Drainage Contractor in Lapeer County, MI
Standing water moved off yards, low spots and foundations across Lapeer County, starting with the grade and adding pipe only where the ground needs it.
- Free on-site estimates
- Owner-run by George
- Based in Capac, MI
Drainage across Lapeer County
Elite Excavating LLC fixes wet yards and lots across Lapeer County from the yard in Capac. Imlay City is about 12 miles away, Almont about 14 and Lapeer about 22, and the western townships are a little further out.
Most standing water is a grade problem first. Before anything else gets suggested, George looks at where the water comes from and where it can go. A lot of wet yards are fixed with a machine and a good eye. Where water has nowhere to go on the surface, it gets a drain: a trench, stone, pipe and an outlet that actually daylights.
The estimate is free, and you get a price before any work starts. George runs the equipment himself.
Where the water goes in Lapeer County
A drain is only as good as its outlet. In Lapeer County that outlet is often a road ditch or a county drain. The Lapeer County Drain Commissioner says the county has roughly 260 county and inter-county drains, and the office publishes drain maps for each township. Look up your township's map, or call the office, before a new line is run to a ditch.
If the outlet means crossing the right of way of a county drain, the county's Act 40 drain right-of-way permit is the form for property owners, and the county asks for an approved EGLE permit with it. A ditch along a county road is a road commission matter: the Lapeer County Road Commission is listed in the county directory. Confirm with the right office before work starts.
Grade first, then pipe
Plenty of wet yards need no pipe at all. The ground is shot, the low spots are filled and blended, and the yard is cut so water leaves on its own. If the yard is flat with nowhere to send water on the surface, a French drain carries it underground to an outlet. The French drain guide explains when one is the answer and when it is not, and the clay soil drainage guide covers why heavy ground holds water.
Around the house
Water standing against a foundation is the expensive kind. Downspouts get buried lines that carry the water away, swales are cut to steer runoff around the house, and the grade near the walls is set to fall away. All of it can be handled in one visit with the grading. MISS DIG 811 is contacted first so public underground utilities are located before any trench is dug.
Farm ground and long lots
Lapeer County sits at the top of the Flint and Belle river systems. The Flint River forms near Columbiaville and runs through the city of Lapeer, and the Belle River rises in Dryden Township, with its North Branch flowing from Long Lake in Attica Township. Water off a Lapeer County property heads into one of them by way of ditches and drains, so culverts and ditch work are a large part of the job on rural lots. For leveling a yard once the water is sorted, see grading in Lapeer County.
Drainage: Water moved away from foundations, yards and low spots — starting with the grade, and adding pipe only where pipe is what the ground needs.
What the job covers
- French drains
- Yard and lot drainage
- Downspout lines buried
- Swales cut and shaped
- Culverts and ditch work
- Water moved off foundations
Town pages in Lapeer County.
Lapeer, MI
Excavating, driveways, clearing and grading in Lapeer.
Town pageLapeer CountyImlay City, MI
Excavating, driveways, clearing and grading in Imlay City.
Town pageLapeer CountyAlmont, MI
Excavating, driveways, clearing and grading in Almont.
Town pageLapeer CountyDryden, MI
Excavating, driveways, clearing and grading in Dryden.
Town pageCommunities nearby
No mystery, no surprise invoice.
Walk the job
George comes out, looks at the ground with you and talks through what it actually needs.
A number before work starts
You get a price for the job in front of you, not a rate and a shrug.
The machine shows up
The equipment arrives when it was said it would, and the work runs start to finish.
Left clean
Ruts knocked down, ground graded, debris gone. The site is finished, not abandoned.
Photos of his work.
Every photo here is from a real Elite Excavating job. See more recent work. Or read about the full drainage service.
Drainage in Lapeer County: questions
Not seeing yours? Call (989) 702-2426 and ask George, or read the guides.
Can my new drain line empty into a county drain in Lapeer County?
Ask the Lapeer County Drain Commissioner before it is connected. The office keeps the drain maps and the forms for working across a drain right of way.
What decides the cost of drainage work in Lapeer County?
How far the water has to travel, whether grading alone fixes it or pipe is needed, and where the outlet is. George walks it and gives you a price before any work starts. The estimate is free.
Why does my Lapeer County yard stay wet after every rain?
Usually the grade holds water or there is nowhere for it to go. George looks at where it comes from and where it can go, then tells you whether grading, a drain or both will fix it.
Do you put in culverts on rural lots in Lapeer County?
Yes. Culverts and ditch work are part of the drainage service. For a culvert in a road ditch, check with the Lapeer County Road Commission before it goes in.
Can you bury downspout lines on a Lapeer County house?
Yes. Downspout lines are buried and run to an outlet so the water is carried away from the foundation.
Other work he takes on.
Somewhere else? See the full service area or call (989) 702-2426.
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See the page
01Land Clearing
Trees, brush, scrub and stumps taken off the ground so the land underneath can be built on, farmed, fenced or mowed.
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02Brush Hogging & Forestry Mulching
Standing brush and small trees cut and mulched where they stand, leaving a clean layer on the ground instead of a pile to deal with.
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03Grading & Land Leveling
Yards, lots and building pads cut to a grade that sheds water instead of holding it — the work that decides whether everything built on top of it lasts.
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04Driveway Installation & Repair
New drives cut in, tired ones brought back, and lots resurfaced — built on a proper base and crowned so the water runs off the edges.
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05Drainage Solutions
Water moved away from foundations, yards and low spots — starting with the grade, and adding pipe only where pipe is what the ground needs.
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06Material Hauling
Stone, sand, topsoil and fill brought in — and dirt, spoil and debris taken out — with the machine already there to spread it.
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07Pole Barn Pad Prep
A level, compacted pad built to the size and elevation your builder gave you, so the barn that goes on it sits right for the life of the building.
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08Residential Excavating
Digging, backfill and dirt work on properties where the lawn, the drive and the fence all have to still be there when the machine leaves.
Learn moreFree estimate in Lapeer County.
Send the details and he will come out, walk the job with you and give you a number before anything starts. If it is easier to talk it through, call him.
Capac, Michigan · St. Clair, Lapeer and Macomb counties
Free estimate. A real number.
Call George. He walks the job with you and gives you a price before any work starts.