Katy Drainage Home / Services / Downspout and Gutter Drainage
The downspout that dumps at the foundation
A two-story Katy house collects a lot of roof water and releases it at a few points along the wall. If those points empty into a flower bed against the slab, that is where the yard’s biggest volume of water starts every storm.
Concentrated Water in the Worst Place
Rain falling on the lawn spreads out. Rain falling on the roof is gathered by the gutters and delivered in a stream at each downspout. When the elbow points into a raised bed, the water saturates the soil at the slab edge, washes out mulch and, over time, carves a hollow.
The residential code the City of Katy follows wants the ground to fall 6 inches in the first 10 feet away from the foundation. A downspout that empties inside those 10 feet is working against that rule every time it rains.
From Cheapest to Most Involved
| Option | What it does | Where it falls short |
|---|---|---|
| Splash block | Spreads the stream out at the foot of the downspout | Still releases water right next to the slab |
| Surface extension | Carries water several feet out onto the lawn | Gets moved by mowers and kicked aside; can pond at its end |
| Buried solid line | Runs roof water underground to the curb, a swale or an emitter | Needs fall the whole way, an 811 call and a lower outlet |
| Tie-in to a catch basin line | Shares one outlet with a yard drain | The shared pipe has to be sized for both |
Buried lines should be solid pipe, not perforated, and should never be connected to the house sewer.
Gutters themselves are a roofing job
This page is about where the water goes after it leaves the downspout. Replacing, resizing or re-hanging gutters is roofing work, and a roofer is the right call for that part.
If a buried line has to cross sprinkler pipe, a licensed irrigator makes any change to the irrigation system.
Get the Roof Water Away From the House
Count the downspouts that empty into beds, and mention them when you call.
Call (346) 239-7247 Send the Details