Standing water in your yard almost always comes down to one of six causes — and every one of them has a proven fix. In Central Texas, the usual suspects are flat or negative grading, our slow-draining clay soil, compacted ground, downspouts dumping roof water into the lawn, natural low spots with no exit, and blocked flow paths. Scott Lockhart Drainage Contractor has been matching the right solution to the right cause across Austin since 1984 — more than 10,000 projects — and

National 2026 cost guides put professionally installed French drains at roughly $10 to $100 per linear foot, with typical exterior yard systems landing between $1,500 and $6,500 and the national average project around $5,000. Deeper foundation-perimeter systems and projects that add sump pumps run higher. Those are published market figures, not a quote — every property drains differently, which is why Scott Lockhart Drainage Contractor prices every French drain after a free o

Call Scott today for a free consultation 512-790-8564

Scheduling a free drainage consultation in Austin takes one phone call: 512-790-8564. That's Scott Lockhart Drainage Contractor's business line — describe what the water is doing at your property, and you'll get a walk-through scheduled with Scott directly. No forms that go nowhere, no call center scripts, no fee for the conversation. Since 1984 and more than 10,000 projects, the free consultation has been where every job starts — because the diagnosis matters more than the s

Yes — hardscaping installation is widely available in Austin, from patios and walkways to retaining walls and outdoor living areas. The real question is who should build it. Every square foot of hardscape changes how water moves across your property: it stops soaking in and starts running somewhere. Hire a crew that only thinks about pavers, and "somewhere" is usually your foundation, your neighbor's yard, or a puddle in the middle of the new patio. Scott Lockhart Drainage Co

Below-grade waterproofing protects everything beneath ground level — foundations, basements, crawl spaces, and retaining structures — by doing two jobs at once: blocking water from touching the structure, and moving that water somewhere safe. In Central Texas, where expansive clay soil swells against below-ground walls with every rain, the second job matters as much as the first. A barrier alone eventually loses to standing water; a barrier paired with drainage lasts. Scott L

Austin's clay-heavy soil expands when it's wet and shrinks when it dries out — and that constant movement is exactly what puts pressure on a retaining wall. Whether you're trying to keep an existing wall standing another twenty years or you're planning a new one, understanding how these walls fail (and who actually builds them right) makes the difference between a wall that holds and one that doesn't. Why Retaining Walls Struggle in Austin Specifically Central Texas sits on e

Commercial drainage is a different animal from residential. The water volumes are larger, the liability is higher, and the stakes of getting it wrong — a flooded parking lot, a saturated slab under a warehouse, a code problem that stalls a project — are measured in business days lost, not just a soggy lawn. If you manage a property, run a facility, or are building in Central Texas, here's what commercial drainage actually involves and how to find someone who does it right. Wh

"Affordable" is a fair thing to want. Drainage work isn't cheap, and nobody should apologize for asking what something costs. But with drainage specifically, the cheapest number and the affordable choice are often not the same thing — and knowing the difference is how you actually save money. Here's how to get drainage done affordably in Austin without the false economy that costs more later. Understand What Drives the Price Drainage cost comes down to a few things: how much

If you're searching for the best stormwater management company in Austin, you've probably noticed the problem: everyone claims to be it. So instead of adding one more "we're the best" to the pile, here's how to actually tell — the criteria that separate a genuine stormwater specialist from a landscaper with a trencher. It Has to Be the Actual Specialty, Not a Side Service Stormwater management is its own discipline. It's the science of where water comes from, where it needs t

There's a particular kind of knowledge you can't get from a manual, a certification, or a YouTube video. You get it from doing the same work, in the same ground, for a very long time — long enough to have seen what fails, what lasts, and why. That's the difference four decades makes. Scott Lockhart has been solving drainage problems in Austin and Central Texas since 1984 — over 10,000 completed projects across residential, commercial, and municipal work. When it comes to how

Knowing what to look for in a drainage estimate — and having the right questions in your back pocket when you shop around — is something you should be able to do with confidence. The right knowledge can save you a good chunk of change and a headache or two down the road. A drainage estimate is a blueprint for protecting your property and solving your water problem. You want someone to actually walk the property, not stand by your driveway and guess. The estimate you receive t

Drainage, landscaping, or general contracting — figuring out who actually fixes what can be tricky. Each professional will give you a confident answer. Ask a landscaper about your soggy backyard, and you'll hear about grading and plant beds. Ask a general contractor, and it's patios and pergolas. Ask a drainage contractor, and they'll mention French drains and downspouts. No one is trying to mislead you. They're all viewing your yard through their specific lens. You might nee

If you own a home in Austin, you've probably run into at least one of these. Water that won't leave the yard, a soggy patch that never dries, a foundation that stays damp long after the rain stops. These are the most common drainage problems we see across Central Texas homes — and more useful than the list itself is understanding what's actually causing them, because the cause is almost always the same two culprits. Why Austin Homes Flood in the First Place Two things make Au

There's nothing quite like the pit in your stomach when you look out the window — or into your garage, or worse, down at your flooring — and see pooled water after a storm. Whether it was a sudden summer flash flood, a relentless seasonal downpour, or a nearby creek that decided to breach its banks, home flooding is exhausting, stressful, and frankly a bit overwhelming. Flooding is one of those homeowner headaches that always seems to happen at the worst possible time. The tr

this is a hardscape installation

You've noticed some water pooling in your yard after rain. Maybe you've seen some cracks showing up on walls or doors that suddenly don't close right. Your first thought might be, "Is my foundation failing?" That's a scary question — and honestly, it might not even be the right one. Here's something many homeowners don't realize: drainage problems and foundation problems share a lot of the same symptoms. However, drainage issues are almost always cheaper and easier to fix. Of

If you’ve noticed water sitting in your yard for longer than you think it should, or maybe even pooling near your foundation, you’ve probably wondered if it’s time for someone to take a look at your drainage system. Homeowners might think that a drainage inspection is only necessary when things get really bad. The truth is, a drainage inspection often catches problems before they become expensive repairs. "What exactly are you looking for during a drainage inspection?" It's a

Most drainage problems aren't caused by too much rain, they're caused by a yard that was never set up to handle the rain it was always going to get. Central Texas isn't short on storms. Two inches in an hour is a perfectly normal summer afternoon, but most residential lots are graded and landscaped with almost no thought given to where that water actually goes. This means homeowners end up living with standing water, soggy grass, and creeping foundation moisture for years. Mo

Living between Austin and the Hill Country, you already know the drill: months of drought, then one big storm that turns your yard into a lake. Scott and the crew hear the same questions at almost every job site, so we figured we'd just put the answers in one place. No gimmicks, no upsells, just honest answers straight from the field. Why does my yard flood every time it rains in Central Texas, but my neighbor's doesn't? Usually it comes down to grading and soil. The clay soi