"Your house is only as healthy as your basement"

The project began by removing the front shrubs and excavating down to the foundation level. Care is taken to hand dig along existing utility lines. Once exposed, the existing foundation wall is checked for cracks and treated with a heavy Paraseal membrane. The drainage system is then installed against the existing foundation wall. The Paraseal membrane provides a foolproof protection against water and moisture. This is truly waterproofing as the water is stopped before it enters the foundation wall, and is not to be confused with an interior style french drain where water and moisture actually flow through the wall and into your house. An exterior system requires much more planning and work, but the end result is a dry and worry free basement that drains by gravity!!! This system is recommended for individuals who plan to finish the basement or plan to stay in the home.

French Drainage Systems - Click here to learn more

The excavation continues around the perimeter of the house. This ensures that the entire home is protected by the benefits of the Paraseal membrane and gravity foundation drain. Sometimes thermal insulation is applied to the exterior walls since they are already exposed. The cost of the insulation is small, while fuel savings and comfort will increase over time. Everybody can appreciate savings on their heating bills!

This Basement will be dry and mold free!

My neighbor's water drains onto my property.
What can I do?

There are many other reasons why an exterior foundation drain is better for your family. Click here to see for yourself.

Is an Exterior waterproofing solution right for me?

This house in Caldwell, New Jersey is positioned beneath a long steep grade that is home to a newer housing development. The combination of the rear yard elevation changes along with the additional development have caused runoff and seeping water issues at this house. The existing basement would take on water following rain events and required as many as three sump pumps running to stay dry. Portions of the rear yard would also puddle and stay saturated following a rain event. Following a detailed evaluation of the site, establishing critical elevations of the site and surrounding properties, Bobcats for Hire designed and installed a comprehensive drainage system to drain the problem water away from the structure and lawn areas. Following completion of the project, our company has been informed that the sump pit has remained dry despite numerous heavy rainstorms. Our exterior systems are designed to keep the water out of the house before it ever has a chance to get in. This property required a combination of foundation drains, French Drains, and surface drains to route the seeping and surface water away from the house. Engineers agree that this is by far the best way to solve a leaky basement problem. Water is diverted away, and not seeping through walls to be collected in a basement sump. An exterior foundation drain will also help to remove dampness and mold caused by moist walls. Below is a photo of the initial excavation and a portion of the new waterproof membrane that has been applied to the exterior foundation walls.

Once the exterior membranes are applied, insulation, piping, granular, wide roll protective fabric, and crushed stone are installed to the exterior foundation drain. An exterior drain utilizes much more stone and covers a far larger surface area than any drain on an interior. Heavy equipment is used in the construction of an exterior drain and allows for the correct amount of stone to be used. This ensures that the capacity of the drainage system will exceed the amount of water flow to the structure.

Crushed stone is installed above the footing drain and protected with wide roll filter fabric. The fabric ensures that the drainage system will be protected from sediment for years to come. It is not possible for this drain to "clog", as the filter fabric is non-biodegradable and will last for many decades in the earth. Also, the fabric itself is designed to allow water to flow freely through it while sediment is kept away from the stone drainage system. It is the voids between the stones that allow water to flow easily through the foundation drain. When complete with this portion of the project, the drain is covered, and a separate leader drainage system is then installed. A separate system allows roof water to run to the discharge point entirely separate from the foundation drain. This prevents the possibility of the roof water ever charging the foundation drain. Exterior drains have the added benefit in that they also correct deficiencies in the lawn and landscape.

An elaborate network of tubing (portions above) is installed to facilitate the gravity drainage of the property. Careful consideration is given to the volume of runoff for a twenty five year storm to ensure that the system is sized properly and will function as intended. During heavy rains, water draining from long slopes on adjacent properties can have enormous effects on land that is downhill. Sizing is very important in an underground drainage system because once installed, it is not easy to change without redoing major portions of the project. Our systems are designed using well established and proven engineering practices and incorporate changes in elevation that are unique to your site. Below, the base for the new patio is being installed and compacted. We chose a mixture of coarse stone and stone dust to provide a sturdy and long lasting base for the patio. Our company is a firm believer in spending a large amount of time in the preparation of base material on a project like this to prevent unnecessary settling in the future. A little extra time at this point in the project adds tremendous value to the longevity of the end result! the word of the day is "COMPACT!"

Once the base material is finally prepared to satisfaction, string lines are set and adjusted to delineate the final height of the patio. Individual bluestone pieces are then set and leveled one by one. Careful selection is made to create a beautiful mosaic pattern that takes into consideration size, thickness, and color.

Narrow access (above) is not a problem for our compact Bobcat Equipment. To the left, one can easily see the three separate discharge pipes. This system is designed this way to allow the French drain, foundation drain, and leader drains to utilize separate discharges out to the street.

The project becomes more interesting in the back portion of the property. It is here where a French drain is installed to remove ground saturation, surface drains are installed to remove puddles from the long steep hill, leader drains are installed to remove roof water, the waterproofing foundation drain continues around the house, and a new bluestone patio is installed upon completion. The design of each of these components is carefully laid out prior to the start of the project. Because a new patio is being installed, we were able to remove the single small step exiting the house and raise the final grade of the patio by 10 inches. This accomplishes several objectives- The first is that it allows for an adequate pitch away from the house, it allows for the removal of a single, unnecessary step out to the patio from the home, and it improves the aesthetics of the backyard.

Once the patio and walkway are complete, final corrections are made to the rough grade height of the lawn areas. Our company takes extreme efforts to screen and sift the rocks from the existing soil in order to maximize the quality of the final landscaped area. Note the very gentle sloping yard to the right of the patio. There is a catch basin installed to collect surface water from both the rear yard and also the patio to prevent puddles from forming. Decorative stone and top soil are brought in to bring the grade of the property up to its final height and also to provide an excellent area for the lawn to grow. Our company is very proud of each and every one of our projects and our focus is on quality rather than volume. You will feel confident in our ability to resolve your property's drainage issues from your initial consultation through the completion of your project.

Your house and outdoor landscape can be dry and a pleasure to own and enjoy. Our exterior systems will waterproof your home and drain your landscape for good. Call today and you'll be surprised at the possibilities that are available to you!