Window wells, grading and downspouts
On the moraine, where the ground drains fast, most wet basements are caused by water arriving faster than the soil can take it: a downspout dumping beside the wall, ground sloping toward the house, a window well with no drain. These are the cheapest fixes we do, and we do them first.
- Whereoutside, at grade
- SeasonApril to November
- Timea day
- Oftenthe whole answer
In section
Three fixes above ground
- Downspouts carried awayA roof of 150 m² puts about 150 litres on the ground per millimetre of rain. Each downspout is extended at least two metres, onto ground that falls away, or piped underground to daylight.
- Grade re-slopedThe first two metres from the wall should drop about 15 cm. Settled backfill often slopes the other way. We rebuild it with clay-rich fill under the topsoil so it sheds rather than soaks.
- Window wells drainedA well without a drain is a bucket against the wall. We add a drain to the weeping tile or a gravel sump, and a clear cover to keep leaves and snow out.
Why we start here
The cheapest repair is the one you do not need
Every assessment begins outside. If the water in the basement lines up with a downspout, a low spot in the grade or a window well, we say so and price that fix alone. A drainage system installed under a wall that is only wet because of a gutter is a system you paid for and did not need.
It goes the other way too. Grading does not fix a high water table or a failed tile, and we will not sell it as if it did. On lakeshore lots the surface fixes are done alongside the drainage, not instead of it.
Buying a house? These three things are what a pre-purchase basement check looks at first.
Book a free assessmentQuestions
About surface water
Why does my basement only leak in spring?
Because that is when the ground around your house holds the most water: the snowpack melts over a few weeks, the frost is still in the top layer so the water cannot soak away, and spring rain lands on top of it. On the moraine that water usually drains once the frost is out; on the lakeshore flats and in clay pockets it sits against the wall for weeks. A basement that leaks only in April has a drainage problem, not a rain problem.
What decides the price of basement waterproofing?
Four things, in this order: how much of the wall is wet (a single crack is a small job; a whole wall is a drainage job), whether the fix is inside or outside (outside means excavation, so access for a machine matters), what is in the way (decks, walkways, a finished basement, utilities close to the wall) and what the ground is (moraine sand digs fast, clay does not). We measure all four at the assessment and give you a written price before anything is booked.
We are buying a house in Oro-Medonte. Can you look at the basement before we close?
Yes. A pre-purchase look covers the wall surfaces, the floor and cove joint, the sump (if there is one), the window wells and the grade outside, with photos and a plain-language note on what is cosmetic and what would need work. It is most useful on older houses in Shanty Bay, Hawkestone and Oro Station, and on any lakeshore lot.