Plumbing & Drainage
Plan the aggregate base beneath one or more catch basins without mixing the base pad with trench bedding, surround stone or pipe backfill. Enter the prepared pad dimensions and number of basins, add a visible placement allowance and convert to whole bags when useful.
Change the defaults to match your project and the product you plan to buy.
Project result
Review volume per pad, total measured base volume, allowance and optional whole-bag quantity.
At a glance
Planning estimate only. Verify product coverage, package size, supplier specifications and project requirements before purchasing.
Budget scenario
Use a current supplier subtotal or reuse a priced calculator result, then add optional delivery, tax and contingency. Home Measure Lab does not fetch or guess live prices.
Enter a current supplier subtotal or reuse a priced calculator result.
Budget values are local planning inputs, not live quotes. Verify tax treatment, delivery, labor and supplier pricing before purchasing.
Methodology
pad length × pad width × compacted thickness
Uses the entered prepared-base geometry.
volume per basin × basin count
Keeps repeated structures explicit.
total base × (1 + allowance)
Reserve remains separate from pad dimensions.
target ÷ entered bag yield, rounded up
Use actual product yield.
Use the prepared base footprint specified for the actual basin rather than the grate dimensions alone. Measure compacted thickness after deciding the project detail, and calculate different basin sizes separately. If the excavation includes side surround material, treat that as a different geometry layer so the base pad quantity can still be checked independently.
Aggregate gradation, required compaction, frost considerations and basin installation details come from the product/project requirements. Bagged aggregate is convenient for small installations, while larger jobs may be ordered in bulk. Enter the actual bag yield when using packages and preserve the bulk cubic-yard result for comparison.
Reference
| Layer | Record | Boundary |
|---|---|---|
| Pad footprint | prepared length × width | Not grate opening size by default. |
| Thickness | project-specified compacted layer | Not selected by calculator. |
| Count | actual repeated basins | Different sizes separately. |
| Purchase | bulk volume or bag yield | Round only at sold-unit boundary. |
Questions
No. It models the base pad only unless you separately calculate side-surround geometry.
No. Enter the thickness required by the selected system or project.
No. Drainage capacity and basin sizing are separate design tasks.
Planning guides
Plumbing & Drainage
Measure the prepared base pad for each catch basin separately from side surround, trench bedding and pipe backfill.
Read guide →Plumbing & Drainage
Translate repeated catch-basin base-pad volume into whole bags or bulk aggregate while keeping compaction requirements external.
Read guide →Estimate pipe-bedding aggregate volume, allowance and whole bags from measured trench length, bedding width, bedding thickness and entered bag yield.
Open calculator → Plumbing & DrainageEstimate drainage-trench excavation volume, loose spoil volume and approximate haul loads from measured trench geometry and entered soil swell.
Open calculator → Plumbing & DrainageConvert measured drain runs into an allowance-adjusted pipe length and whole stock-section count for material planning.
Open calculator →