Drainage Systems
Area drains, French drains, channel drains and grading that move water away from your home and hardscape for good — the invisible work that prevents expensive problems.
Southern California does not get rain — it gets rain events
Months of nothing, then an atmospheric river drops a season’s worth of water in days. Homes here fail quietly all year and then announce it during the first big storm. The J Hammer designs and installs drainage that directs water where you want it — away from the foundation, the hardscape and the low spots — so the storm is a non-event.
What we install
- Area and catch-basin drains — collecting water from low spots and yards.
- French drains — gravel-and-pipe systems that intercept subsurface and slope water.
- Channel drains — the linear grates that keep water off driveways, patios and out of garages.
- Downspout tie-ins — carrying roof water away from the house instead of dumping it at the foundation.
- Regrading — reshaping the ground so it drains away from the structure.
Why it matters more than it looks
Water against a foundation, under a slab or trapped in a low corner is how cracks, settling, mold and eroded hardscape start. Drainage is the least visible line on a landscape bid and one of the most important — skipping it does not remove the cost, it just moves it to your foundation later. We plan drainage as its own system, pitched and piped to daylight or an approved discharge.
Built into the whole project
The best time to solve drainage is while the ground is already open — during a hardscape, landscape or paver project. We design one water plan for the whole yard so every surface pitches correctly and the drains actually get the water they are meant to.