What driveway drainage costs
Guide prices for channel drains and how soakaways are priced, so you can budget for curing a puddling drive.
A channel drain across a typical driveway or garage entrance costs about £1,000–£1,800 installed. For longer runs, a heavy-duty, vehicle-rated channel costs £120–£200 per metre, so a 10-metre run works out at about £1,200–£2,000. Soakaways are sized and priced after a percolation test, because their size depends on how fast your ground takes water. All figures are guides; the fixed price comes in writing after the visit.
- Channel drain
- £120–£200 per metre
- Includes
- Supply, fitting and clearing up
- Guarantee
- 5 years, in writing
Updated October 2026. Guide prices, not a quote. Your fixed price comes in writing after the site visit.
Driveway drainage guide prices, installed
| Work | Guide price |
|---|---|
| Channel drain across a typical drive or garage entrance | About £1,000–£1,800 |
| Heavy-duty, vehicle-rated channel, per metre | £120–£200 |
| 10m heavy-duty run (10 × £120–£200) | About £1,200–£2,000 |
| Soakaway or crate system | Sized and priced after a percolation test |
What is included in the price
A channel drain price covers cutting out the drive surface, digging the trench, bedding and haunching a heavy-duty, vehicle-rated channel in concrete, connecting it to where the water is going, and making good the surface either side.
We first find out why the drive puddles. If falls are wrong or the base has sunk, correcting those may be part of the fix, and where a soakaway is needed we test the ground before giving you a price for it.
What makes it cost more or less
- Length of the channel and whether it carries vehicle loads.
- Where the water can legally go: soakaway, permeable area or an approved surface water sewer.
- How well the ground drains, which sets the size of any soakaway or crate system.
- The drive surface being cut and reinstated, from gravel to block, tarmac or resin.
- Whether falls need correcting as well as adding a channel.
- Services buried under the drive.
Driveway drainage costs in Rutland, Stamford and the nearby towns
Drainage prices follow the ground. Oakham's clay holds water through winter and the town is a named surface water risk area, so soakaways there tend to be larger or replaced by a controlled outlet. Market Harborough's mudstones drain slowly too. Stamford and Ketton on limestone often take a soakaway well, keeping the cost down, though ground near the Welland behaves differently. In Corby, near the Willow Brook, and in Kettering, ground can be fill or compacted subsoil, which is why we test before sizing anything.
What to check in any quote
- That the channel is vehicle-rated and bedded and haunched in concrete.
- Where the water will go, and that it is not the foul sewer or the road.
- Whether a percolation test is included before a soakaway is sized.
- How the cut drive surface will be made good.
- Whether the cause of the puddling has been identified, not just the symptom.
Driveway drainage: how we build it
See driveway drainage for the specification, planning rules and the finish we build.
- Driveway drainage in Oakham
- Driveway drainage in Uppingham
- Driveway drainage in Stamford
- Driveway drainage in Market Harborough
- Driveway drainage in Corby
- Driveway drainage in Kettering
- Driveway drainage in Ketton
- Driveway drainage in Empingham
- Driveway drainage in Cottesmore
- Driveway drainage in Greetham
- Driveway drainage in Langham
- Driveway drainage in Whissendine
- Driveway drainage in Ryhall
- Driveway drainage in Edith Weston
- Driveway drainage in Weldon
- Driveway drainage in Great Bowden
“Really pleased with my new driveway. Beautifully finished, friendly professional workmen, would definitely recommend and will be using them again for the garden once other renovations complete.”
Driveway — Google review
“Absolutely great guys, job was done in good time and looks brilliant. No complaints, the driveway is immaculate. More work in the near future, thanks again!”
Driveway — Google review
Things people ask us
What is the cheapest way to stop my drive puddling?
Is a channel drain worth fitting?
Does driveway drainage need maintaining?
When do I pay for drainage work?
How long does a drainage quote stay open?
Request a site visit
We measure up, check levels and drainage, and send a written proposal with the build-up, the programme and one whole price. No pressure and no follow-up sales calls.