Basement Drainage in Des Moines, IA
Plenty of damp basements come down to water that finds no easier path than the foundation. Here is how footer drains, interior drain tile, grading and downspouts work for homes with basements in Des Moines, IA, in Polk County, Iowa. Fill in the short form and one independent contractor in the area receives your request to be contacted.
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French Drains and Footer Drains
A footer drain is a perforated pipe bedded in gravel outside the footing, carrying water off before it presses on the wall. Old ones can silt up or crush, and replacing one means digging. A French drain is a gravel trench out in the yard that catches shallow water before it reaches the foundation.
Gutters collect the rain off the whole house and release it at a few corners. Extensions should carry it well out into the yard, pointed away from your house and the next lot, and never into a floor drain or the sanitary sewer. At Des Moines addresses, the City's Private Property Protection Program can reimburse a licensed plumber's work, under a plumbing permit, to disconnect roof leaders from the sanitary sewer; owners apply to the City directly, need its pre-approval first and can ask the Clean Water Program Office, (515) 323-8165.
Des Moines sits where the last glacier to enter Iowa stopped, and the till it left (Iowa Geological Survey) weathered into soils that can stay saturated 4 to 6 feet down from March through June (USDA NRCS). Farther south, wind-blown loess drapes the uplands.
Sewer history explains why clean water belongs outdoors. Some of the older city was built with combined pipes, one line for both stormwater and sewage. Since 2010, a consent decree with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has guided the City's separation work, done alongside the Des Moines Metropolitan Wastewater Reclamation Authority (WRA); in May 2025 the City announced that the last combined sewer overflow had been eliminated. Saylorville Lake, a federal reservoir upstream, controls the Des Moines River; it does nothing about groundwater or a sewer backup.
Jobs That Fall Under Basement Drainage
- Overflowing gutters. Clogged gutters dump a downpour at the wall's base.
- Short downspouts. A spout ending at the foundation soaks the exact soil a basement wall backs onto.
- Settled backfill. Soil around newer homes can sink toward the house, so runoff heads for the walls.
- Flooded window wells. Without a clear drain in its floor, a well holds rain against the window.
- Interior drain tile. A trench inside the footing, with perforated pipe in gravel, carries seepage to a sump.
How the Work Usually Goes
- Watch the pattern. Note which rain, which thaw and which corner.
- Send the form. One independent contractor receives it and gets in touch itself.
- Outside first. Gutters, grading and window wells are usually checked before anyone cuts concrete.
- Footage in writing. Which walls, how many linear feet of drain tile and where each outlet ends.
- Permits named. In Des Moines, the contractor checks the scope with the Permit and Development Center (515-283-4200); sewer work takes a state-licensed plumber and a plumbing permit. Each town has its own office.
Price Ranges With Sources
| Cost row | Figure | Source (year) |
|---|---|---|
| Typical basement waterproofing project | about $3,000 to $10,000 (average about $5,000) | Fixr national (2026) |
| Interior perimeter drain, per linear foot | $40 to $120 | Fixr national (2026) |
| Sump pump installation | $600 to $2,500 | Fixr national (2026) |
| Epoxy crack injection, per crack | $250 to $1,000 | Fixr national (2026) |
| Waterproof paint or sealant, per sq ft | $1 to $8 | Fixr national (2026) |
All five rows are national. Because drain tile is charged per linear foot, treating one damp wall costs a fraction of a full loop; yard fixes such as gutters, regrading and window wells carry their own separate prices. Backwater valves and sewer-line repairs are plumbing, priced by a state-licensed plumber. Try the cost calculator or read the cost guide.
What Makes This Easier
One form replaces contacting firms one by one. It costs nothing, and you get nothing in return. The site behind it refers and advertises; it is not a contractor or plumber, and it neither does drainage work nor puts a price on it. Contractors may pay it a flat advertising fee, for now on a free trial.
Once the contractor gets in touch, check its Iowa contractor registration yourself on DIAL's Contractor Registration Public Portal. Ask for insurance certificates and recent local customers, get the linear feet and every outlet written into the contract, and pay in stages as the work moves along.
Questions Homeowners Ask
Are gutter and grading fixes enough?
Sometimes. They cost far less than trenching the floor, so they usually come first. If water still reaches the wall's base after a wet spring, interior drain tile is the usual next step.
Can a downspout or drain tile empty into the sewer?
Don't send it there. Rain and groundwater belong on open ground or in a sump that discharges outdoors, never in a floor drain or the sanitary sewer. Disconnecting an old roof leader or foundation drain from the sewer is plumbing for a state-licensed plumber with a permit; ask the plumber or your city where the water should go.
Who looks after the sewer line from the house?
City documents refer to it as the private sewer service, and work on it takes a plumbing permit and a state-licensed plumber; ask Public Works which part is yours. A backwater valve on that line is plumbing too. Report a Des Moines backup to Public Works, (515) 283-4950, or the myDSMmobile app; each of the five towns runs its own sewers.
Other Basement Fixes
Drain tile needs somewhere to empty, which is where sump pump installation comes in; the wider picture is under full basement waterproofing, and a single wet spot may suit basement leak repair.
Request a Drainage Estimate
Tell the form where water appears and which weather sets it off. A single independent contractor near Des Moines reads it, gets in touch and, if it takes the job, writes up its own estimate; whether anything gets built is your decision. Start with the form.