# Gravel-free (EZ-Flow-style) vs traditional French drains (Kansas City)

> Premier Gutters KC - NDS-certified drainage contractor. (816) 469-9563. Published pricing.

**Short answer:** Gravel-free kits (pipe pre-wrapped in foam aggregate) have a real niche: fast installs in sandy, well-draining soil. KC is the opposite environment - shrink-swell clay sheds fine silt toward any drain, and a thin foam jacket has a fraction of the filter surface and surge storage of a rock bed wrapped in woven geotextile. Our spec stays traditional: washed rock, woven fabric, perforated pipe, continuous fall - $25-$60/LF installed ($1,500-$3,800 typical), 10-yr workmanship warranty.

Two questions for any bidder: what surrounds the pipe, and what fabric wraps it? "Pre-wrapped" + "landscape fabric" = a different product, not a better price.

Full page: https://premiergutterskc.com/answers/gravel-free-vs-traditional-french-drain/