Basement Leak Repair in Brampton
Water on the basement floor is the symptom, not the problem. There are only a handful of places water can get into a basement, and the right repair depends on which one it is. We find the entry point first, then fix that.
Basement leak repairPage 12
How do you fix a leaking basement? First find where the water enters: a wall crack, the joint where the wall meets the floor, a window well, a tie-rod hole or a pipe opening. A single crack is sealed with injection from inside. Water along the wall-floor joint usually needs interior drainage to a sump pump. Widespread wall seepage needs exterior waterproofing.
Below: where water gets in and the fix for each, what you can check yourself first, interior vs. exterior waterproofing, and what it costs.
Where is the water coming in?
| Where you see water | Usual cause | Usual fix |
|---|---|---|
| A line of water running down the wall | A crack in the foundation | Sealing the crack from inside with crack injection |
| A wet strip along the bottom of the walls | Water pushing up at the wall-floor joint | Interior waterproofing: a drain at the footing and a sump pump |
| Under or around a basement window | The window well filling with water | Window well drainage repair |
| Damp patches across a large area of wall | Water soaking through the whole wall | Exterior waterproofing |
| Water all around after a storm, and the sump pump barely runs | Blocked or broken weeping tile | Weeping tile repair |
| Small rusty spots in a grid, seeping after rain | Leaking tie-rod holes in a poured wall | Plugging or injecting each hole |
| Dirty water coming up the floor drain in a storm | The city sewer backing up | A backwater valve |
| The sump pit overflows, or the pump runs nonstop | A pump that's failing, too small or has no backup | Sump pump installation |
| A musty smell and damp walls, but no puddle | Condensation or slow seepage | Wet basement repair |
| A damp, musty crawl space under an addition | Moisture rising from bare soil | Crawl space encapsulation |
Not sure which one you have? Take a photo of the spot where water shows up first, right after it rains. That photo usually tells us more than a description.
What can you check before calling anyone?
Some basement leaks are fixed with a shovel and a downspout extension. Check these first:
- Downspouts. They should empty well away from the house. About 2 metres is a common rule of thumb.
- Grading. The soil next to the foundation should slope away from the house, not toward it.
- Eavestroughs. Clogged troughs overflow and dump water right against the wall.
- Window wells. Clear out leaves and debris so water can drain.
- Sump pump. If you have one, pour a bucket of water into the pit and make sure the pump starts. Signs it's failing are on our sump pump page.
If water still comes in after that, it's getting through the foundation itself, and that's what we fix.
Interior or exterior waterproofing?
Both stop water from reaching your living space. They do it in different places.
- Interior waterproofing catches water at the footing inside the basement and pumps it out. No digging outside, it works in winter, and it usually costs less.
- Exterior waterproofing stops water at the outside face of the wall. It means digging down to the footing, so it costs more, but the wall itself stays dry.
Price ranges for both are in basement waterproofing cost. The side-by-side comparison, and what to ask any company, is on basement waterproofing in Brampton.
What does basement leak repair cost?
It ranges from a few hundred dollars to seal one crack to tens of thousands for a full waterproofing system. Published Canadian guides put interior crack injection at $500 to $1,500 per crack and a full interior system for a 1,000-square-foot basement at roughly $10,000 to $32,000.
The full breakdown by leak source is in leaking basement repair cost. Our prices, plus HST: crack injection $750 to $1,000 per crack, tie-rod holes $150 each, interior waterproofing from $85 per linear foot for the trench and concrete (drain, membrane and pump extra), and exterior waterproofing from $120 per linear foot for backfill and regrading (digging, membrane and weeping tile extra).
New home? Call your builder first
In Ontario, water coming through the basement or foundation walls is covered by the Tarion two-year warranty on new homes. Dampness alone isn't covered, but actual water leaking in is. See Tarion's coverage page.
Does home insurance cover a leaking basement?
Usually not when water seeps in gradually through the foundation. Sewer backup and overland flooding are often separate add-ons to a policy. Check your own policy wording before you assume either way.
Experience and insurance
We have 10 years of construction experience and carry $2 million in liability insurance. Crack repairs carry a 10-year warranty and waterproofing systems a 25-year warranty, and both transfer to the next owner if you sell.