Marietta, Georgia
Drainage & Erosion in Marietta, Georgia
We install french drains, dry creek beds, and grading corrections built for Cobb County's compacted clay, which sheets water rather than absorbing it. This protects foundations and neighboring lots downhill.
Start your property projectDrainage & Erosion Control
Managing Clay Runoff
Marietta is a county seat with a split personality: dense, established neighborhoods around the historic square and Marietta Square, and larger wooded parcels pushing north toward Kennesaw Mountain National Battlefield Park and west toward the Chattahoochee River. Both markets bring their own grading and access questions before a design ever gets drawn.
Adding another load of gravel to a washing driveway is a subscription, not a repair. Water is moving across your property along a route it chose. Our job is to give it a better one — sized correctly, armored where it needs to be, and invisible the rest of the year.
Full Drainage & Erosion serviceWhat we see locally
- Gravel drives that rut and wash after every heavy rain
- Standing water and soft ground near the house or barn
- Gullies cutting through pasture and hillsides
- Undersized or crushed culverts backing water up
Scope of work
How the work runs on a Marietta property
Watershed assessment
We map where water enters your property, how much of it there is, and where it wants to go before specifying anything.
Surface conveyance
Crowning, swales, diversion berms, rock check dams and dry creek beds that carry volume without cutting into the ground.
Culverts & subsurface drainage
Properly sized pipe, headwalls, catch basins, French drains and footing drains installed at the grade they actually need.
Slope stabilization
Regrading, riprap, matting and deep-rooted seeding to hold banks and cut slopes through the first two rainy seasons and beyond.
A property that handles a five-inch rain without you walking outside to look. No annual gravel bill, no soft ground, no new gullies.
Local conditions
What Marietta land does differently
StructuresRetaining Walls That Last: What Holds the Hill UpChattahoochee River buffers
Properties near the Chattahoochee National Recreation Area boundary fall under state and county stream buffer rules that limit clearing and grading near the water. We map buffer lines early so site plans don't require rework later.
Clay soil drainage
Cobb County's dense red clay sheds water fast and erodes on any exposed slope. We design swales, French drains, and terracing that account for clay compaction rather than fighting it after the fact.
Mature tree preservation
Marietta's tree ordinance protects specimen trees on many lots, especially in older neighborhoods. We plan access roads and grading to save qualifying trees and avoid fines or replanting mandates.
Older infrastructure tie-ins
Many Marietta lots sit on septic systems or older utility lines installed decades ago. We verify existing infrastructure before any driveway or foundation work begins so we're not cutting into something undocumented.
Questions
Marietta FAQs
Do I need a permit to regrade my Marietta property?
Cobb County requires a land disturbance permit for most grading projects over a certain threshold, and any work near a stream buffer triggers additional review. We handle the application and plan review process as part of our scope.
How does Marietta's tree ordinance affect my project?
The city and county both protect specimen and heritage trees above a certain diameter. We survey protected trees before design and adjust driveway or structure placement to avoid removal fees and mandatory replanting.
Why does my backyard flood after storms?
Cobb County's red clay compacts and sheds water instead of absorbing it, so poorly graded lots pool water fast. We typically fix this with regrading, French drains, or a combination of swales and dry creek beds depending on the slope.
Can you work near the Chattahoochee River buffer?
Yes, but any work within the state-mandated buffer requires careful setback compliance and often coordination with the county. We map the buffer line first and design around it rather than requesting variances.
What does a retaining wall project typically involve here?
Most Marietta retaining walls require engineered drainage behind the wall, not just block and gravel, because of how the clay holds water. We design wall height, batter, and drainage together, then pull permits where required.
How long does a driveway regrading project take?
A straightforward driveway regrade with new base and drainage typically runs two to four weeks depending on length and slope, though longer wooded driveways with significant grade change take more time.
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