Basement waterproofing cost

[MrsReber]

I have finally convinced DH that we have a serious problem in our basement (only 9 years after the first "flood" :rolleyes: ) Anyway, last night we had someone come for an estimate from a well known company with a good reputation. After much hemming and hawing, he dropped the price to $10k.

What I really want to know is: Is this a good deal for what's being done? They're going to install 2 sump pumps with a back up pump that runs on a battery in case of a power failure. They're also going to dig up part of the floor in areas then dig down about 1 foot to install piping to direct the water to the pumps. Based on his inspection and presentation and my husband's knowledge of our basement problems, we think this method will work. It's also guaranteed.

We're going to put our house up for sale soon and I don't want to lose money on the sale. However, I keep asking myself if we're doing the right thing or if we should sell the house "as is?" I'm leaning toward selling it with a dry basement. The basement is probably dry 75% of the year, but in the spring and fall, we always seem to have a problem. I'm also a bit afraid because we haven't gotten other estimates. I like to do my homework. I figured I'd see if anyone else here has ever had this done and if this price is realistic.

Thanks!

[Kathy B]

We had some work done on our house when we first moved in (over 10 years ago), and we got SEVERAL opinions on what needed to be done and what it would cost. It was hard to believe the variety of answerws we got, and there were many different ones. They recommended all kinds of things from mudjacking the driveway to filling in an area under the front steps in addition to sump pumps and tearing up the basement.

We finally went with a company that started by doing several things to direct the water away from the foundation. This included some drains that went from the gutters out to the middle of the yard (underground) instead of letting all the water sit around the foundation. They also did some work in the basement. The bottom line for us, though, was that out of all of the opinions and estimates, their plan made sense to us, and it was reasonaably priced.

I would highly recommend getting several more estimates and opinions before making a decision. As you have said, it is a lot of money, and it would be a good thing to get it back when you sell.

[donleyk]

Susan,

That's the going rate for digging up basements. That said, I agree with what Kathy said. Try as best you can to find out the reason you are getting water in the basement. By digging up the basement and adding sumps you are really just addressing a symptom not the actual problem. It may still be the only way to fix it but in your situation where you want to sell it's going to be an expensive fix.

We got serveral companies out to our house and the estimates were from $2500 to $12K. We went with digging up 2 outside walls, checking the drainage, waterproofing, filling it back up with gravel then topping it with soil. We've not had any more trouble with it.

During this we found the downspout that was crushed, stopping the water from being moved away from the house.

Every house is different but I'd try the least expensive option first.

Good luck!

[jking323]

Not to sound like a broken record, but definitely get at least one or two more estimates. What turned out to be a fairly simple water problem in our basement last year was diagnosed in very different ways by different contractors--to the tune of very different prices. It sounds like the company you've talked to already is a good one by reputation, and the proposal seems like the right kind of thing they'd have to do, but still shop around for consensus anyway. You might even find a better price.

[NMG]

I would get more estimates. My husband is a plumber and from other issues we've talked about and the work he does for others, 10,000 seems awfully pricey - but then again you do live in a different area than I do. Personally, we've had a few problems water (more so in our yard - we have a spring) - anyways you might want someone to put in a french drain a few feet out from your house to move the water away from your foundation as Kathy B said - sump pumps can work wonderfully too if they are needed after french drains are put in. We put one in the back yard and one in the front of the house going down under out driveway - after 2 years the water is almost nonexistant - even with harsh rains. I think more opinions/estimates would be the way to go.

[slknight]

Susan, we have bad water problems in our basement in the past. The worst was when I was 8 months pregnant and having to wet vac every hour or so (while DH was at work) because the water was getting so high. It was awful. I'm pretty sure I bitched about it here. Anyway, we ended up water-proofing the basement.

They jackhammered the perimeter of the foundation and put in drains that lead to a sump pump. We actually only had part of the perimeter done for various reasons so it was not as expensive as your estimate but was still several thousand dollars. It was worth every penny though and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. I regret that I didn't do the whole thing.

We do still have some water issues, but not nearly as bad as we did. In our case, the water comes up directly through cracks in the basement floor. The water table here is so high that we just get saturated in the spring and water comes up. Our backyard is a swamp.

If you do have the waterproofing done, find out what they are going to do with the sump pump. Ours drains into the backyard. The original contractors did not extend the pipe very far and dumped pretty close to the house. We ended up having to extend it farther, but wish we'd gone even farther since it still dumps in the middle of the yard.

Let me know if you have any questions.

[Aubergine]

Susan, we have bad water problems in our basement in the past. The worst was when I was 8 months pregnant and having to wet vac every hour or so (while DH was at work) because the water was getting so high. It was awful. I'm pretty sure I bitched about it here. Anyway, we ended up water-proofing the basement.

They jackhammered the perimeter of the foundation and put in drains that lead to a sump pump. We actually only had part of the perimeter done for various reasons so it was not as expensive as your estimate but was still several thousand dollars. It was worth every penny though and I wouldn't hesitate to do it again. I regret that I didn't do the whole thing.

We do still have some water issues, but not nearly as bad as we did. In our case, the water comes up directly through cracks in the basement floor. The water table here is so high that we just get saturated in the spring and water comes up. Our backyard is a swamp.

If you do have the waterproofing done, find out what they are going to do with the sump pump. Ours drains into the backyard. The original contractors did not extend the pipe very far and dumped pretty close to the house. We ended up having to extend it farther, but wish we'd gone even farther since it still dumps in the middle of the yard.

Let me know if you have any questions.

omg, your story is so similar to mine! we came back from a brief easter visit to discover 5 feet of water in the basement, and i was 8 mos. pregnant, too. we emptied it out by the bucketful, which seems crazy, in restrospect. we had a sump pump installed, and that took care of the bulk of the problem, but at times like spring thaw, we also had the water coming up through cracks problem. it's an older farmhouse, built in the early 1920's. that whole basement business was one reason i finally sold it, after 14 years...only to move into a newer home with damp basement problems. it's such an aggravating thing to deal with.

add my voice to the chorus of, explore a few more options before making your decision.

[funnybone]

We've never had this problem, fortunately, but from a resale standpoint, it's hard to say what is better to do - leave it alone and let the buyers worry about it, or fix it and then sell it. Either way, it will have to be disclosed that the problem exists or existed.

Now one thing to consider - you say you have this problem in the spring and fall. If you plan on listing the house for sale during those seasons, then it would be best to fix it, IMHO, because nothing is worse for a prospective buyer is to see a house that has water inside. You may want to sell it in the summer when chances are they will see it dry.

You may also want to hire an independant inspector on your own, prior to selling, to see what he may find as well. I'd rather not have any surprises around the corner when a prospective buyer has their inspector come in.

Good Luck.

[BarbaraL]

We never had a water problem, but did get some water in after a major hurricane. We got a few estimates. One company said we should get French drains.
Another company said French drains wouldn't work, and suggested digging around the entire foundation, waterproofing the outside of the foundation and adding gravel and drains to draw water away from the foundation, etc, for about $30k. THEN, they said, if we didn't want to spend that $$$, we could do X, Y, Z (which basically was installing French drains, that they originally said wouldn't work!). We will NEVER use these people.

A third guy said the buried drains from the downspouts had cracked, and was leaving water near the foundation. He suggested fixing that, and making sure the dirt was graded away from the house. We did what he said, and haven't had any further problems.

It sounds like you have a more serious water problem than we did; just pointing out that you have to be a very careful consumer when dealing with these guys.

[MrsReber]

Susan, your problem sounds similar to ours. I did a search and found your old thread about it, too! We have a very high water table so directing the water from the foundation won't really work for us because there's way too much water. I don't know that the french drains would work either. The water came through the walls about a foot from the floor after we had some pretty bad rain for many days. Most of it comes in from the corners where the floor and the wall meet. Patching it up wont' fix the problem. The pressure on the foundation from the groundwater is too great. From what we understand, there's a spring underground nearby as well. We're not the only ones with water problems. As a matter of fact, we're better off than most of the people around us because of the grade around our house and the fact that we're up a little bit higher. We have done other things to prevent the water getting in such as lengthening the downspouts so they went to the middle of the yard.

I'm glad he didn't suggest digging out the basement walls. We'd never go for that. The problem is that we need this fixed so we can put the house up for sale in April. The work comes with a lifetime guarantee which is transferrable to the new owner and they will give us a certification to show potential buyers that the basement is water free.

Thanks for the advice and the stories. It really helps me to hear what others have been through. DH and I still have the standard 3 days to back out. Technically, we won't truly miss the money since we'll pay off the loan once we sell the house. We're not really putting anything out right now. I'm afraid to take the chance of losing money on the sale becauase of the leaky basement.