Water pooling in one low spot?
A puddle that forms in the same low corner every storm is surface water with no way out. A catch basin gives it one: a grate at the low point and a pipe to the street side.
Clay Plano Drainage Company installs catch basins across Plano and nearby cities. Our typical range is $500 to $1,500 per basin with a short pipe run. The site visit and written estimate set yours.
What a basin price includes
The range covers one working inlet, from the grate down to the pipe that carries the water away. Here is what that means on the ground:
- The basin. A 12-inch-class plastic catch basin set level at the lowest point of the surface, with a grate on top.
- The pipe run. Up to about 20 feet of solid pipe from the basin to an existing drain line or outlet.
- The outlet. A tie-in to a line that already reaches the street, or a pop-up emitter in open lawn where the fall allows. The guide to where yard drain water can go explains the choices.
- The test. Water run through the basin and pipe before backfill, so we see it reach the outlet.
- Putting it back. The sod we cut laid back and any sprinkler lines we cross repaired.
A longer run adds to the price, and the estimate shows it as its own item. A new curb outlet adds a permit line.
Why one basin costs more than the next
Two basins of the same size can land far apart in our range. These are the things that move a basin price, and the reason each one matters.
| What we look at | Why it matters | Pushes the price up when |
|---|---|---|
| Basin depth and size | A deeper box means a deeper hole and a deeper pipe all the way out | The low spot sits far below the outlet, or a large area drains to one grate |
| Pipe run length | Every foot past about 20 is trench and pipe | The low spot is at the back of the lot and the outlet at the front, often through a side yard |
| Tie-in or new outlet | Joining a working line is quicker than building an exit | No line reaches the street, so we build a new outlet |
| Number of basins | Each adds a box, grate and branch | Several low spots join one line, though extras on one line cost less each |
| Paving around the low spot | Concrete has to be saw-cut and patched | The water pools on a patio or walk, where a channel drain may fit better |
| Restoration | Beds and rock take longer to reset than sod | The basin sits inside a planting bed or rock border |
How big a storm a basin has to take
A grate and pipe can only take in so much water at once, and a Plano storm can bring a lot in an hour. That is why basin size, pipe size and the area draining to the grate are part of the price.
NOAA’s Atlas 14 puts a central Plano storm that comes about once every 2 years at 1.80 inches in an hour; a 10-year storm brings 2.52 inches, and a 100-year storm 3.61. We size the basin and the pipe out of it for the area that drains to it.
When a basin backs up in a big storm
No yard inlet takes every storm, and street drains have limits too. Next door in Richardson, the city designs streets to carry and pond water up to the top of the curb in larger storms. We check the overflow path, where water goes if the grate is overwhelmed, so a big storm passes the house instead of pooling against it.
What’s inside a Plano catch basin price
A few parts of a basin price trace to public figures; the rest depend on your yard.
| Part of the price | What sets it | Local figure, or how it is priced |
|---|---|---|
| Setting the basin and pipe | Digging the box hole, bedding the basin level and laying the run at a steady fall | Pipelayers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area earn a mean $22.84 an hour, against $26.30 nationally (BLS, May 2025) |
| Digging and hauling | Soil out of the hole and trench, carried out by hand where a machine can’t reach | Construction laborers earn a mean $21.05 an hour locally, against $25.02 nationally (BLS, May 2025) |
| Basin, grate, pipe and fittings | The size and type of box and the length of the run | Included in our per-basin range for runs up to about 20 feet |
| Silt control | Plano’s stormwater permit with the state requires control of construction runoff, so loose soil stays out of street inlets | Part of every job |
| Curb outlet | Work in the public right-of-way uses the City of Plano Engineering Permit for public infrastructure | The city sets the fee; it appears as its own line |
| Concrete cut and patch | A basin set in a patio or walk | Scope to check on your estimate |
| Beds and wide sod | Anything beyond the sod we cut | Scope to check. Landscaping workers earn a mean $19.09 an hour locally, against $20.33 nationally (BLS, May 2025) |
In the Bureau of Labor Statistics survey, every one of these trades earns less per hour in the Dallas-Fort Worth area than nationally. Local labor doesn’t make a basin dear; depth, distance and paving do.
A wage is not a billing rate, either. The rate we bill also has to cover insurance, vehicles, equipment, permits, supervision and the hours spent on site visits.
Basin, French drain or both?
A catch basin takes water off the surface through a grate. A French drain takes water out of the soil through stone and fabric. They solve different problems, so the cheaper one is only a saving if it is the right one.
- A basin fits a puddle that forms during the storm in one spot and sits on top.
- A French drain fits a strip that stays soft for days after the surface dries.
- Both fit a low spot that floods and then stays soggy; the basin can sit at the head of the drain.
The guide to French drain vs catch basin goes through the choice, and the French drain cost guide prices the trench.
Illustrative budgets
These examples are illustrative. They apply our typical range to simple layouts and are not quotes or past jobs.
| Example layout | How it adds up | Illustrative budget |
|---|---|---|
| One basin at a side-yard low spot, with 15 feet of solid pipe to a line that already reaches the street | 1 basin at $500 to $1,500 | $500 to $1,500 |
| Two basins, one by the back patio and one at a fence corner, each with its own short run to an existing line | 2 basins at $500 to $1,500 each | $1,000 to $3,000 |
| One basin by the house with two downspout lines piped into it | 1 basin at $500 to $1,500, plus 2 downspout lines at $300 to $800 each | $1,100 to $3,100 |
Your own layout will differ, and a yard with several low spots may be better priced as a whole-yard system. The underground downspout drainage cost guide shows how roof lines are priced on their own.
Keeping a basin working
Water enters a catch basin unfiltered, so leaves, mulch and grass clippings come with it. The basin’s sump catches the heavy debris below the outlet pipe, and lifting the grate to scoop it out after leaf drop keeps the pipe clear.
Our post on fall leaves clogging yard drains covers the timing. If a basin drains slowly even when clean, drain repair and cleaning starts with a flush and, if needed, a camera.
From estimator range to written price
The drainage cost estimator applies our range to the number of inlets and downspouts you enter, plus the run length, any concrete to cut and the outlet distance. It gives you a planning figure in a minute.
The written estimate after the visit sets the price, because only the visit finds the true low point and the fall to the outlet. To talk through your low spot, call (469) 551-8518 or send photos through the form below.