Services · Swales, Ditches & Culverts
Swales, Ditches and Culverts That Carry Water Away
Sometimes the best drain is an open one. We build swales, ditches and culverts in Nashville that carry runoff across lots, along roads and under drives without washing out.
Call us today615-357-7797About the Service
Swales, Ditches & Culverts, Done Right
A good swale is wide, shallow and grassed, with just enough slope to move water without cutting. Ditches carry larger flows and need stabilizing with grass, stone or matting. Culverts take water under a drive and need the right size, grade and headwalls.
We shape the channel, set the pipe, protect the ends with stone and seed the banks so the system holds through the storms.
Music City Excavation brings swales, ditches & culverts to homes, farms and businesses in Nashville and across 16 Middle Tennessee cities.
Options & Details
What Goes Into Swales, Ditches & Culverts
The pieces that make this service what it is. Mix and match to fit your project.
Swale or French Drain?
Side by side
Grassed Swale
- Open, shallow channel
- Needs room and gentle slope
- Low maintenance and mowable
- Great for carrying surface water
Ask us to walk through both options for your home and your budget, then decide with confidence.
Side by side
French Drain
- Buried pipe in stone
- Works in tight spaces
- Dries saturated ground
- Needs a good outlet
Ask us to walk through both options for your home and your budget, then decide with confidence.
Gentle and effective
Grassed Swales
Broad shallow channels shaped to move water slowly and seeded to hold the soil.
- Wide channels
- Seeded banks
- Mowable
- Gentle slope
- Water Control
- Durability
- Protection
- Low Disruption
- Value
Bigger flow
Ditches
Deeper channels along roads and fields, lined with stone or matting where flow is fast.
- Roadside ditches
- Stone lining
- Matting
- Check dams
- Water Control
- Durability
- Protection
- Low Disruption
- Value
Under the drive
Culverts
Pipes set at the right size and grade under driveways and roads, protected at both ends.
- Pipe sizing
- Headwalls
- Riprap
- Cover
- Water Control
- Durability
- Protection
- Low Disruption
- Value
Fix what failed
Cleanouts and Repairs
Clogged culverts cleared, washed-out ditches rebuilt and eroded banks stabilized.
- Culvert cleanout
- Rebuild
- Bank repair
- Reseed
- Water Control
- Durability
- Protection
- Low Disruption
- Value
Images are illustrative design renderings, not photos of completed projects. Every project is confirmed with Music City Excavation before work begins, and permit, utility and neighborhood requirements depend on your project and location. Figures in our tools are planning estimates only.
Why Customers Choose It
What Makes Swales, Ditches & Culverts Special
What Sets It Apart
- Wide, shallow swales that mow easily
- Ditches stabilized with grass, stone or matting
- Culverts sized with headwalls or riprap
- Repairs for washed-out channels
Ideal For
- Rural properties and long drives
- Lots with runoff crossing them
- Roadside ditches that wash out
Swales, Ditches & Culverts Profile
Average of the options above on a one-to-five scale. These are Music City Excavation’s general, qualitative ratings to help you compare, not measurements.
- Water Control
- Durability
- Protection
- Low Disruption
- Value
Free Interactive Tool
How Steep Is Your Slope?
Enter rise and run to see grade, degrees and what it means for drainage.
Planning aids only, not engineering, survey, soil or permit advice. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere until you choose to send it to us.
Transformations
See the Difference
Drag the handle to compare before and after.
Make It Yours
Planned Around Your Land
Open the Slope and Grade Calculator to check how much slope a swale or ditch has.
The Music City Excavation Experience
How We Work
Tell Us About Your Project
Call 615-357-7797 or send the form. Tell us what is going on with your land, your house or your plans.
Walk the Site and Plan
We visit, look at the soil, the slope, the access and the water, and give you a clear, free estimate with options.
Mark, Permit and Prepare
We have underground utilities located, help with the permits and erosion control your project needs and plan where the dirt goes.
Dig, Build and Clean Up
Our crew does the work, keeps the site safe and tidy, restores what we disturb and walks the finished job with you.
Swale or French drain: which is better?
A swale works best where you have room and slope, and a French drain works where you need to dry the ground or lack space. Many yards use both.
How big should my culvert be?
It depends on how much water arrives and the slope. We size it for the flow and explain our recommendation.
Can you fix a ditch that keeps washing out?
Yes. We regrade, add stone or matting, set check dams and reseed so the ditch holds.
Do you serve my area?
Music City Excavation serves 16 Middle Tennessee cities. Call 615-357-7797 or browse our service areas page to confirm your address.
Ready When You Are
Let’s Get Your Project Moving
Book your free estimate. Tell us about your land and your plans and we will contact you shortly, or call now and talk to an excavation pro.
- Free estimates
- 16 Middle Tennessee cities
Get Your Free Estimate
Music City Excavation, a division of Music City Builder Group, digs, grades, drains and clears for homes, farms and businesses across Nashville and Middle Tennessee.
Call us today615-357-7797- Serving 16 Middle Tennessee cities
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