Hi!

I'm curious if anyone has had similar work done and can share pricing
experience on fixing a drainage issue I have in my backyard. And
where the folks who do this type of work are listed in the yellow
pages.

The distance from the low point of my backyard to that 5-foot-deep
existing storm sewer basin would involve 150' Manhattan distance of
trenching (less if you cut across the front yard diagonally) , and
going under a concrete sidewalk and a concrete curb. I'm envisioning
a trencher, and a jackhammer might be the toys needed. Maybe a small
backhoe depending on how big these basins are.

The issue I' trying to solve is that during heavy rains, water will
pool in my relatively flat backyard and while it never threatens the
house, I'd much rather not have a soggy backyard (and dog) most of the
spring. The root cause is that there's only 1.5 feet of drop between
my backyard and the storm grate 3 houses down that the water is
supposed to go to, and settling has occurred over the years. I can't
simply build up my yard without making the upstream neighbor's problem
even worse (it's possible I can get this upstream neighbor to go in on
the cost since it will benefit them as well).

I've talked to the city engineer, and they've said that private
property standing water issues are outside their purview, but they
reviewed the grading and drainage plan of my home's subdivision and
indicated that I could have a private catch basin installed in my back
yard and for about $200 total in permit fees, tie into the city storm
sewer basin that exists at the front of my house ($100 for the tie in
permit, $50 permit to bust up the curb, and $50 permit to bust up a
sidewalk square).


I know I can't fit it in the budget in the coming couple of months, so
I'd hate to waste a contractor's time to come out and quote, but just
want to get a feel for what it might cost so I can start saving, or
decide to live with the water.

Thanks for any shared experience or advice on this!

Jim