Yard & Landscape
Drainage Solutions
Standing water, soggy lawn, flooded basement window wells — landscape drainage problems don’t fix themselves. Craig’s Landscaping diagnoses and solves yard drainage issues for homeowners across the Boston suburbs.
30+ Years of Local Experience
Solving drainage problems across Arlington, Lexington, and Winchester for over 30 years.
Diagnosis First
We assess the source of the problem before recommending a solution — no overselling.
Free Assessment
We’ll walk your property, identify the drainage issue, and tell you what it will take to fix it.
Standing Water Means Something is Wrong
Pooling water after rain. A lawn that stays soggy for days. Mud where there should be grass. Water seeping toward the foundation. These aren’t just cosmetic annoyances — they’re signs that your property isn’t draining the way it should, and the longer the problem goes unaddressed, the more damage it can cause.
Poor yard drainage can erode topsoil, kill turf and plantings, attract mosquitoes, undermine hardscape like patios and walkways, and — in more serious cases — allow water to work its way toward your foundation. In older neighborhoods like those across Arlington and Lexington, where lot grades have sometimes shifted over decades and original drainage features may have failed, these problems are common.
Craig’s Landscaping diagnoses and fixes yard drainage problems for homeowners across Arlington, Lexington, and Winchester. We assess the actual source of the problem — grade, soil, downspout discharge, neighboring runoff — and implement the right drainage solutions, not just the most expensive one. French drains, dry creek beds, regrading, catch basins, downspout extensions — we handle the full range of drainage installations.
Common Drainage Problems We Diagnose & Fix
Drainage issues in the Boston suburbs tend to fall into recognizable patterns. Here are the most common ones we see across Arlington, Lexington, and Winchester:
Standing Water & Soggy Lawn
Water pools in low spots on the lawn and takes days to drain — or doesn’t drain at all. Often caused by low grading, compacted soil, clay-heavy soil that doesn’t absorb well, or runoff from neighboring properties. In many cases a combination of regrading and subsurface drainage solves it. In others, a dry creek bed or swale channels water away visually and effectively.
- Primary solutions: lawn regrading, French drain installation, dry creek beds, swales
Water Near or Against Foundations
Water pooling close to the house, seeping into basement window wells, or saturating the soil against the foundation. This is the most urgent drainage problem — foundation water intrusion is expensive to remediate once it takes hold. In most cases the culprit is grade that pitches toward the house rather than away from it, combined with poor downspout discharge management.
- Primary solutions: regrading away from foundation, downspout extensions and drainage, window well drains, French drains along the foundation perimeter
Erosion on Slopes & Hillsides
Sloped areas lose topsoil during heavy rain events, leaving bare patches, exposed roots, and sometimes ruts. Erosion typically means water is moving too fast across a surface rather than soaking in. The fix usually involves redirecting flow, slowing it down, and stabilizing the slope.
- Primary solutions: retaining walls with drainage, dry creek beds to channel flow, regrading, erosion-control planting
Downspout & Roof Runoff Discharge
Gutters that deposit water against the foundation or in the same low corner of the yard every rain event. A common and underestimated cause of yard drainage problems — routing downspout discharge properly can solve what looks like a grading problem.
- Primary solutions: downspout extensions, underground downspout drainage pipes, pop-up emitters at discharge points
How We Approach a Drainage Problem
Every drainage project starts with understanding why the problem is happening — not just where. Here’s our process:
1.
Free On-Site Assessment
We walk the property with you, identify the source(s) of the drainage issue, and look at the full picture: where water is entering, where it’s pooling, what the grade is doing, and what’s downstream. A thorough assessment often reveals that the visible problem (standing water in the middle of the lawn) has a cause that starts somewhere else entirely (a downspout discharging in the wrong direction, or a neighbor’s lot grading toward yours).
3.
Installation
Based on the need and the details of the project, we’ll schedule the installation when it works best for you. The length of the installation process will depend on what your yard needs.
We minimize disruption to surrounding turf and clean up thoroughly when the work is done.
2.
Written Proposal
We’ll put together a clear written proposal that explains what we recommend, why, and what it will cost. We won’t recommend a French drain if regrading will solve the problem. We won’t recommend a full regrading project if a downspout extension is all that’s needed.
The goal is the right fix at the right scale for your property.
4.
Testing & Walkthrough
Before we leave, we verify that the system is flowing properly and walk you through the installation so you know where everything is and what to expect during a rain event. Our goal is to make sure your questions are answered and you’re 100% satisfied with every detail of your drainage solution.
Why Homeowners in Arlington, Lexington, & Winchester Trust Craig's with Their Drainage Problems
Drainage work is one of those services where doing it wrong costs more than not doing it at all. An undersized French drain in the wrong location, a regrade that pitches water toward the wrong outlet — these mistakes create new problems while the original one persists.
Here’s why our clients trust us to get it right.
We diagnose before we sell.
We don’t walk into a property and immediately recommend the most expensive drainage system we offer. We assess the actual source of the problem first — and sometimes the fix is simpler than the homeowner feared. Our reputation is built on solving problems correctly, not on upselling scope.
Backyard drainage and landscape design work together.
Drainage problems often intersect with grading, retaining walls, and planting design. When your drainage contractor is also your landscaping contractor, these get designed together — which means a dry creek bed that also looks intentional, or a regrade that sets up the lawn renovation properly. No trade working against another.
We know eastern Massachusetts drainage conditions.
The clay-heavy soil common in the Boston suburbs, the frost depths that affect how deep drainage infrastructure needs to go, the seasonal patterns of rainfall and snowmelt — 30+ years of working in Arlington, Lexington, and Winchester means we’ve seen the full range of drainage conditions specific to this area.
We stand behind our work.
A drainage system that doesn’t drain is a failure, not a finished job. We’ve been working in these communities for over 30 years, and our reputation depends on projects that actually solve the problem. If something isn’t working the way it should after we’ve installed it, we’ll make it right.
We highly recommend using Craig’s Landscaping. They have totally transformed our garden over the last couple of years. They listen to our ideas on plantings and they make suggestions that fit the area – things we hadn’t necessarily thought of. They stand by their work and always respond to queries. Love Laurie in the office too. And their prices are fair!
Landscape Drainage Solutions We Design & Install
French Drains
A French drain is a perforated pipe buried in a gravel-filled trench that intercepts and redirects subsurface water away from problem areas. It’s one of the most effective solutions for soggy lawns, wet spots in planted beds, and water accumulating near the foundation.
When properly installed — at the right depth, with the right grade, and with a proper outlet — a French drain is a long-lasting fix that’s essentially invisible once the lawn grows back over it.
Lawn Regrading
Regrading means reshaping the ground surface so water flows away from problem areas rather than pooling in them. This is often the most fundamental fix — drainage systems work better on a properly graded site, and in many cases regrading alone solves the problem without any additional infrastructure.
We regrade using fill material, topsoil, and in some cases adding or removing soil volume to establish proper pitch across the lawn.
Catch Basins & Channel Drains
Catch basins are underground inlets — typically a grated box at a low point — that collect surface water and route it through an underground pipe to a discharge point. Channel drains serve a similar purpose along linear edges like patio borders, driveways, or the base of steps.
These are the right solution when a specific low point consistently collects water and surface regrading isn’t sufficient.
Retaining Walls with Drainage
When a slope is both an erosion problem and a drainage problem, a properly built retaining wall — with drainage stone and perforated pipe behind it — addresses both. The wall holds the grade, the drainage system behind it relieves hydrostatic pressure and redirects water safely.
We design and build these as integrated systems, not two separate trades working independently.
Did you know?
We also offer a full range of other services to build your perfect outdoor space. Other services include patio construction, irrigation system installation and service, and yard maintenance.
Serving Arlington, Lexington, Winchester, & Nearby Towns
Craig’s Landscaping has been a leading yard drainage contractor in the Boston suburbs for over 30 years. Our primary service area covers three towns in Middlesex County, but we also work in neighboring towns:
- Arlington, MA
- Lexington, MA
- Winchester, MA
We’re familiar with the specific drainage conditions across these communities — including the clay-heavy soils common in Middlesex County, the frost depths that affect underground drainage infrastructure, and the low-lying lots in certain neighborhoods that are particularly prone to drainage challenges.
Not sure if we cover your area? Give us a call at 781.643.3841 or send us a message. If your home is outside the towns listed above, we still may be able to help you with your next landscaping project.