We won’t lie: replacing your main water line is one of the more invasive plumbing jobs that we perform. There is a considerable amount of digging, and when there is an active leak, sometimes that digging is muddy. Because of the size and scope of what needs to happen to install a new main water line properly, it’s usually pretty obvious that something significant happened. And almost without fail, the whole scene is right in the middle of the front yard. Because the trench must be a certain depth, there are always mounds of dirt, and the job usually takes multiple days from start to finish. That said, we always take extra precautions by laying plastic and tarps down on the yard and concrete for some protection. This allows the sod to recover faster, but inevitably it does take a little time to become seamless. The same applies to concrete patches on driveways and sidewalks—there is always at least a slightly noticeable appearance difference.