Section hub
Foundation and basement water
Water at the footing is not a separate problem from water in the yard. It is the same water, one step later, after the chances to soak it in or carry it away were missed.
This section covers what to do once water has already reached the structure — and, where it is still possible, how to send it back up the chain to a cheaper fix.
Start with the diagnosis
Water reaches a basement by a small number of routes, and they call for completely different work. Before pricing anything, establish which one you have:
- Surface water at the wall. Downspouts discharging at the foundation, or grade sloping toward the house. Cheapest to fix by a wide margin, and the most common cause.
- Hydrostatic pressure from below. Water rising through the slab or the wall-floor joint. Needs a drainage system, interior or exterior.
- Wall seepage. Through cracks, form ties, or porous block. May be a repair rather than a system.
- Condensation. Not groundwater at all. A dehumidifier problem misdiagnosed as a drainage problem more often than the industry admits.
Guides in this section
Interior vs exterior drainage
What each actually does, and the case where the cheaper one is the wrong one.
Cost estimator
Foundation and basement drainage costs by linear foot, depth and access.
Sump pump sizing — in progress
Capacity, head height, backup power, and why the pump fails during the storm.
Reading a waterproofing quote — in progress
What restoration exclusions and warranty language usually hide.
Send it back up the chain first
Before committing to five figures of excavation, exhaust the cheap end. Extending downspouts away from the wall, correcting negative grade, and infiltrating roof water at the source together cost a small fraction of a perimeter system, and they address the cause rather than collecting the result.
Where that is not enough — and on a lot with a high water table it will not be — the French drain guide covers both placements in detail.
On urgency. Standing water against a foundation is a structural and mould concern, not only an inconvenience. But no reputable contractor requires a same-day decision, and the ones who insist on it are selling pressure rather than drainage.