Yard Drainage and French Drains in Howland, OH
Howland filled in after 1953, one subdivision at a time, on flat Trumbull County till that holds water inches below the grass from fall to spring. People here call about a back yard that ponds between the houses and a sump that never shuts off. Jeff regrades, cuts swales and sets French drains to a real outlet.
Yard Drainage in Howland
Subdivisions on slow clay, east of Warren
Howland stayed farm country until the Clifton-Hyde development went in during 1953. The township has been filling in with houses ever since, and now holds about 19,000 people between Warren and Niles. Most of those houses sit on lots that were graded once, when the street was built, and have not been touched since.
The ground under them is glacial till. The Mahoning and Trumbull soils mapped across this part of the county carry a seasonal water table within a foot of the surface from fall into late spring, and water moves through the subsoil slowly. A yard here does not drain so much as wait. When every lot on the street was shaped the same way, the low one takes the water from the rest.
The pond between the houses
The usual call from Howland is a strip of standing water along the side lot line, where two roofs and two yards all drain to the same shallow dip. It stays soft until June, the mower sinks, and the sump in the nearest basement runs every time it rains.
Jeff starts with grade, because grade fixes more than pipe does. He reshapes the dip into a proper swale that falls toward the street or a ditch, so water keeps moving instead of sitting. On a lot with no fall at all, a catch basin at the low point and a buried line to an outlet do the same work below ground. The standing water guide walks through which fix suits which yard.
Downspouts, sump lines and the French drain
Four downspouts dumping at the foundation is a lot of water to put on clay that will not take it. Burying the downspouts and the sump discharge in solid pipe out to daylight or a drain removes most of the water from the yard before it becomes a problem.
Where the ground stays wet from below, a French drain picks it up: a trench on fall, washed stone, perforated pipe, fabric to keep the clay out. It only works if the far end has somewhere to go. Jeff finds the outlet first, then designs the drain back from it. He does not do basement waterproofing or gutters; the work stops at the foundation wall.
Older houses on Howland's first streets
The lots along the older roads toward Warren are different. Houses from the 1920s and 1940s sit on ground that has settled toward the foundation over decades, and the clay tile some of them drained through has long since silted shut. Water that used to leave now parks against the block.
The fix is often plain regrading: pull soil back from the wall, build the fall away from the house, and seed it. Where a drive or old patio is holding water against the house, taking it out comes first. If the lot backs onto the low ground along Mosquito Creek, the yard may simply be the lowest thing around, and the plan has to send water a longer way.
Locates, the road ditch and the township permit
Every trench starts with a locate through OUPS (Ohio 811), placed at least two working days before digging. Gas, cable and phone lines run exactly where a drain wants to go, along the side yard and out to the street.
If the drain has to tie into the road ditch or a storm sewer, that end sits in public right-of-way. Howland Township takes right-of-way permit applications through its online permit portal, and on a county road the Trumbull County Engineer is the office to ask. Jeff can tell you which road you are on when he looks at the yard. The Howland page covers the rest of his work in the township.
One price, with the seed and the grading in it
Jeff comes out, walks the yard after a rain if he can, and gives one figure for the grading, the pipe, the stone and the backfill. Estimates are free. He runs the excavator and track loader himself, and ruts in the lawn get knocked down before he leaves. If a drive or patio has to come out to fix the grade, that is in the figure too.
This is the same yard drainage work he does across Warren and Niles, on the same clay. The full French drain and yard drainage page explains each method, and the drainage cost guide covers what drives the price.
Yard Drainage & French Drains
Standing water on slow clay moved off yards and away from the house: regrading, swales, French drains and buried downspouts.
See the serviceTalk to Jeff(330) 625-5754
Jeff looks at the yard with you, finds where the water comes from and where it can go, and gives you one price. Estimates are free.
Call nowWhat that covers
- Regrading and swales. The yard reshaped so water leaves on its own before any pipe goes in.
- French drains. Trench, washed stone and perforated pipe on fall to an outlet that can take it.
- Buried downspouts. Roof and sump water piped out to daylight instead of dumped at the wall.
- Catch basins. A grate at the low spot and solid pipe to the ditch for flat lots with no fall.
Howland, OH
The township east of Warren, 20 minutes from Farmdale, with the newest subdivisions in the county and older houses on slow-draining clay.
Town pageThe serviceYard Drainage & French Drains
Standing water on slow clay moved off yards and away from the house: regrading, swales, French drains and buried downspouts.
Main service pageHowland and the towns nearby
Howland is 20 minutes from Farmdale, between Warren and Niles, so most of the township is a short drive. The same drainage work is done in Warren, on older city lots that have settled toward the house, and in Niles, on the low ground where Mosquito Creek meets the Mahoning River. Cortland, by Mosquito Lake, is the next township north. Everywhere Logan Earthworks goes is listed on the service area page.
You get Jeff. Not a crew he sent.
You call
You call or send the form. Jeff comes out and looks at the job with you, on the ground, rather than pricing it off a photograph.
A number first
You get one figure before anything starts, with the hauling and the grading in it.
He runs the machine
Then he shows up and runs the machine himself.
Ground left usable
Voids get filled and the ground is graded back so you can 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 (330) 625-5754 and ask Jeff, or read the guides.
Why does my Howland back yard stay wet until June?
Because the soil under it is glacial till with a seasonal water table close to the surface from fall to late spring. Water moves through it slowly, so a low spot fills and waits. Regrading so the yard falls to a swale or a drain is usually what fixes it, with a French drain where grade alone cannot reach.
Do I need a permit to run a drain to the road ditch in Howland Township?
If the outlet sits in the road right-of-way, yes. Howland Township handles right-of-way permit applications through its online portal, and on a county road the Trumbull County Engineer issues the permit. A drain that stays inside your own lot does not usually need one, but the township zoning office can confirm.
Can you bury my downspouts and sump line?
Yes. Downspouts and the sump discharge go into solid pipe underground and run out to daylight, a swale or a catch basin. It takes a surprising amount of water off the yard and away from the foundation, and it is often the first thing Jeff suggests on a lot in Howland.
Will a French drain work on clay?
It works when it has an outlet. A French drain collects water from wet ground and carries it somewhere lower. On flat Howland clay with nowhere for the pipe to go, it just fills up. Jeff finds the outlet first and only runs a drain where there is one, otherwise he regrades instead.
Do you fix wet basements?
Not from the inside. Jeff does the outside work: regrading at the wall, buried downspouts, swales and drains that keep water from reaching the foundation in the first place. Basement waterproofing, sump pumps and gutters are a different trade. Often the outside work is what makes the basement dry.
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
Land Clearing & Brush Removal
Overgrown lots, fields and wooded acreage cleared and left ready to use.
Learn moreForestry Mulching
Brush and small trees ground into mulch in place. No piles, no burning.
Learn moreExcavation & Site Prep
Digging, pads, trenching and dirt work on rural and suburban lots.
Learn moreGravel Driveways
New drives cut, based and crowned; ruts, potholes and soft spots rebuilt.
Learn moreDrainage & French Drains
Standing water moved off yards and foundations on slow-draining clay.
Learn moreStump Grinding
Stumps ground below grade and the hole filled.
Learn moreFree estimate in Howland.
Send the details and Jeff will come out and look at it. If it is easier to talk it through, call him directly.
Farmdale, Warren, Niles, Cortland, Youngstown, Boardman, Canfield, Austintown, Hubbard and Trumbull and Mahoning counties, over into Mercer County, PA.
Need yard drainage in Howland?
Call Jeff or send a few details. Estimates are free.