Guides
Everything here is written to one rule: if the honest answer is that you do not need to spend money, we say so, even though it costs us the referral fee.
Condensation or a leak? The four tests that tell you which
Damp basement walls are either humid air condensing on cold masonry or water coming through it. Four free tests separate them, and the answer changes the price tenfold.
What your soil's drainage class says about your basement
The USDA has classified the drainage of nearly every acre in America. Those seven classes predict basement behaviour better than rainfall maps, and almost no contractor will bring them up.
Interior drainage vs exterior waterproofing: an honest cost comparison
One costs three times the other and they do different things. What each actually stops, what each depends on forever, and which one the soil and the symptom point to.
Radon and wet basements: the connection nobody mentions
Radon and water use the same route into a house. Why drainage work changes your radon level, what a sealed sump lid is worth, and the rough-in that costs a fraction now.
What the soil does to a slab-on-grade foundation
Most American houses south and west of the basement belt sit on a slab. Heave, settlement, vapour drive and slab leaks look alike and cost between $400 and $40,000.
Sump pump sizing: the calculation contractors skip
Horsepower tells you almost nothing. Flow at total dynamic head is the specification that matters, and here is how to work it out and check a quote against it.
What underpinning actually costs, and when you truly need it
Push piers, helical piers and the five-figure end of foundation repair. What drives the price, what a pier does and does not fix, and the document to get before you sign anything.
The 20 counties with the highest basement risk
Ranked on three USDA soil variables, and the geology behind the ranking.
Page data updated