Yard flooding in Jacksonville? The Armadillo has you covered.

Because under the sand, at about 12 to 36 inches, most Northeast Florida lots hit hardpan — a dense layer water barely passes. Rain soaks in, stops at the hardpan and either sits or moves sideways to the lowest point on the lot. A drainage system gives that water a route out.

Near the river and the coast the water table is only about 2 to 4 feet down and rises in the wet season. When the ground is already full from below, a 3-inch storm has nowhere to soak. That is why some yards stay wet for days in August, and why we test before recommending a dry well.

A private drain that stays on your lot and does not change runoff onto a neighbor usually does not. A permit is needed if the system ties into city storm sewer, discharges into a public easement, a pond or wetland (St. Johns River Water Management District), or a driveway is in the city right-of-way. We tell you which applies on the inspection.

No. Under Florida's reasonable-use rule you cannot redirect your water onto a neighbor's property. It is also the most common cause of disputes. We discharge to the street, a swale on your lot or a dry well, and the discharge point is marked on the plan you sign.

Typical ranges in our area: French drain $20–45 per foot (a 50–100 ft run is $2,000–6,000), downspout drainage $300–800 per point, catch basin or channel drain $500–1,500 per point, regrading $1,000–5,000, dry well $1,000–3,000. The inspection is free and the price is written before we dig.

A set of downspout lines or a catch basin is usually one day. A French drain run of 50 to 100 feet is one to two days. Regrading depends on the area and the sod. You get the schedule with the written price.

We cut the sod, set it aside where we can, and after the pipe and gravel go in we backfill, compact and lay the sod back or new sod to match. The trench line settles flush within a few weeks of watering.

Yes. Workmanship is covered by a labor warranty in writing, and the terms are printed on your estimate. Materials such as NDS basins and ADS pipe carry their manufacturer's warranty.

During or right after a rain, when you can see where the water stands — take a photo. Work itself goes fastest in the drier months, March to May, so the system is in before the June–September storms.

Yes — cleaning, re-sanding and sealing, lifting and relaying sunken sections, and new paver driveways and patios. It is the same crew and the same base work as drainage, and it is the right time to add a channel drain.

We install seamless gutters, add downspouts and extend them, because gutters are the first link in getting water off the foundation. Most of our gutter work is tied to a downspout drainage job.

Mandarin, Southside, Fruit Cove, Julington Creek, Nocatee, World Golf Village, Fleming Island, Oakleaf Plantation, Orange Park, Ponte Vedra Beach, St. Augustine and Jacksonville Beach — Duval, St. Johns and Clay counties, about 25 miles from our Mandarin base.