01
Subsurface French drains
Perforated pipe in washed stone, wrapped in filter fabric, trenched along your foundation or low grade. The workhorse of residential drainage across Pennsauken's heavy clay soils.
Most requested
Serving Pennsauken & South Jersey since 2008
Drainage that actually
Drainage that actually
moves water away
from your home.
James-Michael Fay Corporation is a family-run drainage contractor in Pennsauken, NJ. We design, install and repair French drains, stormwater systems, sump pumps and yard grading — built to handle the kind of saturated South Jersey clay that ruins foundations, basements and lawns every spring.
1,400+
Drains installed
17 yrs
In Pennsauken
24/7
Emergency response
Who we are
A South Jersey family name, not a franchise.
We started with one truck, one trencher and a simple promise: figure out where the water is actually coming from before you start digging. Seventeen years and thousands of jobs later, that promise still runs the company.
17
Years on the same tools
Family-owned & operated out of Pennsauken since 2008
James-Michael Fay Corporation was founded by Mike Fay, a third-generation South Jersey tradesman who grew up watching his grandfather dig drainage ditches by hand across Camden County. What started as weekend side work for neighbors has grown into one of the most referred drainage specialists in the Delaware Valley — but the crew is still small, the trucks still park in Pennsauken, and Mike still walks every job before a shovel goes in the ground.
We don't pretend to be plumbers, roofers, or general contractors. Drainage is the only thing we do, which means we've gotten very good at reading how water moves across a property — where it pools, where it seeps, where it hides until the next nor'easter. Every system we install is sized to your yard, your soil, and the rainfall we actually get here in Burlington and Camden counties.
That focus is why our work tends to outlast the competition. We've pulled out plenty of "bargain" drains installed five years earlier by bigger companies — and replaced them with systems that move the same water at half the slope, with cleanouts a homeowner can actually access.
MF
Mike Fay
Founder & lead estimator · Pennsauken, NJ
What we move
Six ways we keep your property dry.
02
Stormwater & downspout systems
We tie your gutter downspouts into underground PVC, daylighting at the curb or a pop-up emitter — so roof water never pools against the foundation wall again.
Foundation protection
03
Yard grading & re-sloping
If your lawn tilts toward the house, no drain will save you. We re-grade with laser levels, build swales, and direct runoff away from slabs, walkouts and basement entries.
Preventive
04
Catch basins & channel drains
Concrete or polymer basins at driveway edges, patios and parking pads. We size the grate, the sump and the outlet pipe so the system clears leaves and debris without clogging.
Hardscape ready
05
Sump pump & interior French drains
For wet basements in older Pennsauken homes: interior perimeter drains tied to a properly sized sump with battery backup. We don't just drop a pump in a hole and leave.
Basement dry
06
Emergency water removal
When the storm hits and your basement fills at 2am, we answer. Pump-out service, debris clearing and temporary diversion — then a permanent fix once the water's gone.
24/7 response
Services & pricing
Straight talk on what it costs.
Indicative pricing below covers the most common jobs we quote in Pennsauken and the surrounding Camden County area. Every property is different — these are starting points, not estimates. Your final quote comes after a free on-site walk-through.
$2,800–$4,600
per linear run · installed
Exterior French drain installation
Full trench-and-pipe system along your foundation footer, including washed stone, filter fabric, 4" perforated SDR-35 pipe, soil backfill and finish grading. Priced per linear foot of trench; typical residential run is 40–80 ft.
Most common
1–2 day install
$1,200–$2,400
per downspout line
Downspout & stormwater tie-in
Underground PVC from each gutter drop to a daylight outlet or pop-up emitter at the curb. Stops roof water from saturating the soil against your foundation.
Foundation care
Half-day install
$1,800–$3,500
per graded area
Yard re-grading & swales
Laser-leveled re-slope to direct surface runoff away from the house, with optional grass or rip-rap swale. Includes topsoil, seed and erosion blanket where needed.
Preventive
1 day typical
$650–$1,400
per basin · installed
Catch basin install
Polymer or concrete basin with grate and tied outlet — perfect for driveway edges and patio runoff.
Hardscape
Half-day
$3,200–$6,800
perimeter system
Interior French + sump
Basement perimeter drain tied to a Zoeller or Liberty sump with battery backup. The right fix for hydrostatic seepage.
Basement
2–3 days
$450–$900
pump swap · parts incl.
Sump pump replacement
Swap-out of failed pump with new 1/3 or 1/2 HP unit, check valve and discharge line. Same-day in most cases.
Same-day
2–3 hrs
$350–$850
emergency call-out
Emergency pump-out
After-hours response for flooded basements and yards. Pump-out, debris clearing and temporary diversion.
24/7
Within 2 hrs
$0
site assessment · free
Diagnostic walk-through & quote
Every job starts here. Mike walks the property, identifies where the water is entering, runs a flow test on existing drains if you have them, and hands you a written quote with a recommended scope — usually within 48 hours. No fee, no obligation, no high-pressure sales pitch. If we're not the right fix, we'll tell you who is.
Always free
Schedule in 2 mins
How we work
Four steps. No surprises.
We've kept the same process for seventeen years because it works. You'll always know what we're doing, why we're doing it, and what it costs before a shovel touches your yard.
01
Free site walk
Mike visits your property, traces the water source, and photographs every problem area. No charge, no obligation.
02
Written scope & quote
Within 48 hours you get a fixed-price quote, a recommended system, and a clear diagram of where the work happens on your property.
03
Scheduled install
We show up on the date we promised, with our own crew and equipment. No subcontractors, no surprise add-ons mid-job.
04
Flow test & cleanup
Before we leave we run a real flow test with a garden hose so you can see the water move. Site is raked, swept and left cleaner than we found it.
Request a quote
Tell us where the water's going.
Fill out the form and Mike will personally call you back within one business day. For after-hours flooding, use the emergency line below — we answer 24/7.
Based in Pennsauken, working across South Jersey.
We serve Pennsauken, Cherry Hill, Merchantville, Maple Shade, Cinnaminson, Palmyra, Camden, Collingswood, Haddonfield and the surrounding Camden & Burlington County area.
Call the office
(856) 555-0100
Email Mike directly
[email protected]
Yard & service area
Pennsauken, NJ 08110
Office hours
Mon–Sat · 7am–6pm