot holding rainwater, new houses beyond

Drainage & French Drains · Tulsa

Underground Drainage and Downspout Lines in Tulsa, OK

Name: Earthworks by Justin
Address: OK, US
Telephone: (918) 240-3392

Gutter and downspout water taken underground and carried away from the house, instead of dumping beside the foundation or across the lawn. Justin trenches the line, lays it with steady fall to a proper outlet, and puts the ground back.

Free on-site estimates
1 operator, start to finish
Tulsa and northeast Oklahoma

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Drainage & French Drains · Tulsa

Drainage & French Drains in Tulsa

Every roof in Tulsa collects a lot of water in a storm, and each downspout puts its share in one spot. When that spot is a flower bed against the slab, a corner over the crawlspace or a low patch of clay lawn, the water stays where it lands. Underground drainage moves it: a buried pipe from each downspout to somewhere lower and further from the house.

A buried line is only as good as its fall and its outlet. It has to run downhill the whole way so it empties after every rain instead of holding water, and it has to end at daylight on a lower part of the lot, at a ditch, or at an existing storm outlet. If the yard is flat, the line may need to run further to find enough fall, and that gets worked out at the walk-through.

Underground drainage often goes in alongside other yard work. A downspout line can be run at the same time as regrading, or planned next to a French drain where both are needed. For wider yard problems see yard drainage in Tulsa, and for water coming up through the ground see French drain installation.

Justin does the walk-through himself and runs the machine himself. Call (918) 240-3392 and he will look at the roofline, the downspouts and the ground before giving you a number.

Is it a good idea to bury downspouts in Tulsa?

Usually, yes, when the ground around the house holds water. Burying a downspout gets roof water away from the foundation and off the lawn, and it gets rid of splash blocks and extensions that get mowed over and kicked aside. On heavy clay, where water does not soak in quickly, it is one of the simplest ways to dry out a wet corner.

It is a poor idea when there is nowhere for the line to go. A buried pipe that cannot fall to a lower outlet just moves the puddle underground, and a line that holds water fills with silt and roots. That is why the outlet gets settled first. The guide to burying downspouts covers the do-it-yourself questions.

How deep a downspout drain line is buried

There is no single depth that suits every yard. The line has to sit deep enough that mowers, foot traffic and the odd vehicle do not crush it, and it has to come out at daylight at the far end. In practice the depth is set by the fall: the trench starts near the downspout and follows a steady slope to the outlet, so it can be deeper at one end than the other.

Freezing is less of a worry than standing water. A line with steady fall drains between storms, so there is little left in it to freeze. A line laid flat or with a dip holds water, collects silt and eventually blocks. The fall gets checked as the pipe goes in, not guessed at.

What moves the cost of underground downspout drainage

The number of downspouts and the length of each run are the start of it. A single back corner to a nearby low spot is a short job; four or five downspouts gathered and carried toward the street is a longer one. The outlet matters too, since daylighting on your own lot is simpler than reaching a ditch or a storm outlet.

Then come the obstacles. Driveways, sidewalks, patios, tree roots and buried lines all change how the trench gets dug. Older Tulsa lots often still have original clay tile and cast iron in the ground, which have to be found and worked around. Putting sod and beds back at the end is part of the price as well. Everything is quoted after Justin has seen it.

Locates, city rules and where Tulsa roof water ends up

Before a trench is cut, buried lines are marked through OKIE811, and older Tulsa yards are full of them; the OKIE811 guide explains the request. If an outlet would send water toward a neighbour, the street or the public right-of-way, ask the City of Tulsa through 311 before the work starts.

The City's Stormwater Quality program points out that storm drains are not part of the sewer system: what goes in flows untreated to the Arkansas River or Bird Creek. It asks residents to keep inlets clear of leaves, grass and debris, which is worth remembering when a downspout line ends near the curb.

Trench dug beside a gravel road with a large concrete pipe ready to go in

Main service page

Drainage & French Drains: Standing water moved away from foundations, yards and low spots.

Everything in Tulsa

What it includes

What that covers

Downspouts tied into buried pipe and carried away from the house
Gutter water routed past patios, walks and driveways
Lines laid with steady fall so they drain between storms
Outlets set at daylight, a ditch or an existing storm outlet
Old crushed or clogged downspout lines dug up and relaid
Downspout lines planned alongside a French drain where both are needed
Trench backfilled and the ground graded back

Call (918) 240-3392 Free Estimate

Tulsa and nearby

Everything in Tulsa

Tulsa, OK

Tulsa sits on both sides of the Arkansas River and runs from older midtown neighbourhoods out to acreage on every edge of the city.

Town page Also in Tulsa

Drainage & French Drains

Standing water moved away from foundations, yards and low spots.

Main service page

Communities nearby

Jenks Bixby Broken Arrow Sand Springs Owasso

How the work actually goes

You get Justin. Not a crew he sent.

You call

You call. Justin comes out and looks at the job with you, on the ground, rather than pricing it off a photograph.

A number first

You get a number before anything starts.

He runs the machine

Then he shows up and runs the machine.

Ground left usable

Voids get filled and the area gets graded back so you can pour, build or seed.

On the ground

Photos of his work.

These are photographs from actual jobs. See more recent work. Or read about the full drainage & french drains service.

Orange excavator cutting a ditch line along the edge of a yard

Excavation tight to an existing structure

Graded ground on a new lot with gravel piled ready to spread

Questions about this work

Questions people ask

Not seeing yours? Call (918) 240-3392 and ask Justin, or read the guides.

Answers & guides

All guides

Should I bury my downspouts or use splash blocks?

Splash blocks and extensions can work where the ground already falls away from the house. Where water sits against the foundation, a buried line to a lower outlet does the job more reliably and stays out of the mower's way.

How deep should a buried downspout line be in a Tulsa yard?

Deep enough not to be crushed, and set to a steady fall so it drains between storms. The depth changes along the run, so it is set on the day to reach the outlet.

What moves the cost to run downspouts underground in Tulsa?

How many downspouts, how far each line runs, where the outlet is, what is in the way, such as drives, walks and roots, and how much ground needs putting back. Justin quotes after a walk-through.

Can a clogged underground downspout line be fixed?

Often the line is dug up at the problem spot, cleared or replaced, and relaid with proper fall. If the whole run was laid flat, rebuilding it is usually the lasting answer.

Can a Tulsa downspout line run out to the street?

Ask the City of Tulsa through 311 before sending water toward the street or the right-of-way. Where the line can daylight on your own lot, that is often the simpler route.

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