Dry Well Installation in Yard — Minnesota Sand vs Clay
Water collects in your yard every spring and after every storm, and there is no lower ground, ditch or street to send it to.
JMB Builders does dry well installation in yards across Minnesota, from the north metro to St. Cloud. We test how fast the soil drains, dig a pit at the low spot, line it with filter fabric, fill it with washed stone or set a plastic dry well chamber, and run a solid pipe to it from the downspout, drain or low area. Priced per project after we see the yard.
- Priced per project
- Soil drain test before we commit
- Stone pit or plastic chamber in fabric
- Gopher State One Call (811) before digging
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
A dry well is a hole in the ground that holds water long enough for it to soak into the soil below. A solid pipe brings the water in from a downspout, a French drain or a grated basin at the low spot. The pit is lined with filter fabric and filled with washed stone, or it holds a plastic chamber with open sides that stores more water in less space.
Soil decides whether it works. Much of Anoka and Sherburne County sits on sand, and a dry well there takes water fast. Metro clay barely lets water through, so a dry well in clay fills and stays full. Before we quote one, we dig a test hole, fill it with water and watch how fast it drops. If the soil will not take it, we tell you and look at a swale, a daylight outlet or a pop-up instead.
Minnesota adds two more things. Spring melt dumps a winter of snow in a few days, so the well is sized for that, not a summer shower. And the pipe feeding it is buried and sloped so it drains out between storms instead of freezing solid.
What you supply
- Photos of where the water collects, during or right after a rain or the spring melt
- Which downspouts or drains you want sent to the dry well
- Sprinkler lines, invisible fence, septic and private buried lines pointed out; 811 does not mark those
- A gate or fence section that can open for a mini excavator, or a note that access is tight
What JMB supplies
- A walk of the yard to find the low spot and a workable location away from the house
- Gopher State One Call locate, and hand-digging near marked lines
- A test hole filled with water to see how fast the soil drains
- Pit dug with a mini excavator, lined with non-woven filter fabric
- Washed stone fill or a plastic dry well chamber, sized to the roof or yard area feeding it
- Solid pipe from the downspout, drain or basin to the well, sloped the whole way
- Fabric folded over the top, topsoil back, and seed or sod as quoted
- Extra soil spread on the lot or hauled off, and photos in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Size of the well, set by the roof or yard area that drains to it
- Soil: sand drains and digs easily, clay and buried rock need a bigger well or a different fix
- Stone-filled pit vs. a plastic chamber
- Length of the solid pipe run from the downspout or drain
- Machine access vs. hand-digging in a tight yard
- Surface finish: topsoil and sod, seed, or a stone top
Send photos of the wet spot, the downspouts you want tied in and the whole yard from a corner. We confirm the soil on site before the quote is final.
How long it takes
One dry well with its inlet pipe: usually one day. A larger well, a long pipe run or tight access can add a day.
How your project works
- 1
Send photos, get a written quote
Send three photos of the space and a sentence about what you want. You get a clear, itemized quote within one business day. We only come out to measure first when the job needs a tape measure — no pressure, no games.
- 2
Pick materials, or bring your own
We help you choose profiles and materials that fit the house and the budget, or match your existing millwork exactly — or you buy the door or trim yourself and we install it. Everything is confirmed before the crew is scheduled.
- 3
Clean, precise installation
The crew shows up on time, protects floors and furniture, and installs with tight joints and consistent reveals. Photos of the finished work go in your job folder.
- 4
Walkthrough and invoice
We walk the finished work with you. If anything is not right, we fix it before we call the job done. Then one invoice, paid by check or direct deposit — no card fees, no payment links.
Situations and options
Downspout dry well
One or two downspouts piped underground to a well out in the yard, so roof water stops pooling at the foundation and spilling across the lawn.
Dry well at the low spot
A grated basin or a French drain collects the standing water at the lowest point of a flat yard and sends it to a dry well dug nearby.
Stone pit
A fabric-lined pit filled with washed stone. Simple and long-lived; it needs a larger hole than a chamber for the same amount of water.
Plastic chamber
An open-sided plastic dry well set in stone. It holds more water per foot of hole, so it suits smaller yards and tight spots.
Dry Well Installation in Yard — Minnesota Sand vs Clay: questions, answered
Does a dry well work in Minnesota?
Yes, in the right soil. On the sandy ground common north of the metro, a dry well takes water quickly and works for years. In heavy clay it fills and stays full. We dig a test hole and time how fast water drops before we quote one.
Does a dry well work in clay soil?
Usually not well. Clay lets water through so slowly that the well stays full after the first storm. In clay we look at a swale, a daylight outlet or a pop-up emitter instead. If there is sand or gravel below the clay, a deeper well can reach it, which the test hole shows.
How big should a dry well be?
Big enough to hold the water from one storm while it soaks in. The size comes from the roof or yard area that drains to it and how fast your soil takes water. A single downspout on sand needs a small well; several downspouts on slower soil need a bigger one or two wells.
Will a dry well freeze in winter?
The stone below the frost line keeps taking water, but the inlet pipe can freeze if it holds water. We slope the pipe the whole way so it drains empty between storms. In early spring melt, when the ground is still frozen near the surface, a dry well works slower until the frost comes out.
How far from the house should a dry well be?
Far enough that the water soaking in does not come back toward the basement, and downhill from the house where the yard allows. It also stays away from a septic system, a well and the property line. We pick the spot on site and show you before we dig.
Dry well or French drain — which do I need?
They often work together. A French drain collects water from soggy ground; a dry well is one place to send it when there is no lower ground or street to drain to. If the water is only from downspouts, a dry well alone may do it.
Recent JMB work, from our job log
59 installs recorded across 30 Twin Cities communities since Dec 2025. Window and door installs for homeowners and for the builders and dealers we sub for. Counts come straight from our job log; no customer names.
Get a written quote for this job
Three photos and a sentence is enough. You hear back within one business day. Or text the photos to 763-204-2099.
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Read morePage reviewed September 26, 2026 · JMB Builders LLC, MN license BC809005 · All excavation pages
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