The Problem: Our backyard sits higher than our house. For years, rainwater poured downhill towards the right rear corner of the house. There was an old cement trough along the foundation meant to divert rainwater around the house to the front but it was old, broken and didn’t work very well, allowing water to penetrate and enter the crawlspace. Because of all the water over the years, the old foundation wall had cracked and the right side of the house had sunk about 2 inches.

 

Workers temporarily braced the house just inside the existing foundation wall and then removed the old foundation wall along the right side of the house. They then poured new solid footings and built a new block foundation. After the new wall was in, the excavated area (including a section around the corner and along the back corner of the house) was lined with concrete, then lined with a waterproofing membrane which extended up under the first few siding clapboards. Then a flexible leaching drainpipe was placed at the bottom of the trench, backfilled with gravel, filter fabric and finally with new dirt. The drainpipe extends all the way down the side of the house and emerges from the ground past the house where the grade begins to level out again. Finally, the contour of the backyard was sculpted to create a slope away from the house by creating a “swell” for the water to follow.

 

All this is supposed to happen in 4 days.