Drainage in Paradise, PA

Paradise sits along Pequea Creek in eastern Lancaster County, and water from higher ground tends to end up on the low lots near it. We work on the drainage problems that follow: wet basements, soggy yards, and roof water that has nowhere to go. We are based in Lancaster and drive out to Paradise for each visit.

Why water collects around Paradise and Pequea Creek

Paradise is in the northern part of Paradise Township, and its northern edge runs along Pequea Creek. The creek flows west and is part of the Susquehanna River watershed. That tells you something useful about the ground: water in and around Paradise is always working its way downhill toward that creek. A lot close to the creek, or on the low side of a neighbour's yard, collects runoff from everything above it.

Low lots and runoff from higher ground

When a yard stays soft for days after rain, the cause is usually one of three things. The ground may slope toward the house. Roof water may be dumped right beside the foundation. Or a slow-draining soil layer may hold water near the surface. We check all three before we recommend anything, because the fix for each is different.

Damp basements and crawl spaces

Water pressing on a foundation wall finds hairline cracks, the joint where the wall meets the floor slab, and old pipe openings. The usual signs are damp block walls, a musty smell, white mineral staining, and a floor drain that backs up after heavy rain. If you see these, the water is coming from outside, and the cure is to move it away from the foundation rather than paint over the wall.

Small lots and where the water can go

Paradise is a small unincorporated community, and many properties sit close to their neighbours. That limits where water can be sent. A drain that pushes water onto the next property is not a fix, so the discharge point matters as much as the pipe. Depending on the lot, the water can run out to daylight on a slope, into a dry well, or into a swale.

Drainage services we offer in Paradise

We install and repair the systems that move water away from a house. These are the three main services, and each one covers several jobs.

French drain work

French Drain Installation is our main service. A French drain is a trench lined with fabric, filled with washed stone, with perforated pipe at the bottom that carries water to a safe outlet. It also covers drainage repair, interior French drains, curtain drains that intercept water coming down a slope, foundation drains, and dry wells.

Basement and crawl space water

Basement Waterproofing covers wet basement repair, sump pump installation, sump pump repair and replacement, foundation crack repair, and crawl space waterproofing. We also handle emergency flooded basement drainage during working hours, though we do not offer after-hours service.

Yard and surface water

Yard Drainage deals with water on top of the ground. That includes grading and regrading, downspout drainage, catch basins, channel drains, drainage swales, erosion control, culverts, and commercial drainage. Many Paradise yards need a small amount of regrading and a buried downspout line rather than a full drain system.

Roof water, downspouts and grading around the house

Before anyone digs a trench, we look at what the roof is doing. A downspout that empties onto bare ground beside the foundation can put a large amount of water against the wall in a single storm. Extending it with solid pipe to a pop-up outlet or a dry well is cheap compared with a basement repair.

Older homes and newer homes

Older homes often have short downspout stubs and soil that has settled back toward the foundation over the years. Newer homes can have the opposite problem: fill soil around the house that was never fully compacted and has since sunk, leaving a dip right where the wall meets the ground. In both cases the target is the same, which is a slope that falls away from the foundation, generally a few inches over the first several feet.

Driveways, walkways and Route 30 frontage

U.S. Route 30, the Lincoln Highway, runs through the centre of Paradise. Properties near it often have paved areas that shed water quickly onto the lawn beside them. A channel drain across a driveway apron or a shallow swale along a lot line can catch that water before it reaches the house.

What a drainage visit in Paradise involves

Paradise is about 9 miles west-northwest of us along U.S. Route 30, so a visit is a short drive from Lancaster. We are not located in Paradise and we do not have an office there.

Walking the property

We look at the gutters, downspouts, grading, any low spots, and the foundation walls inside and out. If you have a basement, we look at where the dampness shows up and whether it lines up with a downspout or a low section of the yard outside. We ask when the water appears: after every rain, only after heavy storms, or only in spring.

Explaining the options

We tell you what we found and which fix fits, including when the cheaper option is enough. If a downspout extension solves the problem, we say so. If you need a drain, we explain where it would run, where the water would exit, and what the yard will look like afterwards.

Written quote and scheduling

If work is needed, you get a quote in writing before anything starts. We schedule the job around the weather, since trenching in saturated ground is slower and messier than it needs to be.

How to book a drainage visit in Paradise

Call (717) 696-1707 or email info@frenchdrainlancaster.com. Our hours are Monday to Friday, 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, and Saturday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. We are closed on Sunday.

Tell us the address, what you are seeing, and when it happens. A phone photo of the wet area or the stained wall helps. You can also use the Request a Drainage Visit button on our [home page](/) and we will get back to you to set a time.

About Paradise: Paradise, PA on Wikipedia · Paradise on Google Maps