Exterior Basement Waterproofing in Brampton
Interior systems manage water after it's already through the wall. Exterior waterproofing stops it at the outside face of the foundation, before it gets in. It's the most thorough form of basement leak repair in Brampton, and the most involved.
Exterior waterproofingPage 15
What is exterior basement waterproofing? It means digging down to the footing on the outside of the foundation, cleaning and repairing the wall, then covering it with a waterproof membrane and new drainage before backfilling. It stops water at the outside of the wall instead of managing it once it's inside the basement.
Below: how the job runs, when it's worth digging, the downsides nobody mentions, and what it costs.
How does exterior waterproofing work?
- Locate utilities. Gas, hydro and cable lines are marked through Ontario One Call before any digging starts.
- Excavate. Soil comes away from the affected walls, down to the footing.
- Clean and repair the wall. The wall is cleaned, cracks are sealed, and damaged parging is repaired.
- Apply the membrane. A waterproof coating goes on the wall, usually with a dimpled drainage board over it so water runs down instead of sitting against the concrete.
- Replace the drainage. If the old weeping tile is clogged or broken, new perforated pipe goes in at the footing, bedded in clear stone.
- Backfill and grade. The soil goes back, sloped away from the house so surface water drains off.
When is exterior waterproofing worth it?
- Water comes through the walls in many places, not just at one crack.
- The foundation is concrete block. Block walls are hollow, so water travels inside them, and crack injection doesn't work on them.
- The basement is finished and you want the wall itself kept dry, without opening up the room.
- The weeping tile has failed too, so the drainage gets replaced at the same time.
What are the downsides?
Exterior work is the right fix for some homes and the wrong one for others. Know these before you sign:
- Digging disrupts the yard. Gardens, walkways, decks and interlock along the wall come up and have to be put back.
- Weather matters. Frozen ground and heavy rain can stop or delay the job.
- Tight side yards. Many semis and townhouses don't have room for an excavator, and hand digging takes longer.
- It costs more than interior waterproofing for the same length of wall.
If those rule it out, interior waterproofing handles the same water from inside. Both are compared side by side on basement waterproofing.
Is foundation waterproofing the same thing?
Mostly, yes. "Foundation waterproofing" is the general name for keeping water from getting through the foundation walls. When people say it, they usually mean the outside membrane and drainage on this page. Managing water from inside the basement is interior waterproofing.
One thing to check on any quote: dampproofing is not waterproofing. Dampproofing is a thin coating, often sprayed on new foundations, that slows moisture but doesn't stop water under pressure. A waterproofing membrane does.
What does exterior waterproofing cost?
HomeStars puts exterior waterproofing at about $100 to $300 per linear foot of wall in Canada. For a 1,000-square-foot basement with about 140 feet of wall, a Canadian cost guide estimates roughly $14,000 to $42,000 for the full perimeter. One or two walls cost proportionally less.
Our price: from $120 per linear foot, plus HST, to backfill the soil against the wall and regrade it when we're done. Digging down to the footing, the wall membrane and new weeping tile are priced on top of that, and so are interlock, decks and gardens. Compare full quotes, not just the per-foot number. See the full breakdown in basement waterproofing cost.
What do you get when it's done?
A 25-year warranty against water leaking through the walls we waterproofed. It transfers to the next owner if you sell.