Yard Catch Basin Drain Installation — Grate at the Low Spot
Water sits on top of the lawn in one spot after every rain: a puddle by the patio, in a corner of the yard or where two slopes meet.
JMB Builders does yard catch basin drain installation across the Twin Cities metro and north to St. Cloud. We set a grated plastic basin at the low spot where water puddles, run solid pipe from it with a steady fall, and end it at a daylight outlet, a pop-up emitter or a dry well. The lawn is graded to the grate and patched. Priced per project.
- Priced per project
- Grated basin set flush with the lawn
- Solid pipe to daylight, pop-up or dry well
- Gopher State One Call (811) before digging
- Licensed MN contractor BC809005
A catch basin is a box with a grate on top, set in the ground at the lowest point of a yard. Surface water runs to it, drops through the grate, and leaves through a solid pipe. It is the fix for a puddle that sits on top of the grass: the water is already on the surface, it just has nowhere to go.
That is different from a French drain. A French drain pulls water out of soggy soil through perforated pipe in stone. A catch basin takes water that is running or standing on top. Many yards need one or the other; some need a basin at the low spot and a French drain feeding it.
The basin is only as good as its outlet. The pipe has to fall the whole way to a place lower than the grate: a slope where it can daylight, a pop-up emitter in the lawn further down, or a dry well where the soil takes water. We find the outlet first, then set the basin. The basin has a sump below the pipe that catches grit, so it gets cleaned out once in a while instead of plugging the pipe.
What you supply
- Photos of the puddle during or right after a rain, and of where you think the water could go
- Where water is allowed to go: your own lower ground, a ditch, or a street outlet if the city permits it
- Sprinkler lines, invisible fence and private buried lines pointed out; 811 does not mark those
- Your choice of grate color or style if you have one
What JMB supplies
- A walk of the yard with a level to confirm the low spot and a workable outlet
- Gopher State One Call locate, and hand-digging near marked lines
- Plastic catch basin with a sump and grate, set flush with the finished lawn
- Solid pipe with a steady fall to a daylight end, pop-up emitter or dry well
- Lawn around the grate shaped so water runs to it
- Trench backfilled and compacted, topsoil back, and seed or sod as quoted
- Photos of the finished basin and outlet in your job folder
How it is priced: per project
Quoted in writing from your photos within one business day. What moves the number:
- Number of basins and the length of pipe to the outlet
- Outlet type: daylight end, pop-up emitter, or a dry well dug at the end
- How much fall the yard has; a flat yard means a deeper trench
- Crossings: a walk, patio, driveway or tree roots in the run
- Tying in downspouts or a French drain to the same pipe
- Surface finish: sod, seed or stone around the grate
Send photos of the puddle after a rain, the whole yard from a corner, and any spot lower than the puddle. We confirm the fall on site before the quote is final.
How long it takes
One basin with a pipe to daylight or a pop-up: usually one day. Several basins or a dry well at the end: one to two days.
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
Basin to daylight
Where the yard falls away to a slope or ditch, the pipe runs from the basin and ends there with a grate or rock splash pad. The simplest outlet and the one that works in any soil.
Basin to a pop-up emitter
The pipe runs to a lower part of the lawn and ends in a pop-up that opens when water pushes up and closes flush when it stops. Good in yards with some fall but no slope to daylight.
Basin to a dry well
Where there is no lower ground, the pipe ends in a stone pit or chamber that soaks the water in. Works on sandy soil; in clay we look for another outlet first.
Basin with downspouts tied in
Downspout lines run into the same pipe so the roof water and the yard water leave together. Each tie-in gets a clean-out so the line can be flushed.
Yard Catch Basin Drain Installation — Grate at the Low Spot: questions, answered
What is a catch basin in a yard?
It is a plastic box with a grate on top, set flush with the lawn at the lowest spot. Surface water runs to it, drops in, and leaves through a solid pipe to an outlet. The box has a sump below the pipe that traps grit so the pipe stays clear.
Should I get a catch basin or a French drain?
If water puddles on top of the grass, a catch basin takes it. If the ground stays soggy with no puddle, a French drain pulls water out of the soil. Some yards need both: a French drain across the wet strip feeding a basin at the low end.
Where does the water from a yard catch basin go?
Through a solid pipe to a spot lower than the grate: a slope where it can daylight, a pop-up emitter further down the lawn, or a dry well. It stays on your lot or goes where the city allows, never onto a neighbor's yard and never into the sanitary sewer.
Why does water puddle in the same spot in my yard?
Because that spot is lower than everything around it, or the soil there is packed clay that will not let water in. Settled fill over an old trench or a spot that was never graded are common causes. Sometimes regrading fixes it; where the yard is too flat, a basin gives the water a way out.
Does a catch basin need to be cleaned?
Now and then. Grass clippings, leaves and grit settle in the sump below the pipe. Lift the grate once or twice a year, scoop out what is there, and the pipe stays open. A clean-out on the line lets you flush it with a hose.
Will a yard catch basin freeze in winter?
The basin and pipe freeze in a Minnesota winter, but that does not hurt them if the pipe falls the whole way and drains empty. In spring the basin starts working once the frost comes out. A pop-up emitter at the end lets any leftover water out.
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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