Standing water in the yard on an inspection report: cost

What does standing water in the yard mean on an inspection report?

It means the lot doesn't shed rain. Most standing water in a yard comes from a few causes: ground that slopes toward the house, clay soil, overflowing gutters or flat ground. Each has a different fix. Get a drainage contractor's written bid before your deadline, and ask the seller for that figure.

Key takeaways

• Water still standing 48 hours after rain is a drainage problem. Healthy soil absorbs rain within a day.
• Rainplan puts a professionally installed French drain at $1,500 to $5,000 and a catch basin at $500 to $2,500. Your contractor's bid replaces both.
• Inspectors don't have to check underground downspout drain pipes. If the house has a French drain, a camera shows whether it is clogged or collapsed.

How serious is standing water in the yard?

Water that lingers past 48 hours means the soil has hit its limit. It matters most when that water sits near the house. The International Association of Certified Home Inspectors (InterNACHI) standards of practice have the inspector check surface drainage and grading where they may harm the structure through moisture. Rainplan, a stormwater management company, says water pooling at the foundation pushes against the walls and seeps through cracks.

Read the rest of your report for the indoor signs: basement dampness, a musty smell, or horizontal or stair-step foundation cracks. If any of those appear, have a structural engineer look before your deadline, ahead of any money talk. Away from the house, soaked soil yellows the grass by starving the roots of air. Standing water is also where mosquitoes breed, per the Environmental Protection Agency.

If the report says the ground slopes toward the foundation, that is a separate finding. Negative grading on an inspection report covers regrading.

What does it cost to fix yard drainage?

The fix depends on where the water comes from. Pooling near downspouts needs extensions. A low spot needs a catch basin or regrading. A large soggy area or clay soil needs a French drain, a gravel trench with a perforated pipe that carries water away underground.

Check the roof first. A 1,000-square-foot roof sheds over 600 gallons from one inch of rain. Surface extensions should carry that water at least 5 feet from the foundation. If the pooling sits under a downspout, the cheapest row below may be the whole fix.

Kept prices every line of an inspection report for $79, usually under 4 hours, and marks regrading and drainage correction as a line that needs a contractor's quote, as how Kept prices a repair explains.

Here is a yard drain priced with Bob Vila's figures. Say the contractor measures an 80-foot run:

• Drain: 80 feet at $20 to $40 a foot is $1,600 to $3,200.
• Permit, if your town requires one: $50 to $100.
• Overseeding the trench: $90 to $180.
• Total: $1,740 to $3,480.

Digging also tears up the lawn, and the installer usually won't repair it. Ask whether the bid includes that.

What if the house already has a French drain?

French drains can clog. Soil and debris build up inside the pipe until water stops moving. Roots get in too. InterNACHI's standards don't require the inspector to check underground downspout drain pipes, so the report may say little about a buried line.

A clog in a sound pipe is the cheap case. A collapsed line is the expensive one. A yard line is priced by the contractor who scopes it.

You can't tell which you have from the surface. A camera down the line shows the inside of the pipe. Ask a drain or plumbing contractor to scope it before your deadline.

During your inspection period, ask the seller's permission to run a hose into the drain's opening. Bob Vila says most drains in good condition handle a hose's flow. If water backs up, a blockage is likely.

Who can give me a number before my deadline?

For a new drain or catch basin, call a drainage or landscape contractor to walk the lot. For an existing drain, call a drain or plumbing contractor with a camera. Ask either one for a written bid that names the scope and length. How to get repair estimates during the inspection period covers getting one fast.

What should I ask the seller for?

Ask for the figure on the contractor's bid, as a credit or as a repair before closing. Name the scope, the trade and the source in one line:

Install French drain across the rear yard low spot, licensed drainage contractor, per the contractor's written bid.

What to ask for after a home inspection shows where this line sits in your list. The buyer repair request letter template has the wording around it.

Your contract sets the deadline and what you can ask for, so confirm both with your agent.

What if the seller says no?

Counter with the bid itself, not a round number. If the camera found a collapsed line or the engineer found foundation damage, the cost may no longer be knowable before your deadline. When to walk away after a home inspection helps you weigh that.

How do I fix standing water in a yard with clay soil?

Clay drains slowly. It absorbs less than 0.05 inches of water an hour, against 1 to 6 inches for sandy soil. For chronic pooling on clay, Rainplan points to a rain garden with an underdrain or a French drain. Compost worked into the top of the soil helps over time.

Does a French drain need to be cleaned out?

Yes. Bob Vila recommends pressure washing the line once a year. Roots, packed mud and small rocks can beat a pressure washer, and those clogs need a heavy-duty drain snake. Ask the seller when the drain was last flushed, and put it on the contractor's list if nobody knows.

What will the rest of my report cost?

Drainage is one of many exterior findings, and your report has more lines than this one. If your yard is one line among many, upload your inspection report to Kept and spend your remaining days on the bids that need a contractor.

Sources

• Rainplan, Yard Drainage Solutions
• Bob Vila, French Drain Cost
• Bob Vila, French Drain Cleaning Dos and Don'ts
• InterNACHI Home Inspection Standards of Practice
• Environmental Protection Agency, Success in Mosquito Control