Best Time to Install a French Drain near Tacoma

1. Why Homeowners in Tacoma Are Turning to French Drains

If you’ve been dealing with soggy grass, standing water near your home, or that musty smell creeping into your basement, you’re not alone. These problems are incredibly common around Tacoma and the greater Pierce County area. With our long rainy seasons and heavy clay soil in many neighborhoods, water tends to stick around—and not in a good way.

You might not know what to do about it at first. You search online, you ask a neighbor, and eventually, you come across something called a French drain. Maybe the name sounds fancy, but the solution itself is simple—and it works.

2. The Real Frustration: Water Where It Doesn’t Belong

Here’s the reality: most people don’t call us the first time their yard gets soggy. They wait. We get it—you figure it’ll dry out, or maybe it’s just a one-time thing.

But then it happens again. And again.

The grass starts to die. Your landscaping looks wrecked. You worry about mold, erosion, foundation damage—or just losing usable yard space. That creeping stress you feel every time it rains? Yeah, we’ve heard it from a lot of homeowners around here.

3. What a French Drain Actually Does (And Why It Matters Here)

Let’s keep it simple.

A French drain is a gravel-filled trench with a pipe at the bottom that redirects water away from where it doesn’t belong. That could be:

Your soggy backyard

The side of your house

The area near your foundation

Under a patio or retaining wall

It gives excess water a place to go—so it stops flooding your lawn, your crawlspace, or your basement.

4. Tacoma’s Weather Isn’t Just Wet — It’s Predictably Unpredictable

Pierce County sees an average of 39 inches of rain each year, and most of it lands between October and April. That’s not a little drizzle, either—it’s long stretches of gray skies and soaked soil.

What’s tricky is that we know the rain’s coming, but most people don’t act until it’s already a problem. That’s why timing matters. If you wait until October to think about drainage, chances are… you’re too late.

5. Summer vs. Fall vs. Spring: Which Season Works Best for French Drains?

Here’s what we’ve learned from years of working in this region:

SeasonProsCons

SummerDry soil, faster trenching, better schedulingContractors may book up—so plan early

FallStill time before heavy rain hitsUnpredictable rain delays, saturated ground

SpringYou’ve seen the problem by nowSoil is often still too wet for clean installs

WinterNothing good hereSaturated ground, delayed work, muddy messes

Best time? Summer. Hands down. Dry ground means easier digging, faster installs, and fewer delays. And when we’re done, your yard doesn’t look like a construction zone.

6. Why Summer Is the Sweet Spot for Drainage Projects

In summer, we’re working with dry, compact soil. That means:

Clean trenches that don’t collapse

Better pipe placement

Less damage to your lawn or landscaping

Shorter project timelines

You also avoid the panic of fall storms, when our schedule—and the schedules of every other excavation company—starts filling up fast.

If you’re calling in October, you might be waiting until after the damage is done.

7. What Happens If You Wait Too Long to Fix Your Drainage Problem?

You might think, “We’ll just wait and see how bad it gets next rainy season.” We’ve heard that before.

Here’s what can happen:

• That “wet patch” turns into a ruined lawn

• Moisture gets into your crawlspace or basement = mold or rot

• Retaining walls and hardscaping start to shift or crack

• Foundation damage—which is a whole different level of expensive

French drains are a preventative solution, not just a fix. The longer you wait, the more you risk paying double—once for the damage, and again for the drain.

8. How Tacoma Soil Affects Installation Timing

If you live in Tacoma, you probably have clay-heavy soil. That type of soil holds water like a sponge when it’s wet, and it’s a pain to dig through when it’s soaked.

In the summer, that same clay soil firms up. That’s when we can trench efficiently, lay pipe without it floating or shifting, and get the job done right.

Trying to do that in November? It’s like trying to dig a ditch in pudding.

9. Signs You Shouldn’t Wait Another Season

You don’t need to be an expert to know something’s off. Here are red flags we tell our clients to watch for:

• Water pooling in low areas of your yard

• A musty smell in the basement or crawlspace

• Water stains on foundation walls

• Mushy or spongy soil near your home

• Standing water after even light rain

If you’re seeing any of these, your property’s drainage isn’t working the way it should—and summer is your chance to fix it before it gets worse.

10. What the Installation Process Looks Like (and Why Timing Makes It Easier)

Here’s how a typical French drain install goes with us at TH Excavation:

• Walk the site with you – figure out where water’s coming from and where it needs to go

• Dig the trench – usually 8–24 inches deep depending on your yard and the problem

• Line it with fabric – to prevent clogging from roots or dirt

• Add gravel and perforated pipe – the real magic of the system

• Cover and clean up – either with topsoil, sod, or a mulch bed

This can be done in 1 to 3 days in the summer. In wet months, it could stretch into a week or more—especially if we hit surprises underground.

11. Working with a Local Excavation Team Who Knows the Area

At TH Excavation, we’ve worked all over Port Orchard, Tacoma, Gig Harbor, Shelton, Lacey, and beyond. We know where the water flows, how Kitsap and Pierce County soil behaves, and what makes a system fail (because we’ve fixed a lot of bad ones).

We’re not a big company, but that’s a good thing. We take the time to plan out each job, explain everything upfront, and customize the design so it works for your yard—not just any yard.

If we don’t think you need a full French drain, we’ll tell you. If we think it’s urgent, we’ll explain why. That’s how we work.

12. Final Thoughts: Don’t Let the Rain Catch You Off Guard

When the rain returns to Pierce County—and it always does—you want to be ready. Not rushing to fix a problem. Not trying to get on a contractor’s schedule last minute. Not crossing your fingers and hoping the water “just drains better this year.”

Installing a French drain during the summer is one of the smartest moves a homeowner in this area can make. It saves time, money, and stress—and gives you a dry, usable yard all year long.

If you’re already noticing problems, don’t wait. Let’s take a look, walk the property, and figure out what’s best for your home, your budget, and your peace of mind.