Hear from Our Customers
Upper Moreland Township’s own stormwater committee documented it plainly: the infrastructure here is “undersized, deteriorating, and all together non-existent in many places.” They identified 45 flooding problem locations across the township. That’s a government record, not a scare tactic. It means the municipal system isn’t coming to save your foundation.
When a french drain system is installed correctly, you stop fighting the same battle every spring. No more watching the radar at midnight. No more wet carpet smell that lingers for weeks. No more wondering what’s growing behind the drywall. The water gets intercepted before it ever reaches your foundation, and it gets directed somewhere it can’t hurt you.
For homes in Upper Moreland — most of which were built in the 1940s, long before modern waterproofing standards existed — this isn’t a renovation upgrade. It’s the first real drainage system many of these homes have ever had. Add in the clay-heavy soils throughout Montgomery County that hold water against your foundation for days after a storm, and a properly installed french drain isn’t optional. It’s overdue.
We’ve been working in Montgomery County and Upper Moreland for close to two decades. That means we’ve been inside the same mid-century homes you’re living in — the 1940s construction along Moreland Road, the neighborhoods off Blair Mill, the houses near the Pennypack Creek corridor that flood every time the watershed gets pushed past its limit.
What makes us different isn’t just experience. It’s the combination of credentials most drainage contractors don’t have. We’re a Certified Lead Inspector and Risk Assessor operating under EPA and HUD compliance standards. In Upper Moreland, where virtually every original home predates the 1978 federal lead paint threshold, that matters the moment a shovel goes near your foundation.
You get one contractor who handles the full picture — drainage, mold, lead, asbestos, demolition, and cleanup. Fully licensed, bonded, insured, and available by phone around the clock. Free estimates, no pressure, and cash discounts available.
It starts with a free on-site estimate. Before anything gets dug up, we assess your property — where water is entering, how your yard grades, what the soil conditions look like, and whether there are any environmental hazards that need to be addressed before excavation begins. In Upper Moreland’s pre-1978 housing stock, that last part isn’t optional. Testing before digging is standard practice here.
Once the scope is clear, the installation begins. For exterior systems, that means excavating along the foundation perimeter, laying a bed of clean crushed stone, placing rigid perforated PVC pipe wrapped in geotextile filter fabric, backfilling correctly, and establishing a precise outlet. In Montgomery County’s clay soils, the filter fabric isn’t a nice-to-have — it’s what keeps the system from clogging within a few years. Interior systems follow a similar logic, just routed through the basement floor to a sump pump.
Upper Moreland’s Code Enforcement Department requires permits for drainage work, and we handle that compliance as part of the job. No shortcuts, no code violations, no headaches after the fact. When it’s done, you get a system built to last 30 to 40 years — not one that looks fine until the next heavy storm rolls through the Pennypack watershed.
Ready to get started?
A french drain is only as good as what goes into it. We use rigid perforated PVC pipe — not the cheap corrugated flex pipe that collapses under soil pressure and clogs within a few seasons. Every system includes properly graded geotextile filter fabric, clean crushed stone, and a calculated slope of at least 1% to keep water moving. In clay-heavy Montgomery County soil, these aren’t upgrades. They’re the baseline for a system that actually holds up.
Beyond the drainage installation itself, we bring something no other local contractor in the Willow Grove area offers: the ability to test and handle whatever gets uncovered during the process. Lead paint on a 1940s foundation wall. Mold behind a finished basement that’s been wet for years. Asbestos pipe insulation near the utility area. Most drainage contractors walk past these things. We’re certified to identify and remediate them — on the same project, with the same crew, under one estimate.
Whether you need a perimeter french drain around your foundation, a yard drainage system to redirect surface water, or an interior basement drain tied to a sump pump, the process is the same: assess it properly, install it correctly, and leave you with a system you don’t have to think about again. HEPA filtration is used on every applicable job, keeping your home clean throughout the process.
The short answer is hydrostatic pressure. When it rains hard in Upper Moreland, the clay-heavy soil throughout Montgomery County absorbs water slowly — and holds it against your foundation wall for days, sometimes longer. That sustained pressure finds any crack, gap, or weak point in the foundation and pushes water through.
The longer answer involves Upper Moreland’s stormwater infrastructure, which was built for a different era. The township’s own stormwater committee documented 45 flooding problem locations and described the system as undersized and deteriorating in many areas. The Pennypack Creek watershed, which runs through Upper Moreland, has been under increasing stress from decades of suburban development that reduced natural infiltration and increased surface runoff. Your basement isn’t flooding because of bad luck. It’s flooding because the system around your home was never designed to handle what it’s dealing with now. A properly installed french drain intercepts that groundwater before it reaches your foundation — which is the only reliable fix.
For most residential properties in Upper Moreland, exterior french drain installation runs somewhere between $5,000 and $10,000 depending on the linear footage, depth of excavation, and whether any environmental testing or remediation is needed. Interior systems are generally less expensive on the excavation side but still require proper materials and sump pump integration to work correctly.
The range matters because no two properties are the same. A home in the Blair Mill Village area with documented watershed flooding history may need a more comprehensive perimeter system than a property on higher ground with a simpler surface drainage issue. What consistently drives cost up is cutting corners on materials — cheap corrugated pipe and no filter fabric might save money upfront, but it typically fails within five years in Montgomery County’s clay soils. We provide free estimates with a clear breakdown of what’s included, so you know exactly what you’re paying for before any work begins.
Yes. Upper Moreland Township’s Code Enforcement Department requires permits for drainage work, and they actively enforce it. The township enforces the Pennsylvania Uniform Construction Code (PA Act 45), and any excavation or grading work also needs to comply with DEP erosion and sedimentation control requirements. If your property is near one of the township’s documented flood zones, there may be additional floodplain management requirements administered by the township’s Floodplain Administrator.
Working without the required permits isn’t just a fine risk — it can void warranties and create problems if you ever file an insurance claim related to the work. We handle permit compliance as a standard part of every project in Upper Moreland. If you’re unsure whether your specific property triggers additional requirements, the township’s Code Enforcement Department can be reached at 215-659-3100. Either way, it’s handled before the first shovel goes in the ground.
It does, and it’s worth understanding before you hire anyone. Homes built in the 1940s predate the EPA’s 1978 lead paint threshold, which means the foundation walls, exterior paint, and surrounding soil may contain lead. Asbestos pipe insulation was also commonly used in mid-century construction and can be present near utility areas and crawl spaces. When a standard drainage contractor excavates around a pre-1978 foundation, they’re potentially disturbing hazardous materials without the credentials to test for them, handle them safely, or disclose the risk to you.
We’re a Certified Lead Inspector and Risk Assessor operating under EPA and HUD compliance standards. That means before excavation begins on any older Upper Moreland home, the site is assessed for environmental hazards. If something is found, it’s handled correctly — not ignored or buried back in the ground. This is the part of the job most drainage contractors skip entirely, and it’s the part that matters most in a township where the majority of the original housing stock was built before federal environmental protections existed.
An exterior french drain is installed around the outside perimeter of your foundation. It intercepts groundwater before it reaches the foundation wall, which is the most effective long-term solution for hydrostatic pressure — the kind of pressure that builds up in Upper Moreland’s clay soils after a heavy rain event and pushes water through foundation cracks. Exterior systems require excavation around the home’s perimeter and are typically the right call when water is coming through the foundation wall itself.
An interior french drain is installed beneath the basement floor, typically along the interior perimeter, and routes water to a sump pump for removal. It doesn’t stop water from entering the foundation, but it manages water once it’s inside and prevents it from pooling on the floor. Interior systems are often used when exterior excavation isn’t practical — due to finished landscaping, tight lot lines, or other site constraints common in Upper Moreland’s densely developed residential neighborhoods. In some cases, both systems work together. The right answer depends on where the water is coming from, how it’s entering, and what your property layout allows. That’s exactly what the free estimate is for.
A properly installed french drain — rigid PVC pipe, correct geotextile filter fabric, clean crushed stone, proper slope — lasts 30 to 40 years in normal conditions. The filter fabric is what makes the difference in Montgomery County’s clay-heavy soil. Without it, fine clay particles migrate into the gravel bed and pipe over time, gradually reducing drainage capacity until the system fails. With it, the pipe stays clear and the system keeps working the way it was designed to.
Maintenance is minimal but not zero. Periodic french drain cleaning — typically every few years depending on your property’s conditions — keeps the outlet clear and confirms the system is flowing correctly. If you notice standing water returning in areas that were previously draining well, or if your sump pump is running more than usual after storms, those are signs the system may need to be inspected. Given Upper Moreland’s documented flooding history and the stress the Pennypack watershed puts on local drainage during heavy rain seasons, staying ahead of maintenance is worth the time. We’re available for inspections, cleaning, and any follow-up work — same number, same crew, same standard.
Local Resources
Useful Links
Other Services we provide in Upper Moreland
