The Worst Way to Solve a Wet Basement Problem

If you’re considering solving your wet basement problem by digging up the earth outside your home, waterproofing the walls, and replacing the footing drain—don’t. This is almost never a good idea. All you’re doing is replacing the same system that failed you in the first place, and it’s bound to happen again.

The excavation itself is an extremely messy and time-consuming process. The excavation has to be about 8 feet deep in order to reach the footing and about 8 feet wide at the top for the safety of workers. And where will all that dirt go? It’ll be piled up in the rest of the yard, and about 25 feet of your yard all the way around your home will be disturbed and unusable during the work. Everything surrounding the area will have to be removed (air conditioning units, for example) and replaced including driveways, sidewalks, and landscaping.

Once all the work is done and the soil is back-filled, that loose soil will settle over time. As it gradually settles, more dirt will have to be added against the foundation to keep the slope (and water) away from your home.

If that’s not reason enough to decide against this “solution,” there are also several other downfalls. Exterior excavation doesn’t address water vapor coming through the floors or walls, it doesn’t fix humidity or mold issues, and it can be extremely expensive—upwards of $25,000 or more!  And when it fails, it's an impossible system to service without digging it all back up and starting over.

Waterproofing your basement only to have it leak again and again is not an uncommon practice, but it is a highly-unnecessary and costly one that just doesn't work.  There are some basement waterproofing methods that can work some of the time, and then there is a proven method to keep your basement dry all the time.  Unfortunately, exterior excavation is not it.