Quick Answer: It depends on which drain, and often on whether a plumber is the right trade at all. Nationally, interior perimeter drains run roughly $40 to $100 per linear foot, exterior drains $10 to $100 depending on depth, and a sump pump installation commonly lands between $500 and $4,000. West Caldwell pricing requires a site visit.
The reason this question is hard to answer online is that “a drain” isn’t one thing. Four different jobs get called by that name, they’re performed by different trades, and they differ in price by more than an order of magnitude. Someone quoting you $400 and someone quoting you $9,000 may both be quoting accurately for entirely different work.
There’s also a trade question hiding inside the pricing question. A licensed plumber is the right call for a drain that’s part of the building’s plumbing system: a floor drain, a fixture drain, a sump discharge tied into the house’s piping. For a perimeter drainage system or an exterior drain moving groundwater and surface water, the work is usually done by a waterproofing or drainage company, and hourly plumbing rates aren’t how it’s priced.
So this article does two things. It separates the four jobs, and it gives real national ranges for each with the source and date named. It doesn’t give a West Caldwell average, because no credible source publishes one, and inventing one would be worse than saying so.
📊 At a Glance
- Four different jobs get called “installing a drain,” priced from a few hundred dollars to five figures
- Interior perimeter drain: roughly $40 to $100 per linear foot nationally
- Exterior drain: roughly $10 per linear foot for a shallow yard run, up to about $100 for deep excavation at the footing
- Sump pump installation: commonly $500 to $4,000, with a 2026 national average reported at $1,400
- Plumber hourly rates: consumer guides put these in a broad $45 to $150 per hour band, plus a service call fee. Ask any company for their actual rate
- Not included in most quotes: permit fees, restoration of concrete or landscaping, and electrical work for a new pump circuit
- Why no local average appears here: there is no credible published dataset for West Caldwell drain pricing
Which drain are you actually asking about?
Sort your project into one of these before comparing any quotes.
1. A fixture or floor drain. A basement floor drain, a laundry drain, a drain for a new bathroom. This is plumbing in the ordinary sense, it connects to the building’s waste system, and a licensed plumber is the correct trade. Smallest job of the four, and usually priced per job or hourly.
2. A sump pump and basin. Digging or using an existing pit, setting the pump, running the discharge line, and connecting power. This straddles trades. Where the discharge connects to the building’s plumbing system, New Jersey licensing rules come into play, which is covered in a separate article.
3. An interior perimeter drainage system. Breaking a channel in the slab around the basement perimeter, laying perforated pipe in stone, tying it to a sump, and repouring concrete. This is a waterproofing job, not an hourly plumbing job, and it’s the most expensive of the four.
4. An exterior drain. A yard drain, a curtain drain, a channel drain at a driveway, or a footing drain at the foundation. Priced mostly by excavation, and the depth changes everything.
What the national numbers look like
Sources and dates are named so you can weigh them. These are national ranges, not West Caldwell figures.
Interior perimeter drain. HomeGuide’s 2026 figures put interior basement French drains at roughly $40 to $85 per linear foot. Fixr, updated January 2025, gives $40 to $100 per linear foot. Both agree on the floor and differ at the top, so treat $40 to $100 as the working span.
Do the multiplication yourself before accepting any total. A basement with 100 feet of perimeter at that range works out to $4,000 to $10,000. Fixr also publishes a total project range of $2,800 to $6,500 and a $5,000 national average, which doesn’t reconcile with its own per-foot figures on a full perimeter. That’s a reason to price by the foot and by your actual layout instead of anchoring on a published average.
Exterior drain. HomeGuide puts shallow exterior drains at roughly $10 to $35 per linear foot. Fixr’s exterior range runs $10 to $100. The gap is depth. A shallow yard drain in open lawn sits at the bottom of that range. A footing drain requiring excavation to the base of the foundation sits at the top, and on a tight lot it may not be feasible at any price.
Sump pump installation. This Old House, updated March 2026, reports a $1,400 national average with most homeowners paying $500 to $4,000, and puts labor at $300 to $4,000 depending on whether a basin already exists. Angi’s data commonly lands between $800 and $1,500 for a straightforward installation. The pump itself is a smaller share than people expect: pedestal units around $80 to $800, submersible around $90 to $1,000.
Plumber rates. Where hourly pricing applies, consumer pricing guides put rates in a broad band, commonly somewhere between $45 and $150 per hour with a separate service call fee. That span is wide because it covers everything from a scheduled weekday visit to an emergency call, and because the guides publishing it aggregate self-reported figures instead of verified invoices. Treat it as orientation, not as a rate card, and ask any company for their actual call-out fee and hourly rate directly.
Every figure above is a national published range as of the date given. None of it is a quote, and none of it reflects your house.
What actually moves the number on a West Caldwell job
Six things, roughly in order of impact.
Linear feet. On a perimeter system this is the dominant variable. A partial run along two walls costs a fraction of a full perimeter.
Depth and access. Every additional foot of depth multiplies excavation. So does a tight side yard, a fence that has to come out, or a driveway in the way.
Slab breakout and repour. Interior systems require cutting concrete and putting it back. Thickness, reinforcement, and whether the floor is finished all matter.
Where the water goes. A gravity outlet to a lower point on the property is cheap. A dry well, a long buried discharge run, or a pump adds cost.
Restoration. This is the line most often missing from a low quote. Landscaping, patio pavers, a deck that has to be dismantled, concrete finishing. Ask whether the number includes putting things back.
Permits and electrical. Permit fees are set by the township, and a new pump often needs a dedicated circuit, which is separate electrical work.
How to compare quotes without getting misled
Get the price broken out by scope, not as one number. Excavation, materials, pump, discharge, electrical, restoration, permit.
Confirm the linear footage in writing. If two quotes differ by thousands, check whether they’re covering the same run.
Ask what’s excluded. Restoration and electrical are the usual omissions.
Ask who pulls the permit and whether the fee is in the number.
Ask about the backup. A battery or water-powered backup is often quoted separately, and a system without one has a single point of failure.
Be careful with a quote that’s far below the others. It usually means a smaller scope, not a better deal. Find out which parts were left out.
ARD Waterproofing does not publish pricing or a per-linear-foot range for West Caldwell jobs, which is consistent with the site-visit approach the national ranges above already point to. The company’s estimates are free, and there’s no minimum job size for drainage work.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a plumber charge per hour in New Jersey?
Consumer pricing guides put rates in a broad band, commonly between $45 and $150 per hour, plus a service call fee. That span reflects self-reported figures covering both scheduled and emergency work, so ask for the actual rate. Perimeter drainage systems are typically priced by the project, not hourly.
Do I need a plumber or a waterproofing company for a basement drain?
For a floor drain or a fixture drain, a licensed plumber. For an interior perimeter drainage system or an exterior yard drain, a waterproofing or drainage company. Sump pump work can involve both, depending on whether the discharge connects to the building’s plumbing.
How much does a French drain cost in West Caldwell?
No credible source publishes a West Caldwell average. Nationally, interior systems run roughly $40 to $100 per linear foot and exterior drains $10 to $100 depending on depth. Your figure depends on footage, depth, access, discharge, and restoration, which is why it needs a site visit.
Is a sump pump included in a French drain quote?
Sometimes, and sometimes not. Ask explicitly, and ask separately about the battery backup and the electrical circuit, which are frequently quoted as extras.
Are permit fees included in the price?
Often not. Permit fees are set by the township, and whether the company or the homeowner pays them should be agreed in writing before work starts.
Does ARD Waterproofing charge for an estimate, or have a minimum job size?
No. ARD’s estimates are free, and there is no minimum job size for drainage work.
About ARD Waterproofing
ARD Waterproofing is a residential waterproofing company based at 98 Smull Ave in West Caldwell, New Jersey, serving West Essex, Passaic, and Morris counties.
The company installs interior and exterior French drains, sump pump systems, and the grading and discharge work that goes with them.
Owner David Roth personally evaluates properties in West Caldwell, Livingston, and along the Bloomfield Avenue corridor before a job is priced. On a cost question that’s the only route to a real number, because footage, depth, and access are things you measure at the house.
For an estimate on drainage work in West Caldwell, call (201) 646-5936.
Cost figures in this article are national published ranges from the sources and dates named. They are not quotes, they do not reflect any specific property, and they are not ARD Waterproofing’s pricing. Actual cost depends on site conditions.
Sources
- HomeGuide, French drain cost, 2026
- Fixr, French drain installation cost, updated January 31, 2025
- This Old House, sump pump cost, updated March 11, 2026
- Angi, sump pump installation cost, 2026 data
- Plumber hourly rates: aggregated consumer pricing guides, no single authoritative source. Presented as a broad orientation range only
- Township of West Caldwell, Construction Department, for permit fees
What Is an Alternative to a French Drain in West Caldwell?