The Great Waterproofing Scam: Are You Being Ripped Off?
That expensive interior system might be a total waste of money. The real solution could be almost free.
"The secret of getting ahead is getting started."— Mark Twain
You have a damp basement, so you call a waterproofing company. They tell you that you need an expensive interior drainage system that costs thousands of dollars. It sounds impressive, but what they might not be telling you is that you're falling for one of the biggest scams in the home repair industry. In many cases, these systems are just a Band-Aid for a problem that could be fixed for a fraction of the cost.
These interior "water management" systems don't actually stop water from coming into your foundation. They just collect the water after it has already entered and pump it out. Meanwhile, your foundation walls are still saturated, which can lead to cracks and structural damage over time. The real problem is almost always on the outside of your house.
The number one cause of a wet basement is improper grading and drainage around your foundation. Look at your gutters. Are they clogged? Are the downspouts dumping water right next to your foundation? Look at the soil around your house. Does it slope towards your foundation instead of away from it? Correcting these simple issues—cleaning your gutters, adding downspout extenders, and building up the soil to create a proper slope—can solve the vast majority of basement water problems for a few hundred dollars, not thousands. Don't let a contractor sell you an expensive interior system until you've addressed the real problem outside.