What affects the price of basement waterproofing
Nobody can price a basement they have not seen, and this page prints no figures. What it can do is show why the quotes differ, so you can tell a fair one from a padded one.
The size of the fix, not the size of the house
Waterproofing is priced by the unit of work. Drains are priced by the length of wall. Crack injection is priced per crack. Pumps, basins and dehumidifiers are priced each. Crawl space liners are priced by area.
So the first thing that sets the bill is the diagnosis. One wall or four. One crack or a perimeter. A company that proposes the whole basement should be able to say why half would not do.
What raises the price of an interior drain
- More wall: every extra stretch adds concrete to break out and pour back.
- A thick or reinforced floor.
- Finished walls and flooring that have to come off along the route.
- A furnace, water heater, staircase, oil tank or bathroom in the way.
- A second sump basin where the basement is long or split in two.
- A battery backup pump and an alarm.
- A long run to reach a place where the water is allowed to go.
- A wall liner that goes full height instead of a short flange at the floor.
What raises the price of exterior work
- Depth: a full-height basement means a deep trench.
- Access: where a machine cannot reach, the trench is dug by hand.
- Things in the way: porches, decks, walks, air conditioners, mature shrubs.
- The membrane chosen, and whether a drainage board goes over it.
- Hauling soil away and bringing in stone to refill.
- Putting concrete and planting back afterwards.
Crawl spaces
Area is the starting point, then headroom. A space too low to kneel in takes far longer to line than one you can crouch in. Clearing out old insulation and debris, the weight of liner chosen, insulation on the walls, a dehumidifier and any drainage each add to the total.
Costs that are easy to miss
- An electrician to add an outlet for a pump or dehumidifier.
- Permit fees.
- Rebuilding finished walls and floors, which many waterproofing quotes leave out.
- Reseeding the lawn and replanting.
- Running costs: power for a dehumidifier, a new backup battery every few years, a new pump eventually.
Help with the bill inside the City of Racine
If your foundation drain is connected to the sanitary sewer, the city's Sump Pump Program pays toward disconnecting it and fitting a sump pump, up to a set limit. The city pays the plumber directly once the final inspection is passed.
Anything above the limit is yours, and so is any deposit or inspection fee the plumber asks for up front. The sump pump rules guide explains who qualifies.
Comparing quotes
Line them up by scope before you look at the totals. The same number of feet of drain? The same pump? A backup in one and not the other? Refinishing included or not?
Then compare what is promised in writing. A lower figure with a warranty full of exclusions may be the more expensive of the two.
Price questions
Why will nobody give me a price over the phone?
Because the price follows the cause, and the cause cannot be seen from a phone. A figure quoted blind is either padded to be safe or will change once someone visits.
Is the more expensive system the better one?
Not automatically. The right system is the smallest one that deals with the actual source of the water. A full perimeter drain for a single leaking window well is money spent on the wrong problem.
Can the work be done in stages?
Often. Start with the outdoor fixes, then the worst wall, and add more only if water still appears. Ask whether a partial drain can be extended later without redoing the first section.
Talk it through with a local company
Call and describe what the water is doing. You will speak with an independent local waterproofing company about coming out to look at your house.
For homeowners: basements, crawl spaces, sump pumps and drainage.
Call (262) 257-3901Racine Basement Waterproofing Help is a referral service, not a contractor. Calls may be recorded. Referral disclosure.