We Offer Emergency / Expedited Drainage Service
Tommy Pollina Landscape Co. Inc. completed a backyard drainage and lawn restoration at a private Kenilworth estate, addressing long-standing water issues while rebuilding the lawn from the ground up. The project included soil replacement, fine grading, and the installation of 100 feet of perforated PVC drainage pipe connected to an existing crate and pump system, all completed while working around underground utilities and pond infrastructure. The yard was finished with mineralized Kentucky Bluegrass sod, fertilized and rolled for a smooth, durable lawn designed for long-term drainage performance.
Tommy Pollina Landscape Co. Inc. is deep into a full transformation in the Village of Wilmette — and this one’s shaping up to be something special. It’s more than just a facelift — it’s a full-scale design-build upgrade.
Materials on site:
Another recent project in the Village of Riverwoods that required the expertise of multiple specialized crews working together to install a channel drain at the bottom of a brick driveway.
From sawing through brick to ensuring the system was flawlessly aligned for optimal water flow, every detail demanded precision and collaboration.
This type of job is where the skill and experience of the Tommy Pollina Landscape Co. Inc team really shines - where between the 2 foreman in charge there are near 40 years combined with our company.
The end result? A clean, professional finish and a drainage solution that will last for years. Proud of the hard work and craftsmanship involved!
Tommy Pollina Landscape Co. Inc is creating one fully integrated system to keep this property dry and functional for years to come. This large project includes a 5,500 sq. ft. asphalt driveway combined with a custom drainage network that ties together every part of the landscape — from excavating the brick patio and resetting pavers to installing catch basins and extending downspouts.Every detail is designed to work together seamlessly so water stays where it belongs and your property looks great.
This multi-phase drainage and landscape project in the Village of Deerfield, Illinois began by correcting improper water flow that had caused persistent flooding, oversaturated lawn areas, and unstable soil conditions. Tommy Pollina Landscape Co. Inc first installed a comprehensive drainage system, including 60 linear feet of perforated French drain, two 9” NDS catch basins, river rock backfill, and a buried downspout with solid PVC to properly redirect runoff. Once stable conditions were established, the team completed full bed preparation with fresh topsoil and compost, berming and grading adjustments, and a complete front and backyard landscape installation featuring conifers, specimen trees, shrubs, perennials, ornamental grasses, natural stone accents, and a Creeping Thyme turf-replacement area. By addressing drainage first, the project ensured long-term soil stability, plant health, and a cohesive outdoor space built for lasting performance and curb appeal.
Drainage - Landscaping Service
Yard Drainage and Grading Solutions
Protect your home from an expensive flooding disaster!
With Over 45 Years of Expert Drainage Experience and Execution – we get the job done right the first time – Don’t Compromise Your Home’s Safety and Foundation with Unproven and Inexperienced Providers!
- We are the best drainage solution provider in Chicago, backed by 45 years of experience and more than 10,000 successful installations.
- A large part of our business involves repairing or replacing faulty drainage systems installed by less experienced contractors (often cheaper options from contractors with little to no experience).
- Going with what appears to be more cost-effective option at the start can end up costing much more time and money later (possibly double or more), and can possibly put your property and your home’s foundation at risk.
- Choosing our team from the outset ensures that your drainage is handled correctly the first time, and also makes sure you are not having to call out an expert like us later on to come and repair a faulty drainage system installed by a contractor who has little to no experience.
- Here is the typical chronological order of the scenario we see and hear about from our customers that plays out over and over again, year after year from providers with little to no experience
- These inexperienced providers:
- quote cheap so they can get the business
- install the job improperly or incorrectly
- they get paid
- you find out the problem isn’t solved
- after you request they come out and repair it – they then stop responding to you and disappear
- you’re out all the money you spent, and you have a faulty drainage system that is harder to rip out, re-engineer, and replace than if we were to have come in from the get-go and do the engineering and installation
- now you have to pay someone to get the job done right
- You end up paying over double to get it done correctly when you factor in the first inexperienced provider who disappeared after you paid them
Expert Drainage Systems Built for High-Stakes Conditions
Drainage problems are rarely minor—and when they’re handled incorrectly, the consequences compound over time. Saturated lawns, erosion, foundation stress, and recurring water issues are signs of systems that were never designed or executed with the precision required.
Our drainage systems are engineered to move water below grade, away from the home, and into durable underground dispersal systems designed to perform under real-world conditions—not ideal ones.
This is permanent drainage infrastructure, built with expert precision and proven to perform for decades.
With 45 years of experience and more than 10,000 successful installations, we are often the last call homeowners make when drainage must be done correctly—with zero room for error.
Precision-Engineered Solutions — Not Surface Fixes
During heavy rain events, hundreds or thousands of gallons of water can move across a property in minutes. If that water isn’t intercepted, controlled, and redirected precisely, it will always find the path of least resistance—toward foundations, structures, and low points.
Our systems are designed to intercept water at multiple collection points and convey it underground using laser-guided measurements, exact elevations, and proven drainage methodologies. Water is then dispersed in controlled locations where it can safely percolate back into the soil without resurfacing or oversaturating critical areas.
This is expert drainage engineering—not guesswork.
Designed for Municipal Constraints & High-Visibility Conditions
Every property presents constraints. As part of our process, we coordinate with local engineering and building departments to evaluate all drainage options, including public sewer or storm tie-ins when available.
In many communities—including Park Ridge—no accessible public drainage infrastructure exists within neighboring yards. When tie-ins are not an option, systems must be engineered to operate independently, with sufficient capacity and redundancy to handle extreme weather events.
These are high-stakes systems with zero margin for error—and they must be designed and executed accordingly.
What Goes Into a Professional-Grade Drainage System
Our drainage systems are comprehensive, precision-built networks that may include:
- French drain systems engineered to manage groundwater
- Solid PVC conveyance lines for long-term durability
- Buried downspouts to remove roof runoff from foundation zones
- Catch basins and drainage grates for surface water interception
- Channel and trench drains along driveways, patios, and walkways
- Flow wells and underground dispersal systems for volume control
- Pop-up emitters and controlled discharge points
- Laser-guided grading and surface restoration
Each component is selected, placed, and installed with expert precision, ensuring the entire system functions as a single, durable solution.
Installed by Our Full Expert Drainage Team
Drainage systems of this caliber are installed by our full drainage team, including:
- Our drainage design engineer
- Our drainage foreman with over 25 years of experience with our company
- Dedicated drainage crews trained specifically for high-stakes installations
All work is completed under standards refined through 45 years of hands-on drainage experience, using proven methods built for durability, performance, and longevity.
Civil-Engineer-Grade Experience — When It Has to Be Right
We are regularly engaged for civil-engineer-grade drainage projects, including systems mandated by cities, municipalities, or counties due to failure, complexity, or regulatory oversight.
These projects demand absolute precision, strict adherence to engineered plans, and flawless execution. That level of discipline carries through every drainage system we install—whether municipal oversight is present or not.
When drainage carries long-term risk, regulatory visibility, or structural implications, experience and precision are not optional.
Why Execution Is Everything
Drainage systems either work—or they fail.
When installed incorrectly, failures often don’t appear immediately. They surface years later as recurring water problems, turf loss, or system collapse that requires excavation and replacement.
A significant portion of our work involves correcting systems that lacked the expertise required at installation. Our approach eliminates that risk by executing the system correctly the first time.
Our Objective
Our objective is simple and uncompromising:
to deliver a precision-engineered drainage system that protects your property and does not need to be revisited.
With over 45 years of experience, expert execution, and zero shortcuts, we build drainage systems designed to last.
Client Testimonial:
“You guys did a great job on regrading and putting down sod last year. The new drain you put in is great because the back of the yard never floods anymore. I need you to look in the front of the yard because the previous contractor who put in the French drain under the pavers didn’t do it correctly. Then the other thing is I wanted to put a French drain beneath the sidewalk near the front stoop that currently has a gutter running across the sidewalk. “ – Laurie Hachmeister
Your grading and yard drainage issues will be addressed by our capable staff and we will work with you to develop a plan for water remediation If the slope of your yard is wrong you may have yard drainage problems caused by improper grading. After a hard rain or even watering, you may notice pools of standing water that are not readily absorbed into the ground. It’s not uncommon to have basement seepage and flooding or foundation problems caused by poor grading that allows the water to flow toward your building’s foundation. In these cases, Tommy Pollina’s crews will alter your yard’s grade in such a way to alleviate these problems.
Sometimes grading alone will not work, so our team of professionals at Tommy Pollina Landscape has extensive experience installing drainage systems. Drainage systems also factor in when grading alone will not solve the problems caused by water retention. You may have to consider installing drainage systems like:
- Surface drains
- Underground drain tile
- French drains
- Even connections to municipal drainage systems (where allowable)
The solution for your yard drainage problem can easily be incorporated into your yard’s overall landscape design because Tommy Pollina is a one-stop shop for all your landscape wants and needs. With our years of experience, proper equipment, and well-trained workmen, Tommy Pollina Landscape is prepared to solve any landscape problem.
Please call 847.698.6868 or Contact Us to discuss Drainage.
Tommy Pollina Landscape Company – serving Chicagoland since 1982.
Landscaping Services
- Snow and Ice Management
- Drainage
- Emergency / Expedited Drainage
- Sump Pump Solutions
- Landscape Design
- Landscape Installations, Plantings
- Lawn Maintenance
- Spring Cleanup
- Concrete Floor Installation & Refinishing
- Tree Triming, Tree Removal, Stump Grinding
- Artificial Turf Installations
- Hardscape: Brick & Stone
- Paving: Asphalt and Concrete
- Outdoor Kitchens
- Pool Removal
- Grading and Regrading
- Planters
- Concrete and Brick: Sawing/Cutting/Disposal
- Irrigation and Sprinkler System
- Seasonal Planter, Potted Plants
- Cemetery Management
- Outdoor Design & Build: Full Outsource Project
- Custom Putting Greens
- Summer Makeover
- Trimming & Pruning
- Lighting
- Mulch
- Waterscaping
- Fall Plantings
- Fall Cleanup
- Seasonal Color: Fall and Holiday
- Holiday Decor, Holiday Lighting
To improve drainage in the southeast area of the backyard, 17 yards of soil will be brought in to fill low spots and fine-graded to direct water toward two oak trees. A swale will be installed in the middle of the low area, pitched from right to left to drain between the trees. To enhance water collection, an 82-foot French drain system will be installed, with one section running through the swale and another along the east side of the yard, starting 10 feet south of the fence and connecting to the first drain. The project will conclude with final grading to ensure proper drainage, leaving the area ready for seeding.
Northbrook Backyard Drainage Installation Plan: Catch Basin, French Drain Installation, Secondary Catch Basin Installation, Additional French Drains, Final Catch Basin & Solid PVC Drainage Installation, Lawn Restoration & Finishing Touches.
Today we started a project where we are burying the downspouts and sump pump discharge underground and engineering them to flow into one fully integrated drainage system. Instead of water running out onto the lawn and causing flooding, everything will be directed safely underground, keeping the yard dry and usable. By connecting the roof runoff and sump pump into one streamlined system, we’re preventing standing water, protecting the foundation, and following all city of Des Plaines guidelines. Solving Landscape and Outdoor Problems For over 45 years
Transforming Flooding into Functionality: A Seamless Solution
Dealing with a downspout causing flooding can be frustrating, but with the right solution, it doesn’t have to ruin the high-value space in your yard!
We recently completed a project in the City of Park Ridge where a troublesome downspout was buried and redirected to prevent flooding. The results? A flawless, functional, and beautiful space that you’d never know required any work at all.
The first photo shows the installation process – carefully laying the groundwork to ensure proper water flow and long-lasting performance. The second photo reveals the final result: a seamless setup under a set of flagstone steppers. Not only does it keep the yard dry and safe, but it’s completely hidden, blending perfectly with your outdoor space.
1.5 inches of rain is coming — is your yard ready? See how one homeowner avoided a costly lawsuit by calling Tommy Pollina Landscape Co., Inc.
Drainage failure led to legal action by Cook County. We were the call that fixed everything.
THE PROBLEM:
A homeowner association in Chicago’s Lincoln Park struggled for years with garage flooding caused by improper drainage pitch and concrete alignment. Tommy Pollina Landscape Co. Inc resolved the issue by removing the faulty channel drain and surrounding concrete, installing a new 50-foot NDS Pro Series channel drain, and reconstructing the entire 10x50-foot garage floor with precise grading. The fully integrated system now directs water efficiently out of the garage, providing a long-term, reliable solution that keeps the space dry in any weather.
Custom Drainage Solution Spanning Over Two Football Fields. At Tommy Pollina Landscape, we recently broke ground on a full-scale drainage project unlike any other—a custom system that extends the length of more than two football fields in durable PVC piping. Designed to eliminate chronic flooding and transform unusable outdoor space, this is a shining example of what over 45 years of drainage expertise can achieve.
