Martinsville has two kinds of wet yards. Down in the White River valley, the water table sits high and flat lots have nowhere to drain. Up in the wooded hills south and east of town, clay subsoil sends rainwater sideways into basements, crawl spaces, and across driveways.
Alchemy Excavation is owned by a licensed Professional Engineer, so we figure out where the water is coming from and where it can legally go before we dig. Then we build the drain to match the ground you actually have.
The right drain in the right spot fixes the problem for good.
Wet yards around Martinsville usually come down to one of three things:
Each one needs a different fix. A drain that works on a hillside can fail on a flat valley lot if there’s no low outlet.
Perforated pipe in washed stone, wrapped in filter fabric, that collects groundwater and carries it to a daylight outlet or dry well.
A trench drain across the uphill side of the house that cuts off hillside seepage before it reaches the foundation.
Buried solid lines that carry roof water and sump discharge away from the house instead of dumping it next to the foundation.
Reshape the yard so water runs away from the house, with swales, catch basins, or channel drains where runoff pools.
We check where the water comes from (surface runoff, groundwater, or a gutter problem) before recommending a drain.
Every drain needs somewhere to go. We plan the outlet and the fall so water keeps moving, even on flat valley lots.
Washed stone, filter fabric, and cleanouts keep silt out of the pipe so the drain keeps working for years.
Inside city limits we follow Martinsville Building Services' earth-moving rules; in the county we work with the Morgan County Surveyor.
From one soggy corner of the lawn to a full foundation drain and driveway catch basin, we handle residential and rural drainage.
A well-built drainage system gives you:
Fixing drainage early is cheaper than fixing a foundation later.
We install French drains and yard drainage throughout:
Every system is designed for Indiana soils and rainfall.
Most yard drains don’t need a big permit, but where the work happens matters.
Inside Martinsville City Limits – Earth-moving work goes through Martinsville Building Services for stormwater and erosion review (59 S Jefferson St, 765-349-4923).
Outside City Limits – Erosion control permits come from the Morgan County Surveyor (765-342-1064). If a drain ties into a county regulated drain, the Surveyor’s office is involved.
Before We Dig – We call Indiana 811 at least two full working days before any excavation.
Often, yes, if the water is coming through the soil around your foundation. We find the source first. Sometimes the fix is a gutter or grading problem, not a drain.
To a daylight outlet downhill, a dry well, or a storm connection where it’s allowed. On flat valley lots near the White River, planning the outlet is the most important part of the job.
Inside city limits, Martinsville Building Services reviews earth-moving work. In the county, the Morgan County Surveyor handles erosion control. We’ll tell you which applies to your property.
It depends on the length of the drain, how deep it runs, and how far the water has to travel to an outlet. We give a clear written price after a free site visit.
One local crew for the whole job. Here's everything else we do in Martinsville.
All Martinsville services · French drains across southern Indiana · All service areas
If you have standing water, a soggy yard, or a wet basement in Martinsville, the right drain can fix it for good.
Contact Alchemy Excavation today to schedule a free site evaluation and estimate for French drains and yard drainage.
