Service
Exterior waterproofing and yard drainage
Outside work deals with water before it reaches the wall. Some of it is a Saturday with a shovel. Some of it is an excavator in the flower beds. It pays to know which you are being sold.
Roof water and the slope of the ground
A roof sheds a great deal of water in an Alabama downpour, and the gutters hand all of it to a few downspouts. Where a downspout ends at the base of the wall, that corner of the basement or crawl space is usually the wet one. Extending it across the lawn, above ground or in a buried pipe, is the first repair to try.
Then look at the ground itself. Soil should fall away from the house on every side. Beds built up over the years with mulch and edging often do the opposite and hold a pool against the brick. Regrading means adding compacted soil at the wall, never piling it above the level of the sill or over the weep holes in brick veneer.
Two kinds of drain in the yard
French drain
A trench lined with fabric, filled with stone, with a perforated pipe at the bottom. It picks up water moving through the top of the soil and carries it downhill. In heavy clay it works mostly as a collector for water running across the surface, so it has to sit where that water actually goes and it has to slope the whole way.
Catch basin and solid pipe
A grated box set at a low spot, joined to a pipe with no holes. It takes a puddle and moves it. This is the right tool for the dip beside the driveway or the place where two roof valleys empty.
Every drain needs somewhere to empty
A pipe is only as good as its outlet. On a sloping lot it can run to daylight at a lower corner. On a flat lot the choices narrow: a pop-up outlet in the lawn, a dry well, or a pump. Wherever it ends, the water must not land on a neighbor's lot or run over the sidewalk.
Do not let anyone tie a yard drain into the curb, a street inlet or a sewer pipe without asking the city first. Montgomery's Engineering office takes stormwater questions on 334-625-2690.
Digging down to the wall
Full exterior waterproofing means opening a trench beside the foundation to the bottom of the footing. The wall is washed, cracks are filled, and a membrane is rolled or sprayed on. A dimpled board goes over it so water can run straight down, a new drain pipe is laid at the footing, and the trench is refilled with stone before the topsoil goes back.
It is the only method that keeps the wall itself dry. It suits a finished basement you do not want torn up inside, or a wall that leaks high above the floor where an interior drain would not help.
It also takes out everything along that wall: shrubs, a walkway, the air conditioner pad, sometimes a porch or deck. The refilled soil settles for a season afterward, so expect to top it up.
Questions for an outside job
- Where exactly will the water come out, and what is downhill of that point?
- Who sends the 811 request, and who pays if a marked line is hit?
- Which plants, paving and equipment have to move, and who puts them back?
- How is the trench refilled and compacted, and will you return to fix settling?
- What do you do along the sides that cannot be dug, such as under a porch slab?
Common questions about outside work
Is fixing the gutters and the grade ever enough by itself?
Often, when the water arrives during or right after rain and only near a downspout or a low bed. Give it two or three storms. If the floor still gets wet a day after the rain has stopped, the water is coming from the ground and you need a drain as well.
How long does a French drain keep working?
It depends on what keeps soil out of it. Fabric around the stone, clean washed gravel and a cleanout at the upper end all help. Ask to see how the company builds one, and ask what it does when a drain it built slows down.
Montgomery and nearby towns
Ready to have someone look at it?
Call and describe what you are seeing and when it happens. You will be put through to an independent local waterproofing company, and they arrange the visit with you.
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