Drainage estimator
Amounts before taxes. GST (5%) and QST (9.975%) are added and shown separately. Source: paysagement cost databaseObserved October 13, 2026Region: QuebecPrices as of October 13, 2026 · Quebec · engine 1.2.0estimateReliability grade C
Good to know before you start
Before you digFile a free Info-Excavation request at least 4 business days before you dig.
Other notes from the calculation (3)
- flags.licence.plumbing_exempt
- No machine within 1 m of the locate marks: expose utilities by hand.
- RBQ licence: subcategory 2.5 for this kind of excavation (licence required: false).
Where the money goes
Before taxes, one scale for both bars.
Do it yourself, money spent
$2,043- Materials$726
- Equipment rental$692
- Disposal$625
Contractor, typical price
$3,766- Materials$584
- Labour$485
- Equipment and rentals$679
- Delivery and disposal$625
- Overhead$1,017
- Margin$377
True cost: money and time
Before tax, one scale for every bar.
| Money, do it yourself | $2,043 |
|---|---|
| True cost, beginner | $3,761 |
| True cost, intermediate | $3,212 |
| Contractor | $3,000 to $4,600 ($3,800) |
Your time
| Measure | Beginner | Intermediate |
|---|---|---|
| Money spent | $2,043 | $2,043 |
| Person-hours | 49 h | 33 h |
| Days of 8 h, 2 people | 3.5 days | 2.5 days |
| Your time at $35/h | $1,718 | $1,169 |
| True cost | $3,761 | $3,212 |
Working days only: add rain days and waiting times (curing, deliveries).
Hiring costs less if your time is worth more than:
estimateAt $35/h: the two options come out about even.
Break-even = (the contractor's typical price minus the money spent doing it yourself) divided by your person-hours. Before tax on both sides: GST and QST apply to both.
Actions
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Step-by-step guide
Phases, "done when" checks, safety, common mistakes and sources, with your project's quantities.
What you buy, rent and pay for
Tools to buy (3)
Untick the ones you already own.- $8.99
- $129.99
- $16.99
- Total before taxes
- $2,042.90
- GST (5%)
- $102.15
- QST (9.975%)
- $203.78
- Total with taxes
- $2,348.83
GST and QST are computed on purchases and rentals; your own work is not taxed.
Notes on prices(1)
- Price for "Clear stone 3/4 in (14-20 mm)" out of date since 2025-04-01: confirm with the supplier.
How many hours, at what pace
- Work
- 28.6 h
- Rework
- 2.9 h
- Learning the machines
- 1.5 h
- Planning and checks
- 16 h
Beginner: has never compacted a base or cut pavers.
- Work
- 20.7 h
- Rework
- 1 h
- Learning the machines
- 0.5 h
- Planning and checks
- 11.1 h
Intermediate: has done at least one similar project.
For comparison, a professional: 10.8 h of work, about 1 crew day.
Step by step, from the guide
Each guide step, timed by the same calculation as the total: each task's hours at your level's pace, rework included. Hover a value to see the range.
| Step | Beginner | Intermediate |
|---|---|---|
| 1Watch the water and measure the slopesguide rate | 2.9 | 2 |
| Choose the structure, the route and the outletguide rate | 2.9 | 2 |
| 2Check municipal rules and plumbing statusguide rate | 2.9 | 2 |
| File the locate requestguide rate | 1.5 | 1 |
| 3Check that the soil absorbs (dry well)guide rateweather | 2.9 | 2 |
| Lay out the drain and its fallguide rate | 1.5 | 1 |
| Dig the trench along the fallweather | 15.7 | 10.9 |
| 4Lay the bed, the pipe and the coverweather | 10 | 7 |
| Install a catch basin at the low spotguide rateweather | 0 | 0 |
| 5Backfill and reshape the slopesweather | 2.9 | 2 |
| Extend the downspouts | 2.9 | 2 |
| Test and maintain the drainageguide rate | 1.5 | 1 |
| Learning the machines | 1.5 | 0.5 |
| Total (p-h) | 49.1 | 33.4 |
The rows add up to the total: 33 h of work calculated by the engine, plus 16 h of planning and checks at the guide's rate (beginner). 4 steps depend on the weather. Read the full guide
Detail by calculation task(7)
| Task | Pro | Beginner | Intermediate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machine excavation | 5 | 14.6 | 10.1 |
| Machine excavation | 0.4 | 1.1 | 0.7 |
| Geotextile | 0.3 | 0.9 | 0.6 |
| Clear stone | 2 | 5.8 | 4 |
| Pipe laying | 1.2 | 3.4 | 2.3 |
| Backfill | 1 | 2.9 | 2 |
| Downspout tie-in | 1 | 2.9 | 2 |
| Learning the machines | - | 1.5 | 0.5 |
| Total | 10.8 | 49 | 33.4 |
Person-hours per task. Beginner and intermediate hours include rework.
What a contractor would charge
Before taxes · $46 to $71 per ft
Where the money goes (typical price before taxes, $3,766)
| Materials | 15.5% | $584 |
|---|---|---|
| Labour | 12.9% | $485 |
| Equipment and rentals | 18% | $679 |
| Delivery and disposal | 16.6% | $625 |
| Overhead(estimate) | 27% | $1,017 |
| Margin(estimate) | 10% | $377 |
| Typical price before taxes | $3,766 | |
| GST (5%) | $188.32 | |
| QST (9.975%) | $375.70 | |
| Typical price with taxes | $4,330 |
Permits, licences and neighbours
- Neighbours
Lower land receives the natural flow of water from higher land, but the upper owner may not make the neighbour's situation worse (Civil Code of Quebec, art. 979). Do not aim your downspouts, drains or slopes at the neighbouring lot.
Source: Gouvernement du Québec, Écoulement des eaux (rapports de voisinage) · LégisQuébec, Éditeur officiel du Québec, Code civil du Québec, RLRQ c. CCQ-1991
- RBQ licence
Yard drains, French drains and swales not connected to a building, as well as foundation drains, are excluded from the Construction Code's plumbing chapter. A connection to the building drain or the municipal sewer belongs to a plumber who is a CMMTQ member (interpretation, to confirm with your municipality).
Source: LégisQuébec, Éditeur officiel du Québec, Code de construction, RLRQ c. B-1.1, r. 2 · Régie du bâtiment du Québec, Liste des sous-catégories de licence (document 1592, édition 2025-10)
- Permit · quebec
Quebec City: increases in impervious area refer to the stormwater management sheets; near water and steep slopes, special rules apply; slopes are limited to 50% and 3 m high.
Source: Ville de Québec, Fiche 60 : Mur de soutènement, clôture et talus combinés (juillet 2023)
Check with your municipality: rules differ from one city to the next.
- Permit · saint-remi
Saint-Rémi: the explanatory document on rainwater management asks for a 10% slope over the first 1.8 m around the house, and about 2% toward the street. An example of a local drainage rule.
Source: Ville de Saint-Rémi, Document explicatif : gestion des eaux pluviales
Check with your municipality: rules differ from one city to the next.
- Safety
Never go into a trench deeper than 1.2 m unless its walls are shored or sloped back. Keep soil and materials at least 1.2 m from the edge and machines at least 3 m back. These rules bind employers; the danger is the same for a homeowner.
- Utility locate
Before digging, file a free Info-Excavation request at least 4 business days ahead; it is valid 180 days at most.
Calculation parameters
See the assumptions(22)
Region: Quebec · prices as of October 13, 2026 · engine 1.2.0. These three values are enough to reproduce this calculation.
Where the numbers come from
- 1.paysagement (research), Costs: equipment rentals, labour, production rates and contractor sell prices (Quebec, 2025 to 2026)October 10, 2026 · Amérique du Nord · 10 values
- 2.paysagement (engine plan), Engine parameter registry seed list (estimates with no external source)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 3 values
- 3.Job Bank (Guichet-Emplois), wage report, EI survey data 2023-2024, updated 2025-11-19November 19, 2025 · Québec · 2 values
- 4.Canac, Grille pour drain agricole 4 po (code 106302)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
- 5.Canac, Manchon interieur pour drain agricole 4 po (code 269362)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
- 6.Canadian Tire product page (price read from the search engine's copy of the page)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
- 7.Job Bank (Guichet-Emplois), wage report, EI survey data 2023-2024, updated 2025-11-19November 19, 2025 · Québec · 1 value
- 8.Job Bank (Guichet-Emplois), wage report, EI survey data 2023-2024, updated 2025-11-19November 19, 2025 · Québec · 1 value
- 9.Job Bank (Guichet-Emplois), wage report, EI survey data 2023-2024, updated 2025-11-19November 19, 2025 · Québec · 1 value
- 10.Lee Vrac Transport, Pierre concassee 3/4 net en vracOctober 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
- 11.Lou-Tec (web catalogue, CAD before tax)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
- 12.Patrick Morin, Bloc parapluie pour evacuation d'eau EURAMAX, gris, 11,5 po x 24 poOctober 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
- 13.Patrick Morin, Gant de travail WATSON GLOVES STEALTH, grandOctober 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
- 14.Patrick Morin, Geotextile gris 5 3/4 pi x 98 pi (1402824)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
- 15.Patrick Morin, Lunette de securite legere (Workhorse)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
- 16.Patrick Morin, Rallonge de descente de gouttiere EURAMAX, noir (Flex-A-Spout 85015)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
- 17.Patrick Morin, Tuyau d'egout en PVC 4 po x 13 pi (EGOUSDR35)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
- 18.Patrick Morin, Tuyau de drain enrobe 4 po x 250 pi (DRAINE475)October 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value
- 19.Soumission Renovation, driveway paver expansion guideSeptember 10, 2026 · Québec · 1 value