French drain cost in Virginia Beach, VA
Local estimate from BLS wage data and BEA price levels. Reviewed Nov 4, 2026.
- Typical range (60 linear ft)
- $550 – $1,900
- Per linear ft
- $9.15 – $32
- before permit
- Versus US midpoint
- −9%
- US $1,350
- Rank of 300 metros
- #240
- 1 = most expensive
A French drain in Virginia Beach, VA usually costs $550 to $1,900 for 60 linear ft. That works out to about $9.15 to $32 per linear ft before permits. Compared with the national midpoint that is $120 less. Construction laborers earn a median of $18.51 an hour in the Virginia Beach area, 18% below the US median of $22.66.
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Estimated cost for 60 linear ft in Virginia Beach, VA, standard level
$960 to $1,500
About $16 to $25 per linear ft before permits. Labor is about 49% of the bill.
| Part | Low | High |
|---|---|---|
| Materials | $490 | $770 |
| Labor | $470 | $740 |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 |
| Total | $960 | $1,500 |
Cost breakdown for 60 linear ft in Virginia Beach, VA
| Part of the job | Low | Midpoint | High | Share |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Materials | $280 | $630 | $980 | 51% |
| Labor | $270 | $610 | $940 | 49% |
| Permits and fees | $0 | $0 | $0 | 0% |
| Total | $550 | $1,250 | $1,900 | 100% |
Why Virginia Beach prices look the way they do
We price the labor side from BLS wage data for 3 trades: construction laborers at 50%, operating engineers and other construction equipment operators at 30%, pipelayers at 20%. Weighted together, Virginia Beach wages are 0.86 times the national level. Labor makes up about 49% of the midpoint estimate (52% at national prices).
Materials are scaled with BEA's regional price parity for goods. Virginia Beach is at 96.8 against 100 for the US, so a materials line of $650 nationally becomes $630 here (midpoint, 60 linear ft). Permits follow the all-items index of 97.9: $0 to $0.
Virginia Beach: what basic, standard and premium work costs
The cited range is split into basic, standard and premium bands, then scaled to Virginia Beach. Bands overlap, because plenty of standard jobs cost as much as a light premium one. Sizes run from short run (30 linear ft) to long run (120 linear ft).
Basic
$550 to $1,100
Shallow yard drain, easy digging
Standard
$960 to $1,500
Standard drain with fabric, gravel and a pop-up outlet
Premium
$1,350 to $1,900
Deep or long drain, hard soil, dry well or sump discharge
| Size | Basic | Standard | Premium |
|---|---|---|---|
| short run (30 linear ft) | $270 – $550 | $480 – $750 | $690 – $960 |
| side yard (60 linear ft) | $550 – $1,100 | $960 – $1,500 | $1,350 – $1,900 |
| long run (120 linear ft) | $1,100 – $2,200 | $1,900 – $3,000 | $2,750 – $3,850 |
French drain: what moves the price in Virginia Beach
Exterior versus interior
A shallow exterior French drain is $10-$35 per linear foot; an interior basement drain is $40-$85 per foot, or $4,000-$17,000 installed (HomeGuide).
Where the water goes
A sump pump adds $500-$1,800 and a dry well $50-$3,000+. Discharging to a storm drain can mean extra permit fees.
Depth and soil
Rocky or clay soil and long trenches raise excavation time.
How Virginia Beach compares
Same job, same size (60 linear ft), priced for the nearest metros. Lexington Park is the priciest of the group at $1,350.
| Area | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Beach, VAthis page | $550 – $1,900 | $1,250 | |
| Richmond, VA70 miles | $570 – $2,000 | $1,300 | +3% |
| Greenville, NC100 miles | $550 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +1% |
| Lexington Park, MD100 miles | $610 – $2,150 | $1,350 | +11% |
| Raleigh, NC135 miles | $570 – $2,000 | $1,300 | +4% |
| Charlottesville, VA145 miles | $580 – $2,050 | $1,300 | +6% |
| Virginia (statewide) | $580 – $2,050 | $1,300 | +7% |
| United States | $600 – $2,100 | $1,350 | +9% |
Out of the 300 metros we cover, Virginia Beach ranks #240 for the cost of this job (#1 is the most expensive). Statewide, Virginia Beach is 6% below the Virginia figure.
Elsewhere in Virginia
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Richmond, VA | 660,350 jobs | $570 – $2,000 | $1,300 | +3% |
| Roanoke, VA | 153,980 jobs | $540 – $1,900 | $1,200 | −1% |
| Charlottesville, VA | 114,780 jobs | $580 – $2,050 | $1,300 | +6% |
| Lynchburg, VA | 97,190 jobs | $540 – $1,900 | $1,200 | −1% |
| Blacksburg, VA | 74,070 jobs | $560 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +2% |
| Winchester, VA | 67,740 jobs | $560 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +2% |
Metros of a similar size
Big cities and small ones price differently, so here is Virginia Beach against the 4 metros with the closest total employment.
| Metro | Size | Range | Midpoint | vs. here |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jacksonville, FL | 765,930 jobs | $560 – $1,950 | $1,250 | +2% |
| Raleigh, NC | 743,120 jobs | $570 – $2,000 | $1,300 | +4% |
| Milwaukee, WI | 820,780 jobs | $700 – $2,450 | $1,600 | +28% |
| Providence, RI | 714,120 jobs | $670 – $2,350 | $1,500 | +23% |
Related projects, priced for Virginia Beach
Jobs that often go together with French drain are priced below at their usual sizes, using the same Virginia Beach wage and price inputs. Compared with national midpoints, sod installation comes out highest (−6%) and retaining wall lowest (−10%); the gap comes from the trades each job uses.
| Project | Size | Range | vs. US |
|---|---|---|---|
| Retaining wall | 200 sq ft of wall face | $6,200 – $12,300 | −10% |
| Gravel driveway | 1,000 sq ft | $2,250 – $9,250 | −9% |
| Sod installation | 1,500 sq ft | $1,400 – $3,100 | −6% |
| Concrete slab | 400 sq ft | $2,250 – $4,800 | −8% |
| Sprinkler system | 4,000 sq ft of lawn | $3,700 – $9,250 | −7% |
| Inground pool | 450 sq ft | $32,700 – $102,000 | −10% |
What local crews earn in Virginia Beach
The labor line is built from BLS wage data, one trade at a time. This job draws on 3 trades. We compare each trade's local median with the US median, weight the ratios by how much of the job each trade does, and apply the blend to the national labor cost. For Virginia Beach the blend is 0.86.
For construction laborers (47-2061, weighted 50%) the local median is $18.51 an hour, which is 18% below the national $22.66. The middle half of them earn between $17.29 and $21.90 an hour. BLS counts 5,660 of them working in the area, 74.2 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 70.5), so the local bench is about average.
Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073), 30% of the weighting: a median of $25.03 an hour, 13% below the US median of $28.78. The middle half of them earn between $23.01 and $29.38 an hour. About 2,150 work in the metro. That is 28.2 per 10,000 jobs, compared with 30.7 nationally, so the supply of crews looks typical.
For pipelayers (47-2151, weighted 20%) the local median is $22.99 an hour, which is in line with the national $23.56. The middle half of them earn between $20.51 and $27.65 an hour. BLS counts 260 of them working in the area, 3.4 for every 10,000 jobs (US: 2.1), so the local bench is deeper than average.
A quick sensitivity check: moving the lead trade (construction laborers) from the median to the 75th percentile wage adds about $55 to the midpoint estimate; the 25th percentile takes off about $20. That is a swing of roughly 1.5% to 4.3% of the total, which is useful for judging whether a bid reflects wages or something else, such as scope or margin.
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk has 763,060 jobs in total (BLS, May 2025), ranking 40th by size among the 300 metros on this site.
| Trade | Weight | 25th pct | Median | 75th pct | US median | Ratio | Level used |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction laborers (47-2061) | 50% | $17.29 | $18.51 | $21.90 | $22.66 | 0.82 | metro |
| Operating engineers and other construction equipment operators (47-2073) | 30% | $23.01 | $25.03 | $29.38 | $28.78 | 0.87 | metro |
| Pipelayers (47-2151) | 20% | $20.51 | $22.99 | $27.65 | $23.56 | 0.98 | metro |
| Blended | 100% | 0.86 | |||||
Virginia Beach weather and the french drain calendar
Climate numbers on this page come from NOAA's 1991-2020 U.S. Climate Normals at the nearest suitable station, Oceana Nas (5 miles from the city center). They are 30-year averages, so any one year can run hotter, colder or wetter.
For digging, grading and setting material in the ground, the comfortable months in Virginia Beach are February through December: 11 of 12. Outside them, January has an average overnight low at or below freezing (32°F).
In January the average low is at or below freezing, which means frozen ground and slower digging, compaction and sod or stone placement. NOAA counts about 50 days a year with a low at or below 32°F at this station.
Virginia Beach gets about 47 inches of precipitation in a normal year, including roughly 3 inches of snow. The wettest months are July, August and September (5.8 inches in July). Inside the workable window, February and November are the driest, at 2.8 and 3.1 inches. The station averages about 32 days a year at 90°F or above.
We do not adjust the estimate by month, because we have no reliable published data on seasonal pricing. It is still worth asking contractors whether an off-peak start date changes their bid.
| Month | Avg high °F | Avg low °F | Precip (in) | For this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50 | 32 | 3.2 | Cold |
| Feb | 53 | 33 | 2.8 | Workable |
| Mar | 59 | 39 | 3.6 | Workable |
| Apr | 69 | 48 | 3.4 | Workable |
| May | 76 | 56 | 3.6 | Workable |
| Jun | 83 | 66 | 4.2 | Workable |
| Jul | 87 | 70 | 5.8 | Workable |
| Aug | 85 | 69 | 5.1 | Workable |
| Sep | 80 | 64 | 4.5 | Workable |
| Oct | 71 | 53 | 4.2 | Workable |
| Nov | 61 | 42 | 3.1 | Workable |
| Dec | 54 | 35 | 3.3 | Workable |
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French drain in Virginia Beach: your questions
+How much does it cost to install a French drain in Virginia Beach?
For 60 linear ft, expect $550 to $1,900 in the Virginia Beach area. A standard-spec job lands at $960 to $1,500. Small jobs usually cost more per linear ft and large ones less.
+What is the price per linear ft for French drain in Virginia Beach?
About $9.15 to $32 per linear ft for materials and labor, plus $0 to $0 for the permit if one is needed. The US range is $10 to $35.
+Is French drain cheaper in Virginia Beach or Richmond?
Richmond is 70 miles away. The midpoint for 60 linear ft there is $1,300, which is 3% more than Virginia Beach ($1,250). Wage and materials indexes both feed that gap.
+How much of the bill is labor in Virginia Beach?
About 49% at the midpoint, or $610 out of $1,250. Materials are 51% and permits 0%. Nationally, labor is 52%.
+What would side yard (60 linear ft) cost in Virginia Beach?
$550 to $1,900. Pick a different size in the estimator above to get your own number.
+Does French drain need a permit in Virginia Beach?
Often, but rules are set by your city or county building office, so call before you hire. Budget $0 to $0 for fees in the Virginia Beach area (our national range of $0 to $0 scaled by the local price level).
+Is Virginia Beach expensive for French drain compared with the rest of Virginia?
Virginia Beach is 6% below the Virginia statewide estimate ($1,300 at the midpoint). We cover 8 metros in Virginia; see the state page to compare them.
+What do construction laborers earn in Virginia Beach?
The BLS median is $18.51 an hour in the Virginia Beach area, compared with $22.66 nationally. The 25th to 75th percentile range is $17.29 to $21.90.
+What do basic and premium French drain work cost in Virginia Beach?
For 60 linear ft, basic work runs $550 to $1,100 and premium work $1,350 to $1,900. Basic means: shallow yard drain, easy digging. Premium means: deep or long drain, hard soil, dry well or sump discharge.
+When is the best time to install a French drain in Virginia Beach?
Based on NOAA 1991-2020 normals, the comfortable months for this kind of work are February through December. February and November are typically the driest of those months. Local contractors' schedules matter as much as the weather, so book early for the busy months.
French drain near Virginia Beach
Where these numbers come from
Base prices are national ranges from the sources below. We scale labor by local BLS wages, materials by BEA goods prices and permits by the BEA all-items price level. Full method on the methodology page.
- HomeGuide: How Much Does a French Drain Cost? (2026) (accessed November 4, 2026)
- Cost to Renovate: Renovation Labor Report 2026: Where the Money Goes (accessed November 4, 2026)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
- NOAA NCEI U.S. Climate Normals, 1991-2020
Note on derived figures: Materials = 48% of the installed price, from Cost to Renovate's mid-range 'Outdoor Living' category split (44% labor, 48% materials). It is a category average, not a French-drain figure, so the materials line here is a rough one.