Drainage and Erosion Solutions

Work-men were always on time, hard-working, very polite. Great workmanship. Finished on time.

The company crew arrived as agreed. Carefully dug trenches. Some concern about tree roots. And company kindly delayred rest of job one day for us to consult arborist. Job completed promptly and nicely.

Drainage & Erosion did all the work in one day. Taking out plants, installing their solution, and replanting, leaving the area immaculate. We are very happy with their work.

I'm still waiting for someone to send me a quote so we can have the drainage problem solved.

Team was on time, professional, listened to and honored all our requests, left area completely clean and restored.

Sandy Shepherd was the consultant who came out to look at the terrible drainage problems we were having that caused our basement to flood. Sandy arrived on time and spent a long time looking at the yard, taking notes and measurements and asking questions. He then took all the information and came up with a very comprehensive plan to resolve all the issues. He gave us drawings of the proposed solution along with a break down of what it would cost. We were very impressed with his multifaceted solution. The job took three full days and went great! The DES employees are very hardworking and very professional. Fransisco was my point man and he was terrific! He was very knowledgeable and was very patient with my questions and concerns and explained things in an intelligent manner. The crew arrived in a timely manner every day and worked long and hard. Our yard was completely torn apart during the process, but when they left on the third day, after finishing the job, the yard looked great! I highly recommend Drainage and Erosion Solutions. Keep the water away from your house!

First of all I do have to say that my yard looks amazing they did an awesome job and I would definitely use them again. The reason I cannot comment on pricing is because of the 4-5 companies I contacted they were the only ones to show up and give an estimate. Now some details: We (my wife and I) recently bought our townhome and after the first storm realized we had a leaky basement, the main problem being water pooling directly against the house (there were other issues we had to address but not within the scope of this review). I worked with Evan on this project and when I called within a day or two he came out and assesed the situation and gave me a rough verbal estimate. This was back in may and he was upfront and told me that they would not be able to come out until around end of june time frame. After a couple weeks I did have to reach out and inquire about the written estimate, which was then promptly given and was also given the date of July 8 for work to begin. Once the eighth rolled around... nothing. Was finally able to get a hold of Evan around 1300 and he apologized and said they would be out the next day guaranteed. Those minor communication errors are the only strikes against the company. The following day they showed up and got right to work. The job was completed in three days as promised. As I stated initially my yard looks amazing. The crew worked hard and did a fantastic job. They removed all the old cracked and just really bad looking flagstone, buried a new drain, and laid the new pavers which included two mulch beds as requested. There are only a couple minor cosmetic issues that they promised to rectify (couple of pavers are badly chipped). It took the a while to be able to come out and do the job, but it was well worth the wait

We worked with David Arias to schedule the work. With the exception of one hiccup regarding the scheduling, he was very responsive. He arrived with the crew promptly at 9:00 a.m. and went over the work that would be done with both us and the foreman. Once the crew got started, they worked quickly but carefully. We were impressed with the care that they took in removing and replacing the sod where they needed to dig. They were done with the work by 3:00 p.m. We are very pleased with the quality of the work and would recommend the company to others.

Drainage and Erosion Solutions, LLC did a fantastic job at my home. They built a sod drainage swale in my side yard and a rock creek bed through my back yard to help move water away from my home. They also installed downspout extensions on all of my gutters. The whole process from consultation to the actual work was a pleasant experience. Grant showed up to my home on time for our initial consultation, walked the property with me explaining exactly what he proposed and how it would be done. Once we accepted the contract, I was placed on the schedule. The work was completed within a few weeks of proposal acceptance - they are a busy company! On the day of the job, Grant and the crew showed up on time to start the project and got right to work. The workmen were very professional and did a fantastic job. They tore up much of my front yard to install the downspout extensions, but they did such a nice job of putting the grass back in place you can barely tell where they dug it up. On the side and backyard, they also did a great job on the drainage swale and the rock creek bed. We have a very narrow backyard, that was frankly very ugly before the project. While we had all this work done specifically to improve drainage, prevent erosion, and water damage to the home, my backyard now looks beautiful. The crew cleaned up after themselves when they completed the job and the crew foreman walked the property with me to ensure everything looked good. Grant also came by to do a follow-up to ensure I understood the maintenance needed to keep my drain spouts clear and how to care for the sod. They were very thorough. I would highly recommend this company.

Bottomline: I'd use these folks again anytime. They were communicative and did excellent work. Of course, whenever you deal with outside work, you are subject to the vagaries of local weather and unexpected problems, but the team adapted well and got the job done. Longer story: I've been working with the company now for almost 18 months. We had a series of miscommunications (on both sides) early on and it took a while to get through them, but once we were on the right track, the company was fantastic. I was slow in responding to their offer, but Dave and his folks were very good in keeping in touch and providing me with a good timeline. I also added an additional piece of work at the last minute that they were able to accommodate. The day before they were supposed to start, Dave called to apologize and let me know that they wouldn't be able to start until a day later. I appreciated the heads up - I know how busy these folks get especially this time of the year so I was happy it was just a day delay. They weren't able to send their whole team out the next day, so they sent a smaller team to get the project started. I was very happy that they did. I was anxious to get the work done while my wife was away, and the fact that they were flexible enough to send part of their team worked out very well. The weather and everything else conspired to to delay things even further, but the team just kept plugging away. When it came time to start refiling the hole, the crew chief argued with the the project lead about the best material to fill the hole with. To his credit, Dave listened to the crew chief - it's often hard for bosses to listen to their team, but they talked it through and came up with the right answer. They then sent their expert pavers in. They were careful and methodical. The final product looks terrific. They also made a huge mess! Happily, they cleaned up as much as possible at the end of the day and then did a terrific job in cleaning up when they were done. A neighbor a couple houses down had similar work done by a different company a few weeks ago - they left a mess. Not Dave and his crew - my front ground cover looks better now then it did before they started (they replanted it!). As with any outdoor project, it was always perfect or pretty and there were lots of unexpected bumps along the way. But the workers dealt with them and communicated what was going on. From my perspective, given everything they had to deal with, I was pleasantly surprised how quickly they finished and how good it looks. Thanks!

They are very busy and you have to schedule work months in advance. But, once they come out, they crank out the work very quickly, usually in one day! Overall, my project took four months to complete and the work was done in 3 stages. Phase 1: Creation of swales, extension of downspouts to route water off the property, and the installation of some sod on the newly created swales. This addressed about 75% of the moisture problem that I was having. But there was still a ton of water coming onto my property at a high rate of speed. Though most of it was being stopped by the swales. Phase 2: Creation of dry river beds to slow down the water flow and divert the majority of the flow into the swales and off the property. Phase 3: Installed sod for the remainder of the back yard. Also, installed dry river rock around 2 big trees. Also, noted that some water would overflow a portion of the gutter when the gutter was plugged. Graded the ground near the foundation to flow any potential overflow away from the house and towards one of the existing swales. They also added a bed of river rock near the foundation. Although the overall project was pricey, and it took a while to get it completed, at the end I feel that it was worth it. My basement is dry, my sump pump no longer runs every 15 minutes (which happened for weeks after it rained). The back yard is no longer a soggy swamp with pooled water (which was a breeding ground for mosquitoes). And, the yard looks great with many wonderful comments from my neighbors about the massive improvement. Many thanks to Dave and his crew!

This was the year I finally had to figure out a solution to the water intrusion from my basement window wells. I had originally requested an estimate from DES two years ago, when I was far away from the last rainstorm, but never did anything about it because I started using window well sump pumps whenever I felt it was going to rain for a period of time and that seemed to work fine. But this year I was caught off guard with a massive, quick deluge that damaged my basement drywall and carpeting. So I called DES in May to give me an updated estimate with permanent window well sump pumps installed. They came out within a week or so on a weekend and spent over an hour reviewing the areas of the yard that needed addressing. The final estimate came in considerably higher than the one from two years ago, but I had wanted quite a few things added and was willing to do whatever it takes to fix this problem once and for all. The DES crew arrived on a Thursday (unfortunately, the day AFTER my 2nd basement flooding of the year, but that was just an unfortunate timing event) and went to work immediately. They found some additional crushed/non-functioning underground pipes and replaced those and tied them in with the new work. Spent about 4-5 days here (including weekends) and, though the yard was a big muddy mess while all the digging was occurring, I came home on the final day to find it beautifully put back together, nicer than before they started. All my crushed stone walkways had been replaced and the stepping stones placed back in an orderly fashion. They did a fantastic job. The strips of lawn that had to be dug up for the new drainage pipes were all replaced and though they browned a bit the first few hot days afterwards, they are coming back nicely. We have had two heavy, fast rains (what is it with the weather this year?) and so far the window wells have showed no signs of flooding. I will be interested to see how everything holds up with an extended period of rain, and will try to report back on the results, but as far as the work that was done, it all appears in good order.

Excellent, quick, neat- ran into problem with underground spring and found solution and quickly took care of excess water.

I worked through Dave Arias who was prompt in contacting me and scheduling an appointment to discuss my concerns and my thoughts about what needed to be done. Dave took the time to walk around the house with me and made the appropriate measurements, and provided me with a thorough written estimate on the spot. I also contacted a general contractor we had used in the past -- more about that later. A short while later, I contacted Dave Arias directly to schedule the work and we set the date for 1 July -- he assured me the entire project would take no more than 2 days, but he scheduled us for three days in the event of rain. On 1 July, Dave's crew arrived at approximately 9:00 a.m. and Dave came shortly thereafter to make sure the foreman knew everything that had to be done. In short order, the crew went to work -- first removing a tall Holly Bush that we had discussed and simultaneously starting to dig down to the base of our home's foundation.. The crew was nothing short of amazing! In 100 degree heat, these men manually dug to the very footers of our foundation -- to use a machine would greatly risk damaging the foundation so this kind of work must be done manually. By the end of the day, they managed to dig a trench approximately 12 - 14 feet deep and at least 45 feet long and additional trenches adjacent to our front porch (2 - 3 feet deep) and for an addition to the house (also 2 - 3 feet deep - the addition does not have a basement). Before leaving for the day, they had repaired all cracks using hydraulic cement and sealed the entire foundation with a solid coating of the black, tar-like sealant. During this first day, they also hand dug a trench that ran from the top of our lawn to and under our sidewalk and they cut through the curb, installed the appropriate drainage pipes, and then rebuilt the section of curb they had removed. The next morning, the crew installed a membrane against the foundation that reached over the footers (essential to keeping water from seeping in at the bottom) and then began the process of filling the trench back in. With every foot or so of earth they used a mechanical tamper to ensure the earth was well packed. In addition to the membrane that was installed against our foundation, DES also installed a second membrane that will serve as an awning to ensure water is directed away from the foundation. Once the trench was filled in, the crew dug two shallow trenches and installed the French drains, one of which was covered with stones and the other with sod (due to the location). Both French drains were connected to a pipe running through the curb and the front gutter downspout was connected to a second pipe running through the curb. A second downspout pipe was extended in our backyard. When the work was completed, the crew installed sod and put down mulch. leaving the job site clean and tidy. Overall, they did an amazing job and I am confident that any seepage problems we may have had will be corrected by their work. I specifically chose DES as they typically recommend exterior foundation work and landscape adjustments to stop water leakage into a home. Most companies want to sell homeowners internal French drains and an accompanying sump pump, for which they have to jackhammer out the edges of the cement slab -- a dusty and noisy job that isn't very appealing if you have a finished basement. This kind of job assumes water will continue to leak through the foundation so the problem is not really being corrected and continued leakage will eventually weaken any foundation and it can still lead to mold problems. The price of the work was more expensive than a general contractor we had used in the past for a smaller repair inside our master bathroom. After two visits, the GC gave me a price, but I had no written estimate. When I asked about running pipes under the sidewalk I was told there may be rebar underneath and they would have to break up the sidewalk. When I explained that I could not give them permisison to break up the sidewalk and they would need to get the appropriate permits I was told I should get the permits. The GC then suggested sinking a well into my front lawn into which the drainage pipes would run and from which water would then leech out, an unsatisfactory solution since most of our yard is clay and there would be no place for the water to drain during the strong rains we seem to get with greater frequency. When I asked about moving our AC compressor they told me they would work around it and not move it, which I felt posed the risk of having the trench collapse and the AC compressor falling in, damaging our foundation, and taking out our AC compressor. DES had an HVAC company come in and disconnect the AC compressor and the same company returned to reconnect it after the workmen put it back in place. The GC was less expensive, but I didn't care for the attitude they gave me when I insisted they go under the sidewalk and break through the curg, which for DES is a pretty standard effort. I was also none too pleased about being told to get the permits myself or that our compressor would not be moved. DES also created a swale to give a drainage route for surface water. DES went to some extra lengths for us - they corrected a few connections to two downspouts and they traced a downspout and dug into the earth so I could see where the water exited. This extra effort allowed me to see this particular drainage point for the first time since I bought the house. As the drainage pipe was simply left underground and has long been clogged with mud the gutter was probably rendered useless for all these years. DES did this at no extra charge. Dave Arias and his crew did a fine job for us. We may have gone overboard with the work that we had done as I never saw anything more than minor signs that we were getting a small amount of seepage, but I am confident that this problem has been corrected and we will have the peace of mind that our foundation is well protected. Other foundation walls are blocked by a front porch and an addition to our house that doesn't have a basement so we're not worried about those walls. Overall, the work appeared to be extremely well done. Just as Dave said, the entire effort was a two-day job and because it was outside work there was no disturbance and minimal noise. In the end, we have a 5-year warranty on the work and a 20-year warranty on protection from any future seepage. In the end, it was excellent service. Dave Arias never once failed to respond to a phone call or a text message. When we had a problem with our AC compressor not being hooked back up the day work was completed, Dave did his level best to get a hold of the HVAC company. They came to the house first thing the next morning and when there appeared to be a problem later the same day, Dave was right on top of it. I would easily recommend DES and Dave Arias to anyone who is experiencing water in the basement. Excellent, excellent service!!

That worked out fine. I had a tree removed a few years ago and it was around all the electrical wires. They removed the root from the tree. I did have to pay more, because they needed more sod than was quoted. They did good work though.

it took a while to get an appointment, but once I did it went fine. I was promised an estimate but it was never delivered. I called twice to ask for it but my requests were ignored. It was frustrating to waste my time like that.

The only thing I could have marked lower than A was the responsiveness. When we first got the quote, we were given an estimated start-date and then we didn't hear from Mark for some time. We had to contact him to find out when he would start. Once that happened, the work was quick. It was a big project. Mark's team dug approx 12" down and compressed sand/gravel, leveled and installed paver stone. I watched them and they pounded each stone and leveled it. They also dug a trench to install the french drain and they were careful to keep the top-soil/grass to cover the trench. The also built up areas of the yard where we had drainage problems and laid sod. They mulched our flower beds too. The finished product is beautiful and we could NOT be happier. The only problem we had was after they finished the job, 1 of our neighbors later told us that our gate was left open when Mark's team left. 1 of our puppies was found wandering the street. Our neighbor put our puppy back in the yard and latched the gate. Thank GOD nothing happened to our puppy or this review would have been... use your imagination.

The DES representative, Sandy Shephard, offered a comprehensive solution that involved hand digging several hundred squard feet of ground, installing a french drain with a pipe that carried run off water from my backyard to a pop up drain in my front yard. They also installed a flagstone walkway from my backyard around to my front yard, installed new sod and relocated an azalea bush. DES also had to work around my existing underground watering system and utility cables. The things that impressed me the most was the professionalism of the project manager, Sandy Shephard as well as his responsiveness. He was honest, straightforward and had very good ideas. The crew that did the job worked incredibly hard, were neat and clearly cared about doing a great job. The whole project turned out very well and after a few heavy rains, it appears that my drainage problems have been solved and I'm left with a handsome walkway and a much nicer yard. I really recommend this company and will use them again when needed.

Dave Robey was very thorough in our initial discussions -- everything that would be done was explained in detail. The contract was explicit as to what would be done. As we have several trees that could be damaged if roots were cut during trench digging, the project design was careful to avoid roots as much as possible. When I needed to change the timing of the job start, Dave was very accommodating, and when he needed a small amount of extra time he was careful to keep me fully informed. There was excellent communication throughout the job; he was available anytime I had a question. The supervision was excellent, and the crew was really a hardworking bunch. I can't say enough about them They knew what they were doing and did it very well. While I tend to be hands on with a job of this magnitude, I quickly found that the work was going exactly according to the agreed upon design, and any oversight on my part would be largely superfluous. Digging the trenches around the house required removing quite a bit of shrubbery and then replacing it as the trenches were filled back in. Once the shrubs were replaced you couldn't tell that they had ever been moved. Similarly, two trenches between the house and the drywells at the curb required taking up a substantial amount of lawn. This, too, was replaced with no damage, and in a couple of places new sod was brought in. When I look at a business and see excellent results, it is apparent that recruiting and training have been a consistent priority. That was clearly the case here.

They came out very quickly. It turned out very well. They worked very hard and quickly. The work was completed in just a few days.

It went great. The job took a little longer than they thought, but they found new problems and I wanted to fix them while they were there. They have huge crews to get the job done in as short a time as possible.

I had a big list for them to do and it went pretty well. The supervisor had to leave and they tore out one of my bushes and threw dirt against the house. Now there is a big hole where the bush use to be. I think that if the supervisor had stayed with the crew, I do not think that would have happened. They should have knocked on my door and asked me where I wanted the dirt. I was happy that they were able to remove the cement over pour. I was able to plant a flower there. They did not trim the cement around the porch like they were supposed to. They did the work but, I wish the supervisor named Evan had stayed. There were no other charges. It took a lot of work to do this. They did a nice job on the cement over pour. I had a lot of critters under the porch. They brought in the rock. They worked steadily the whole time. I think that I got my money's worth. All in all I was satisfied. The owner called me right away and we set up an appointment when I was ready. I would use them again if there was a supervisor there the whole time.

Drainage and Erosion Solutions were excellent! We needed our 2 basement bedrooms brought up to code in the middle of our house being on the market and in the middle of multiple and unusual snowstorms in our area at the time. The company fit us into their schedule immediately and were here the following week. They worked through snow and rain when the it did not endanger the house or foundation. Once the foundation was breached and the impending snowstorms endangered the foundation they had to stop but were back immediately the weather permitted. They finished within a very reasonable schedule given the weather. They did excellent cleanup afterwards, even wiping up and straightening the bathroom in the house that they were using! I highly recommend Drainage and Erosion Solutions and am planning to use them again!

I used DES (working with Ken Fraine) at my prior residence (single family home) for the installation of buried drains, a retaining wall, and walkway and was very satisfied with all aspects of the work, so I called them again to re-do the patio behind my town house. I worked with David for this job. He is very friendly, prompt, experienced, and easy to reach/quick to respond. They took only 2 days to complete the job and the new patio looks wonderful. I would highly recommend DES.

On-site Land Survey took a week to deconflict schedules, sketch and proposed work estimate were received in a timely manner. Scheduling of the installation of the swale was delayed multiple times (weather related twice for snow, 1x rain). Work was completed by 2x workers within 3-4 hours and a foreman (not present throughout install). Workers did not damage any existing plants, fencing etc; everything was put back the way it was, they remained on sight for about an hour after the job was completed. No discounts (military) or Angie's list coupon offers. Overall work completed did not meet our expectations (although it wasn't poorly done, we just thought it would be more than it was), but the true test will be when there is heavy rain. The swale is supposed to redirect water to a different portion of our yard, and aid in our drainage and erosion issues (I will follow up in a few months once I've had a chance to test the work). They provided a quote on other services, patio, walkway and re-buidling an existing retaining wall but the estimates were outside our price range and seemed a little high compared other estimates. Update (07/11/2014): Upon discussing this job in more detail with my husband (who was present for the duration of the job) I adjusted my professionalism rating for this review because I was appalled to learn that the workers sent to complete the work were seen urinating in our yard on trees in the middle of the day (even though someone was home and would absolutely allowed them to use the bathroom)! This is probably an oh-by-the-way remark now but I feel that the company and potential customers should be assured that this something not to be tolerated! Additionally, in response to the DES comment below and as an update to my above review unfortunately the swale is proving to be very underwhelming as far as re-directing water to a different portion of the yard, that is to say it certainly re-directs some water to a different portion of our yard but not nearly as effectively as we were hoping (a huge stream/small river of water rushes down the land-edge of our deck and washes out the lower portion of our yard, leaving sections so overly saturated they are very swampy and slippery). We will definitely continue to search for assessments and other options to win our war with serve land-erosion and over saturation.