Yard Drainage and French Drains in Greer, SC
Greer added more people than any other city in South Carolina in the last year counted, and most of them live in subdivisions built on former farmland. A yard that holds water in a house five years old is the usual Greer call. Jordan finds where the water should go and builds the way there.
Yard Drainage in Greer
New subdivisions, and the water they came with
Greer counted 35,797 people in 2020 and the Census Bureau estimated about 50,000 by 2025, growth that started with the BMW plant in the nineties and has not slowed. The city straddles the Greenville and Spartanburg county line, and the new neighborhoods on both sides went up on pasture and farm fields.
A farm field drains the way it always did. A subdivision cut into it does not. Lots get graded flat for the slab, topsoil goes away, and the clay underneath gets packed hard by a year of trucks. The builder's final grade is often the minimum, and the first wet winter shows where it falls short.
The builder's grade and the lot next door
The most common Greer job is a back yard that holds water along the fence line between two houses. The plat called for a swale there, shared by both lots, and it was either never cut or was filled in when the fences and the sod went down. Water from both roofs meets in the middle and stays.
Jordan cuts the swale back in to the fall it was meant to have, carries it to the low corner, and gets it off the lot through a catch basin or a solid pipe where the plat allows. It is a small excavator job that fixes two yards at once, and the fence usually stays where it is.
Cut, fill and the clay underneath
A subdivision lot is half cut and half fill. The cut side is red Piedmont clay, scraped to the subsoil and packed, and water sits on it. The fill side settles for years, and the low spot that forms is where the water ends up. Both halves need the surface shaped to carry water rather than hold it.
Where the problem is water coming up rather than running in, a French drain along the wet side collects it into perforated pipe and takes it to daylight. Where the whole yard tilts toward the house, the answer is a regrade, and the guide to fixing a yard that holds water explains how each one is chosen.
Downspouts first
A new house in Greer has a big roof and short gutters, and most downspouts end in a splash block a foot from the slab. On clay that cannot take the water, it runs along the foundation and into the lowest corner of the yard. Burying the downspouts in solid pipe out to a pop-up or a daylight point removes half the water before any grading starts.
It is the first thing done on nearly every Greer drainage job, and on some lots it is the whole job. The pipe runs are planned with the swale so the two do not fight each other.
Greer CPW, the city engineers and SC811
Greer Commission of Public Works runs water, sewer, gas and electric in the city, and its lines cross the same ground a French drain does. A locate goes to SC811 three full working days before any trench is dug, as South Carolina law requires, and the marks set where the pipe can run.
The city's Engineering department reviews development plans for stormwater and issues encroachment permits for anything built in a public right-of-way, which includes a drain pipe that reaches the street. A yard regrade on a normal lot needs no permit, but a pipe to the curb may. Outside the city line, the parcel's county decides, so check the tax bill before calling anyone.
What gets built, and the number
Regrading and swales, French drains, buried downspouts, catch basins and the filling of low spots left by old stumps. Not irrigation and not planting; the ground is left ready for sod or seed. The stump grinding in Greer is done first where a stump is in the line.
A photo of the water after rain and your street get a figure. Jordan walks the lot before the number is final, because the fall of a yard is hard to read from a picture. The grading and excavation service covers the bigger regrades, and the guide to French drain versus swale helps you see which your yard needs.
Yard Drainage & French Drains
Standing water moved away from the house: regrading, swales, French drains and buried downspouts.
See the serviceTalk to Jordan(828) 574-4474
Send a photo of the standing water and your Greer street. Jordan looks at the fall of the lot himself, then quotes the fix in one figure.
Call nowWhat that covers
- Fence-line swales. The shared swale between lots cut back to the fall it was meant to have.
- Buried downspouts. Roof water in solid pipe to a pop-up or daylight, away from the slab.
- French drains. Perforated pipe in gravel where water comes up along the wet side.
- Full regrades. The whole yard reshaped to fall away from the house.
Greer, SC
Greer straddles the Greenville and Spartanburg county line along Wade Hampton Boulevard, with fast-growing subdivisions on former farmland.
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See the pageThe serviceYard Drainage & French Drains
Standing water moved away from the house: regrading, swales, French drains and buried downspouts.
Main service pageGreer and the towns nearby
Greer is at the far edge of the map from Tryon, so drainage here pairs well with grading or a gravel drive on the same lot. The Greer page lists everything done in the city. The same subdivision drainage work runs down Wade Hampton into Taylors and Greenville, and east to Spartanburg; the service area page shows the rest of the route.
You get Jordan. Not a crew he sent.
You call
You call or send two photos. Jordan looks at the job himself, on the ground or from your photos, rather than pricing it off a guess.
A number first
You get one figure before anything starts, with the hauling and the cleanup in it.
He runs the machine
Then he shows up with the machine and the trailer and does the work.
Ground left usable
Voids get filled and the ground gets graded back so you can pour, build, seed or just mow.
Photos of his work.
These are photographs from actual jobs. See more recent work. Or read about the full yard drainage & french drains service.
Questions people ask
Not seeing yours? Call (828) 574-4474 and ask Jordan, or read the guides.
Why does water sit along the fence between my Greer lot and the neighbor's?
Because that is where the plat put the swale, and it was never cut or has since been filled. Roof water from both houses meets there and has no fall to leave. Cutting the swale back in to the low corner, with a basin or pipe to get it off the lot, is the usual fix.
My house is only a few years old. Why does the yard already hold water?
New Greer lots were graded flat for the slab on packed red clay with the topsoil stripped. The builder's grade is the minimum, and fill settles into low spots within a couple of winters. It is the most common drainage call in town, and it is a small job to put right.
Do I need a permit for a French drain in Greer?
Not for a drain inside your own lot. A pipe that reaches the street or the curb is in the right-of-way and goes through the city's Engineering department for an encroachment permit. Outside the city line, the parcel's county has its own rules, so check the tax bill before calling.
Does the drainage work mess up the lawn?
Some of it. Swales and trenches mean cut sod, and the ground is left graded and ready for seed or new sod rather than replanted. The excavator is small enough to fit through a gate and work in a subdivision back yard without taking the fence down.
Other work he takes on
Most jobs end up being two or three of these at once, and they get quoted together.
Yard Drainage & French Drains in other towns
Stump Grinding
Stumps ground below grade with a narrow tracked grinder, several at once, gated yards included.
Learn moreDemolition
Sheds, barns, carports, decks and slabs taken down and hauled off.
Learn moreGrading & Excavation
Pads cut, gravel drives built, wet yards regraded so they drain.
Learn moreLand Clearing
Brush, saplings and roots out, debris hauled, ground left workable.
Learn moreConcrete
Driveways, aprons, shed and shop pads and patio slabs on a proper base.
Learn moreDumpster Rental
Roll-off dumpsters out of Tryon for cleanouts and tear-downs.
Learn more5.0
5.0 on Google · 24 reviews
What People Say Afterwards
Word for word from the Google profile. The same three things keep coming up: he shows up when he says he will, the work is clean, and the ground is left tidy.
“Jordan with JB Stump Grinding & Land Management did an excellent job from start to finish. He was professional, courteous, respectful, and showed up exactly when he said he would. His work was very clean and neat, and he took the time to make sure everything was cleaned up and the property looked great before he left.”
“Exceptional job from start to finish — he was professional, efficient, and clearly takes a lot of pride in his work. His pricing was very fair and reasonable, and the quality of the work was excellent. He showed up, worked hard, and left the area looking great when it was finished.”
“I have used JB Stump Grinding multiple times and I couldn’t be more impressed! Jordan did a great job, showed up when he said he would, and left everything clean when he was finished. Professional, dependable, and easy to work with.”
“I have used JB twice and will use him again anytime. He is a pleasure to work with and also does a fantastic job. He cuts, cleans up and delivers. Definitely deserves 5 stars.”
“Jordan is a stand up guy! Can’t thank him enough! Would highly recommend him to anyone!”
“Best stump removal in the area!”
Free estimate in Greer.
Send the details and Jordan will come out and look at it. If it is easier to talk it through, call him directly.
Tryon, Polk County and the towns around it, down into Spartanburg and Greenville counties and up into Henderson and Rutherford counties.
Need yard drainage in Greer?
Send a couple of photos and the address or road, or call Jordan. Estimates are free.