What is actually done
The wall is excavated to the footing along the affected length. The concrete or block is pressure-washed, cracks and tie holes are filled, and the parging on a block wall is repaired where it has come away. A rubberised asphalt membrane is applied to the whole wall from grade to footing and lapped over the top of the footing. A dimpled drainage board goes over the membrane so backfill never touches it and water falls straight to the drain.
The old weeping tile is removed. New perforated pipe is laid on clear stone at the footing, covered with more stone and wrapped in filter cloth, and tied into the existing outlet or a sump. Backfill goes in in lifts, and the finished grade slopes away from the house.
When it is the right repair
- A block wall damp across a whole elevation, with white efflorescence or blistering paint.
- The original drain has silted up or collapsed — spring flooding every year is the usual sign.
- Water is coming in at several points on the same wall rather than one crack.
- You want the wall itself dry — for a finished basement you will not want to redo.
What it costs you in disruption
A trench along the wall for several days, with the spoil stored on the lot. Whatever is planted or built against the wall comes out and goes back, and the written scope lists each item so there is no argument later. We do not excavate under a deck or a driveway; those walls get an interior system.
