One of the most common questions we get from customers is “How much is waterproofing my basement going to cost?”
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Since the answer depends so heavily on each unique basement waterproofing need, it is a hard question to answer. Nevertheless, we will try to spell it out for you in different examples so you have a better understanding of our services and the costs associated with basement waterproofing.
The average cost of basement waterproofing services is around $5,000, but this can vary depending on several factors, such as the type of basement, which waterproofing method you use, and the size of the basement being worked on. Take a look at the examples below.
Over the years, we have learned the importance of basement waterproofing estimates. To ensure we provide the best service and most accurate price, it is imperative that the situation is assessed by one of our professional estimators before our company begins work on your house.
Please note that the numbers below represent only a small sample of actual basement waterproofing costs. An estimate from us is the best way to know what the work will cost.
Approximate cost: $1,500 - $6,000
Time to complete: 1-2 days
Approximate cost: $3,000 - $20,000
Time to complete: 2-4 days
Approximate cost: $5,000 - $20,000
Time to complete: 1-3 days
Approximate cost: $1,800 – $30,000
Time to complete: 1-5 days
Approximate cost: $1,500 - $3,500
Time to complete: 1 day
Approximate cost: $1,200 – $2,400
Time to complete: 1 day
Approximate cost: $3,500 - $6,000
Time to complete: 1 day
How much does basement waterproofing cost? Here are some examples of typical basement flood/leaky problems we encounter:
Basement waterproofing may come at an expense, but it is well worth the value. Fixing the leaky basement issues can save you from having to spend time on it in the future, prevent damage to your interior, and save you money from having to hire again in the future.
We hope this information is helpful to you as you consider the cost of waterproofing your basement. Remember, to ensure the best service and most accurate price from Basement Water Controlled, it is imperative that your particular situation is assessed by one of our professional estimators before our company begins work on your house.
Keeping your home’s basement dry all year around is important to keeping your home and family safe and healthy. A dry basement is one sign of a healthy basement. Or rather, a wet basement may be a sign of an unhealthy basement.
Let’s take a dive into how to keep your basement dry and what might be the cause of wet basements.
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First, let’s look at why some basements don’t stay dry.
Not all basements are the same. Not all houses are the same. Each house fights off water from coming into its basement differently. Some have more water wanting to get in, while others simply don’t have the defenses put up to be able to fight off an attack from the water.
Water can also enter in different forms. Water vapor is the gaseous state of water, and it is invisible to the naked eye until it turns into the liquid form. Regular household activities can contribute to water vapor in basements. Liquid water can enter the basement through a variety of different ways as well.
Here are some of the most common reasons basements become wet:
There are a few different reasons that water might leak through your wall. It could be a plumbing issue, or leaks in the pipes inside your walls. Another common cause of this is hydrostatic pressure that forces water up from the soil into your home through the basement floor and walls.
If your basement leaks when it rains, this may mean that there are cracks in the wall. This is an easy way for water to enter in, especially in walls that have larger cracks.
Having a leaking basement wall could mean there are a number of underlying issues. It’s best to figure out where the source of the water is coming from before making any decisions or repairs.
If there are cracks in your basement floor, it could absolutely lead to water entering your basement. Depending on the reason and size of the crack, it may need to be fixed before your basement can become dry again.
A high water table under your basement may lead to water coming up through cracks in the floor.
Smaller sized cracks may not need fixing, but if there is dampness near the floor crack, it may mean that there is a leaking issue that needs to be taken care of.
Larger cracks in the basement floor could mean issues with the home’s foundation and should be looked at by a professional.
Just like water entering through your walls, the static pressure under your home can cause the water from the soil to rise up and enter through your floor.
If there seem to be “random” damp spots in your basement, but not necessarily standing water, there could be an assortment of issues. For one, it could simply be a moisture problem from your dryer or central air conditioner not flowing properly. It could also be ineffective grading, and the water then presses into your basement, seeping through tiny cracks.
The same could be happening, except from below. Water can seep through cracks from the floor and cause damp spots on the surface above.
Heavy precipitation can lead to a few problems for basements. Water tables can rise, and the soil surrounding the foundation can fill with water. When the water builds up, it has no where to go except up into the basement.
If your home is near a lake, pond, swamp, ditch, or simply in a low lying area, when the water rises to a certain level, it will have nowhere else to go but into your home. If you have lived at this home for a good while, you might actually know how high that water source can get before your home starts taking on water.
Really, the only solution to keeping your home dry in this environment is a proper drainage system. Your home is simply in a targeted spot where pools of water lie just beneath the ground, and wet seasons will cause water to rise to high levels.
When precipitation comes down onto your house, and there are no gutters or downspouts, the water slides down the sides of your roof and falls onto the ground right next to your house. Heavy rains can cause pools to form around your home’s foundation. When the pools become large enough, they can enter into your home.
As we looked at above, there are numerous ways water can enter into your home. To keep your basement dry no matter the season, there are lots of solutions. It simply depends on which issue you are facing.
The drainage system is what takes the water that wants to get into your home and carries it out and away, so it can’t get in. Below are some common pieces of the dry basement system that will keep moisture out of your home.
There are a few different drain tile systems, but the main idea is that the drain tile collects water that surrounds your house and channels it away from the foundation.
Water coming through the walls generally call for the smaller drain tile system, whereas floor leaking issues require the larger drain tile system to be installed.
The baseboard system works great for smaller leakage issues. It is installed along the walls of your basement and, again, channels water away from the basement, sometimes through a sump pump. Holes are also sometimes drilled into the cement blocks to allow the water to exit.
The sump pump is a piece of the drainage system that collects water into a basin, and discharges the water away from the home’s foundation. The sump pumps can sense when the water level gets high, and it automatically pushes it out through its discharge line into a designated drainage area.
As mentioned earlier, if water enters through your basement’s walls, it may mean that there isn’t enough slope in your landscaping. The solution here would be to build up a higher slope so that the water can funnel downwards and away from the house, as opposed to downwards into the house.
The water has to go somewhere, and if the slope is pointed towards your house, unfortunately that’s where it will go.
If your gutters are clogged, not working properly, or non-existent, water can pile up next to your house and leak through. To keep your basement dry, make sure your gutters are clear of debris and not clogging up.
When the downspout clogs up, it will overflow and fall directly down, saturating the soil and damaging the foundations walls.
Be sure to check and clean your gutters and downspouts.
Dehumidifiers can also be a solution to keeping your basement dry. If there is condensation in the basement, a dehumidifier may fix this. However, it is important to note that a dehumidifier may not be a long-term solution to your problem.
There are some consequences that can occur if you don’t keep your basement dry.
Mold can accumulate very easily in damp areas. This makes the push for keeping your basement dry all year around so important.
Standing water could also cause damage to any furniture and items you have in your basement.
Damage can compound and get worse with time. Even if your basement had lasted this long, it may just be one more heavy rainfall until a catastrophe happens.
In fact, winter may be the best time to waterproof.
A dry basement means that you can have peace knowing that your family, furniture, and house are safe from water damage. Your dry basement system will kick water out, and it will protect your house from being invaded in the future.
If you are concerned that your home may have a recurring basement waterproofing issue that is causing harm to you, your family, or your home, get in touch with us right away. Our team will send a trained professional out to analyze the situation and give an estimate on what it will cost to fix the problem.
Our team is made up of several seasoned waterproofing experts that have been in the business for 10+ years. We’ve seen just about every wet basement issue you can think of, and we’ve kept a lot of basements dry over the years.
When you call our office during regular business hours, a team member will answer and help you schedule an estimate with one of our estimators. He will then come out and take a look at your basement issue and provide guidance on where to go from there.
Yes, basement waterproofing can be done in the winter, even in below freezing temperatures. Drainage systems can be installed in basements, and foundations can be repaired despite the cold outside. As an added bonus, winter is a great time to get waterproofing done because waterproofing companies generally don't have a backlog of work during this season.
Even in the winter, basements can leak. A frozen ground does not mean that water can’t enter your basement. Water can even come from sticky snow accumulation that sits and waits for temperatures to rise so it can melt.
The cold weather in the North can cause pressure in the soil beneath the basement. This can lead to new cracks in your basement floor and walls, and those cracks can lead to water entering from runoff or high water tables.
Getting a handle on your basement in the winter may be a better solution than waiting until damage comes to your home in warmer seasons when the snow melts. Winter may be the best time!
When the ground unfreezes, the snow will melt, turning ice and snow into water. This brings with it the same effect as a heavy rainfall.
The ground surrounding your house will take on all of that water that has been building up for 4+ months, and it could expand into your home if the drainage system is insufficient.
Damp or wet basements are breeding grounds for mold to arise. This can lead to unsafe living conditions and musty basements, even in the winter.
Our team of trained and experienced experts have a solution for just about any waterproofing issue, even in the cold winter months.
Many people think that Winter is not the right time to do home repairs, however, it is actually one of the best. Hiring a professional crew in the Winter will bump you to the front of the line, which will allow your home to be serviced very quickly.
Professional work done and done as scheduled – a WOW job!
-Marion Garter
The crew went ‘way out’ on getting their job done.
-Nestle & Carole Grimes
Did the job on a timely scale.
-Arlyn & Gail Schellberg
Very impressed with the crew members.
-Gene and Kathy Kiefer
Have cracks in your basement floor?
Learn what you need to do to fix them and stop them from occurring in the future.
Cracks in basement floors can be caused by a multitude of issues. They commonly have to do with either the moisture or water underneath the basement floor or a subpar foundation system that needs stabilization. Not all cracks in basement floors require fixing, but some can lead to or be a sign of larger underlying issues in your home or your building’s structure and foundation.
Sometimes basement floors in old houses dry up and result in cracks. Cracks can also appear in newer houses.
It’s very important to identify the problem correctly, as a misdiagnosis could result in further damage in the future.
Here are the main types and causes of basement floor cracks:
Hairline cracks are smaller cracks in basement floors that have not opened and do not affect the structural integrity of your home.
Cause: Hairline cracks can be caused by changes in the temperature of the air and concrete, poor workmanship on the builder’s part, the type of chemicals mixtures used, relative humidity, and several other factors.
Fix: Hairline cracks don’t necessarily need immediate attention, but it’s good to keep an eye on them in case they open up into larger cracks. To fix hairline cracks, you will first need to clean the crack, apply a sealant, and then cure it to harden the sealant.
When basement floors rise up, it is called “heaving”, and this can cause damage to your home.
Cause: Heaving usually occurs when the ground beneath expands and causes the basement floor slab and footings to rise up with it. When the basement floor rises, it can cause cracks which are destructive to your home.
Fix: Since heaving is oftentimes caused by unwanted water accumulation, the way to begin fixing this problem is by getting rid of that unwanted water. It can accumulate through improper drainage, evaporation, poor soil conditions, or transpiration. After identifying where the water is coming from, you can then put a system in place to keep the water out and maintain a stable foundation.
Foundation settlement occurs when the compression in your foundation is unequal. This can cause lots of repercussions, but one of these is cracks in your basement floor.
Cause: Foundation settlement is often caused by changes in the soil around a home or building. The soil that once supported the structure changes, and that can cause cracks in basement floors.
Fix: Basement Water Controlled uses a Stabil-Loc foundation piering system to fix foundation settlement issues. It’s important to place the anchors in the system properly and securely in order to safely secure and stabilize the foundation.
Water can seep in through the cracks of your basement floor.
Cause: Water comes in through large and small cracks of your basement floor. The soil and ground underneath your basement is filled with moisture, and at different times of the year and, depending on water levels and whether recent rain caused the basement leakage, it can lead to water seepage through cracks in the floor.
Fix: Smaller cracks do not always need to be fixed, but if water is leaking, it could be evidence that you need to update your drainage system. Some options are the dry-up baseboard system or a drain tile system. Larger cracks may be evidence of structural issues. In this case, it’s best to get it looked at by a professional.
You may think smaller cracks in your basement floor will be easy fixes, but that’s not always the case. Small cracks can get larger over time if not treated.
As a rule of thumb, anything larger than ⅛” should be sealed, and anything larger than ½” should be leveled.
If your basement floor has larger cracks, and you think it may be because of a larger underlying issue, call the team at Basement Water Controlled today, and we’ll send out an experienced estimator to identify if your basement is in need of repairs.
The team at Basement Water Controlled uses a proven piering system to fix failing foundations and uses tested methods to safely and securely drain water from your home’s basement.
If you think your basement floor is in need of fixing, don’t wait to contact us.
Below are the most commonly asked questions about cracks in basement floors.
Before trying to seal your basement floor, it's important to diagnose why your basement is leaking in the first place. Simply sealing it could cause more issues than it resolves. It could lead to more cracks in your basement and also cause water to leak from new locations.
A: Cracks in concrete floors are not uncommon. They commonly occur because of changes in moisture and water in the ground beneath the foundation. Small cracks that are not “open” do not require fixing, but larger cracks and water seepage may be a sign of a bigger issue.
A: Cracks in the basement floor can tell lots of different stories. Sometimes the conditions in which the concrete floor was poured can cause smaller cracks, which do not affect the structural integrity of the home or builder. Larger cracks can mean that your foundation is not equally compressed or that the soil underneath the home or building is full of moisture and needs drainage work done.
A: Small cracks that have not opened do not require fixing. However, if the cracks are open, the floor is rising or sinking, or you have water seepage, it’s best to call a professional to identify your issue before it gets worse.
A: To begin with, it’s always smart to have a drainage system in place that can rid of unwanted water. There are ways to fill cracks in basements, but larger cracks may be a sign of larger issues, such as foundation failure.
A: Generally, you don’t want cracks in the basement floor to be larger than ⅛”, and anything larger than ¼” is enough to warrant a call to the professionals. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
If water is coming through the crack between the floor and wall, this is called cove joint seepage.
Our team has a tremendous amount of experience identifying what the issue of cracks are and what needs to be done to resolve them.
The cove joint is the place where the basement floor meets the wall. There is oftentimes a slight gap in this area because of the way the basement wall and floor are constructed.
Cove joint seepage occurs when the pressure in the soil surrounding your basement pushes water towards your home, and water seeps into your basement between the crack of the floor and wall.
This can be avoided by installing a proper drainage system.
The soil surrounding your foundation has moisture levels that can go up and down. When those levels fill the soil, the water rises up and enters into your basement.
Heavy rainfall – Large amounts of precipitation can cause water to build up around and underneath your basement floor. When the water becomes too much for the ground to handle, it seeps upward through the cove joint in your basement because it has nowhere else to go.
Hydrostatic pressure – Water can build up and rise underneath your basement floor which allows water to seep through the cove joint. This is commonly known as hydrostatic pressure. Water will find the path of least resistance, and oftentimes that is through the crack between your basement floor and wall.
If you are reading this, there is a good chance you have already noticed water leaking into your basement through a crack between your floor and wall. If you are facing an issue now, there is a good chance the issue will persist in the future if action is not taken.
Basement flooding – It may seem obvious, but standing water can occur if there is large amounts of water coming through the cove joint. A heavy rainfall can happen, leaving the ground and soil surrounding your home filled with water. When that water has nowhere else to go, it will find its way into your home and possibly cause flooding.
Mold – Mold can accumulate in your basement in areas with excessive moisture. It can be found on the floor, walls, and most any other materials in your basement. The more water that seeps through your cove joint, the better chance mold has to set up shop and grow rapidly in your basement.
Damage to home property – Continuous cove joint seepage could also leave your basement damp and could cause damage to any furniture or items you have sitting around in your basement. It may be difficult to detect if there is not any standing water, but items in your basement can still take a beating from the dampness caused by the leakage. If your basement is finished, it is especially important to fix the issue before damage occurs to your finished floor or walls.
Stains on floor or walls – With continuous water coming through your cove joint, stains can occur and leave nasty marks on your floor coverings.
Rots wooden structures – Wooden materials like floor joists, support beams that support your home are at risk of rotting if moisture gets into them. This leaves your home’s integrity at risk and also allows for unwanted pests to get in through the holes.
Sealing the cove joint in your basement may be a short term fix, but it will not always work in the long term and could cause even further damage to your basement in the future. Once you seal the cove joint, the water will find another way to enter into your home, either through cracks in the basement floor or it will work its way through the sealant. This depends on the amount of hydrostatic pressure that is pushing the water up.
Each case of cove joint leakage is different and can call for a unique solution. However, the fix generally has to do with your basement’s waterproofing system. Your basement needs to be able to take the water that is built up and drain it away from your house. The most common solutions are the DRY-UP baseboard or a drain tile system.
Baseboard system – The baseboard waterproofing system is a method that channels water from the walls or holes that are drilled through cement blocks to a sump pump. This solution can be great because it is not as intrusive as other drainage methods. It is also very versatile in that it can be installed in most any basement, regardless of how it was constructed. It also has a clean look to it.
Drain tile system – The drain tile system is a powerful waterproofing method that channels water away from your home and prevents water from building up and exiting through your cove joint. There are different drain tile systems for different circumstances, so it’s best to consult with a professional before installing one in your home.
Sump pump – The sump is a valuable part of the drainage system, as it takes any water in your basement and pumps it out away from your home. Sump pumps can fail due to installation, machine and lifespan errors, so it’s a smart idea to have your sump pump properly installed by a professional to make sure it’s done right.
Basement Water Controlled is a family-owned business and team that consists of highly experienced and trained professionals. If you have a cove joint seepage issue, the BWC team has most likely seen it and fixed it before. The team has over 50 combined years of experience and is only one call away from coming in to give you and your basement an estimate.
If your basement leaks when it rains, you can fix it before the situation gets worse.
Basements can leak after rainfall because the soil surrounding your home's foundation becomes saturated with water. This causes pressure to build up and forces the water upwards into your basement, also known as hydrostatic pressure.
The first step in fixing the leakage problem is pinpointing where exactly the issue is coming from.
Below you will find the most common causes of why your basement gets wet when it rains as well as what you need to do to get them fixed.
Damp floor – Damp floors are a common symptom that homeowners notice after it rains.
Wet carpet – A wet basement carpet after it rains generally means there is an issue underneath that is causing water to come through the basement floor or between the floor and wall.
Standing water – What might seem obvious, if you have standing water after it rains, it means there is an issue that needs to be taken care of beneath the surface.
Mold accumulation – Mold can grow in your basement in less than a week after it floods. Be sure to check the walls and floors as well as around pipes and sinks.
Walls – Water can come through basement walls after it rains because the soil that is surrounding the walls applies pressure on the wall, and water eventually makes it way into the basement. The grading of the ground surrounding your basement could also be the perpetrator if it slants towards your house as opposed to slanting downwards so that the water runs off away from the house. Your walls may also have cracks in them. This can be caused by a poor foundation which causes the walls to move, and in return, crack and allow water to seep through.
Floor – If your floor is damp, leaking, or has standing water after it rains, there could be a multitude of issues that are causing these issues. One issue that you could be facing is an unsound foundation. When the foundation is not secure, movements can cause cracks in the floor, which leads to water coming through, especially after rainy days or seasons. If you have a drainage system that is backed up or clogged, this could also lead to water coming through your basement floors. Rain will fill the soil around the house, and when it has nowhere to go but into the house, that is where it will end up.
Cove joint – Your cove joint is the place where your basement floor meets the wall. After it rains, water can seep through the cove joint through hydrostatic pressure. Water builds up and rises underneath the basement, and it has nowhere else to go but through the cove joint. As tempting as it may be to seal the area, it probably will not fix the problem, and the issue will arise again in the future once the water makes its way to another part of your basement. The most common cause of the rise in water is an underperforming drainage system.
Install or repair a drainage system – The recommended solution to wet basements is a proper drainage system. This can be a drain tile system, which is a common and powerful system that is designed to catch water before it makes its way into your home. It relieves the hydrostatic water pressure, and keeps the water out of your living space. The baseboard system is also a brilliant system that takes care of smaller leakage issues, and it does not require any breaking or replacement of your concrete floors.
Foundation repair – If foundation failure is the culprit in your leaky basement issue, it’s a good idea to stabilize it before the foundation becomes less secure. Foundation failure is commonly caused by poor landscaping and gutter systems, and the solution is a piering and stabilization system.
Sump pump installation – Sump pumps collect water through a barrel and then remove the water, so it doesn’t leak into your basement. If your sump pump is damaged, clogged, or not working, it may need to be replaced and reinstalled.
Install gutter downspouts - Poorly installed or nonexistent rain gutters can be the cause of basement flooding as well.
Unfortunately, yes, the issue can compound if action is not taken now. Depending on the problem you face, cracks in your floor or walls can increase in size. Your foundation can continue to become less secure. The more it moves, the better chance water will have to seep into the basement, possibly through the cove joint.
Drainage systems will not fix themselves, and generally don’t get better over time. The water may leave your home after some time, but the flooding could come back once another hard rainfall hits.
Basement Water Controlled is a family-owned basement waterproofing company that has handled just about every basement leaking issue you can think of. The team is made up of experienced professionals who care about making your basement safe and dry again.
Is water entering your home through the exterior of the foundation wall? There could be an assortment of reasons why water finds its way into your home.
Water can enter your home even if there are no interior cracks. Moisture can make its way through the walls, leaving your basement wet and possibly unsafe.
An outside wall sealer is a thick coat of protective substance that looks similar to paint after it has dried and is designed to protect basements from water entering through the foundation walls.
Exterior wall sealers can help cut off the bleeding by making the exterior non-penetrable.
Let’s take a closer look at how exterior wall waterproofing is done and how you can take care of your basement leakage issues.
Exterior wall sealer is great for homes that have water or moisture leaking through the foundation walls.
The sealer looks similar to a coat of paint and is applied directly to the surface of your foundation walls.
First, the ground surrounding your foundation wall is dug up to expose the foundation walls. This allows the team to be able to apply the sealer.
In the example below, you can see the foundation walls have been exposed to give us access to apply the sealer.
We need to make sure that the foundation walls are cleaned thoroughly so that the coat of sealer is applied correctly and has lasting effects.
Finally the outside wall sealer is applied, which will keep water out of your home.
Here is what the sealer looks like after it has been applied.
Do you have water coming up in the center of your basement floor? There is a solution to this common basement issue.
Generally the cause of water entering through the center of your basement floor is hydrostatic pressure. The pressure in the soil surrounding your home's foundation will build up, causing the water to inch upwards into your home.
Our crew was on-site in a customer's home last week working in a basement that had water coming up through areas in the middle of the floor and along the sides of the wall. We installed an underground center trench in their basement floor to solve the leakage problems.
The underground center trench is similar to the UG-18 Drain Tile System. A center trench is dug through the basement floor and then drain tile is installed. Through the drain tile the water is channeled to your sump pump which pumps it out of your basement!
After the system is in place a layer of cement covers it all. And your basement is finished! And Dry!
The perimeter drain ("French drain") is installed along the edges of your basement floor next to walls, whereas the center trench runs through the middle of your basement floor. Both are designed to channel water through them to the sump pump, where the water is then pumped out of the house.
Will rain gutters prevent water from coming up through my basement floor?
When a customer states that water is coming up through the floor this would be an indicator to us that there is a high water table. The water table usually fluctuates depending on the amount of rain or snow in any given area.
Folks living next to water sources like swamps, creeks, rivers, lakes, ponds, ditches, or just low lying areas often times know how high the water can rise before it comes up in the basement. I have personally met with a fair amount of homeowners who point to a pond and know right where the water height will be when the water enters the basement.
This indicates to us that a proper draintile system along with a sump pump installation is what we would recommend for the repair.
Installing rain gutters in an attempt to prevent water from coming up through the basement floor cracks would not be an effective repair option in this situation.
Water run off certainly contributes to the level of the water table. However, by installing a sump pump along with an interior Drain tile system, it is a guaranteed fix.
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Do you have a sump pump pipe laying across your lawn? Below is a solution we recently installed for another one of our happy customers in Minnesota.
Their sump pump pipe was laying across their lawn, not properly draining, so we installed this drainpipe with minimal intrusion! Once the sod was back on, it was hard to tell we installed anything! Can we do this for you?
Carefully rolled back sod. We take great care to ensure your property is preserved.
A narrow trench is dug after the sod is temporarily removed.
Laying the pipe.
We finish by connecting the pipes, backfilling the dirt, then place the sod back on top.
Or maybe the pipe is draining in the wrong place, causing your basement to flood? This can happen when the water that is taken out of your home gets drained right back into the place it entered from.
We can redirect this drain to flow water away from the home rather than towards it.
Sometimes water can pile up from the discharge leaving your grass dead. Again, this is another case where we can redirect your hose to drain away from unwanted areas.
A sump pump hose can run above ground, however, we've seen many issues with homeowners mowing, wanting better looking landscaping, and seeing grass get killed from the water piling up in the wrong area. We've even seen basements flood because of the above-ground sump pump line.
It's good idea to keep the drainpipe at least 8-12 feet away from your home's foundation, and ideally in a spot where the water will run downwards away from the house rather than towards it.
