Do I need a license to be a French drain installer?

Requirements vary by state. Most states require some form of business license. Some trades require specific certifications or permits. Biz Wiz ($19.99) researches your specific state's requirements and builds them into your plan.

How much do french drain installers make?

The median income for french drain installers is $55,000/year. Top earners in busy markets make significantly more. Your income depends on pricing, volume, and keeping overhead low — which is why owning your tools instead of renting them matters.

How to Start a French drain installer Business in 2026

Q: How much does it cost to start a French drain installer business?

Startup costs for a French drain installer business typically range from $500 to $5,000 depending on equipment and licensing. The biggest ongoing cost is software subscriptions ($100-200/month). Nexa eliminates that with a $279 one-time purchase.

Quick Answer: Starting a French drain installer business costs $500-5,000 in startup costs. You need proper licensing for your state, the right equipment (trencher or mini-excavator and more), and business tools (invoicing, scheduling, CRM). The median French drain installer earns $55,000/year. Biz Wiz ($19.99) builds a personalized plan with your state's exact requirements. Nexa ($279 once or $99×3) replaces all the software subscriptions.

Bottom Line

Starting a French drain installer business takes $500-5,000 in startup costs, proper licensing for your state, and business tools (invoicing, scheduling, CRM, bookkeeping). The median French drain installer earns $55,000/year. Most new french drain installers make the mistake of renting $100-200/month in software subscriptions from day one — that is $1,200-2,400/year before you have a single client. Nexa is $279 once for all of it. Biz Wiz ($19.99) builds you a personalized plan with your state's exact licensing requirements, pricing research for your area, and a 90-day action checklist.

The Steps

Figure Out the Legal Stuff

Every state is different. You may need a business license, trade-specific license, insurance, or permits. Don't skip this — getting caught without proper licensing can cost more than the license itself. Check your state's requirements →

Set Your Pricing

Research what french drain installers charge in your area. Don't underprice to "get started" — you'll burn out. Price for profit from day one. Most french drain installers charge based on job size, complexity, or hourly rate.

Get Your Equipment

You need: trencher or mini-excavator, perforated drain pipe (sock-wrapped) and solid outlet pipe, washed 3/4-inch gravel and non-woven filter fabric, laser level for trench grade, wheelbarrow and tamper for backfill, pipe-pulling cleanout fittings and a pop-up emitter. Buy quality — you'll use these every day. This is a real investment, not a subscription you're renting. Own your tools from the start.

Set Up Your Business Tools

You need invoicing, scheduling, client tracking, and bookkeeping. Most french drain installers pay $100-200/month renting these from 3-4 different companies. Or you can get Nexa — all of it for $279 once. You own it. See what the subscriptions really cost →

Find Your First 5 Clients

Start with people you know. Post on Nextdoor. Join local Facebook groups. Tell everyone what you do. Your first 5 clients become your first 5 reviews — and reviews are everything in this business.

Build Your Rhythm

Set a weekly schedule: when you work, when you do admin, when you market. Track your hours. Send invoices same day. Review your finances monthly. The french drain installers who build a rhythm survive. The ones who wing it don't.

A Day in the Life of a French drain installer

The job is a chronically wet side yard, so you start by confirming the trench line and shooting grade with the laser, because the whole system lives or dies on continuous fall. The trencher opens a clean cut to the depth you need, but halfway down the line you hit a mat of tree roots and have to switch to hand digging to ease the trench around them without losing your slope. You line the trench with non-woven filter fabric, lay in a few inches of washed gravel, and set the sock-wrapped perforated pipe on top, checking the drop with the laser every few feet so there's no belly. More gravel goes over the pipe, then you fold the fabric over the top like a burrito so silt from the surrounding soil can't migrate in and choke it. You tie the run to a solid pipe that carries water to a pop-up emitter at the low end of the yard. A cleanout at the head lets the homeowner flush it years from now. Backfill, tamp, and the trench all but disappears, which is the part customers struggle with, because they paid for something they can no longer see. You walk them through the cleanout and the emitter, and remind them not to bury the pop-up under mulch. The test is the next downpour, and you want the call to never come.

Sound familiar? That's what happens when your tools don't talk to each other. Nexa connects everything — log a job, invoice from it, track the payment, update your books. One app. $279 once.

The Real Problems French Drain Installers Deal With

Setting continuous fall along the trench so the pipe drains, because a single belly turns the whole run into a holding tank
Wrapping and bedding the pipe right so silt doesn't clog the gravel and the drain dies in two years
Working around tree roots, buried utilities, and shallow bedrock that force the trench off the planned line
Explaining to customers why a hidden trench full of gravel costs what it does when they can't see the work after backfill

Biz Wiz ($19.99) builds a plan around YOUR specific problems — not generic business advice.

Finally Start Your French drain installer Business

$19.99

Everything you need to go from idea to open:

✓French drain installer-specific business plan

✓Startup checklist (licenses, insurance)

✓90-day back office access

✓Tool budget calculator

✓Weekly guidance emails

✓Upgrade path when ready

Get Your French drain installer Business Plan

✓ 30-day money-back guarantee

"I spent $19.99 on Biz Wiz and got a plan that told me exactly what licenses I needed, what to charge, and what to do first. I launched the next week."

— Small business owner, Biz Wiz customer

The Hidden Cost Nobody Mentions

Everyone talks about equipment costs. Nobody talks about the software tax.

Most french drain installers end up paying $100-200/month for business software — invoicing, scheduling, bookkeeping, client management. That's $1,200-2,400/year. Over 5 years with price increases: $8,000-15,000. For tools you don't even own.

Nexa: $279. Once. Invoicing, scheduling, CRM, task management, and full QuickBooks-style accounting. You own it like you own your trencher or mini-excavator.

FAQ

How much does it cost to start a French drain installer business?

Depends on equipment and licensing. Typically $500-5,000 to start. The biggest ongoing cost is software subscriptions ($100-200/month) — which Nexa eliminates with a $279 one-time purchase.

Do I need a license?

Varies by state. Biz Wiz ($19.99) researches your specific state's requirements and includes them in your personalized plan.

How do I find clients?

Start local: Nextdoor, Facebook groups, word of mouth. Get 5 clients, get 5 reviews. Reviews compound. Your plan from Biz Wiz includes a marketing strategy tuned to your area.

Can I do this part-time?

Yes. Many french drain installers start on weekends or evenings. The key is setting a rhythm you can sustain while keeping a day job.

How to Start a French drain installer Business