Matt from NJ. I am still trying to figure out what is going on with my drainage problem so I hired an Engineer who specializes in water management. I paid him $750 to come out and evaluate my situation/property (STUPID). He spend about 2-3 hrs reviewing my issue, taking photos of property and recording elevations and property measurements. This Engineer owns and operates a foundation drainage company. Today I receive this report, which seems more like a quote to fix the problem. Cost @25,800! Does this sound right? Seems excessive to me. Here's is report/quote: ------------------------------------------------ A site evaluation at the above address revealed a single family home set down from the road with substantial slopes from the front and left sides. A curtain drain has been installed at a questionable depth to the front area away from the house with a discharge into the stream to the right. The homeowner has complained about the indoor sump backing up during heavy stream flow as well as excessive moisture, wetness and dampness in the basement area. Water is continuously seeping from up the hill as well as from the stream, and is contributing to the subsurface issues. Further inspection revealed that the leader drains had been directly connected to the new curtain drain, black flexible pipe had been used for the curtain drain, and no waterproof membrane had been installed to the foundation wall. Our proposed solution is as follows: Demo existing front step and patio area to allow access to the foundation. Install new foundation drain and membrane system to the entire front of the home as well as both the left and right sides of the home. Excavation will be done on all three sides down to the footing level of each side. Install Paragranullar to all exposed footings. Install Paraseal membrane to all exposed footings. Install Trem drain drainage board to all exposed foundation walls and attach with masonry nails to allow a direct path to the foundation drain. Install a 4" rigid PVC perforated piping system around the entire three sides of the house with a minimum slope of 1%. Disconnect and remove the direct piping allowing the stream to back up into the basement sump. Install a non woven filter fabric to all foundation drain areas to protect from sediment. Install 3/4" crushed stone to the entire foundation area and protect with fabric. Install solid 4" PVC piping to route the discharge towards the rear yard area approximately 80 feet away from the house. Install a single Stormtech chamber to the rear yard to accommodate the seeping underground water from the new foundation drainage system. The basin will be installed over a bed of crushed stone to expand the leaching field and have an overflow out to daylight. Protective non woven filter fabric will line the stone areas. Disconnect existing leader connections and Install new 4" solid PVC piping to route all existing leader drains and sump line discharge out to the stream. Solid piping will be entirely separate from the foundation drainage system and will discharge downstream from the house. Backfill all disturbed areas to slope away from the house when finished. Install two surface drains to the front areas to collect and remove surface water away from the house. Rake out all disturbed areas to a rough grade and reseed disturbed areas of the rear yard using existing soil. Existing trench drain in front of the garage should be set in concrete, but is not included in this quote. 25,800.00-------------------------------------- Is this cost seems inline with this job? If so, I'm screwed. Any feedback would be most appreciated. Thanks - Matt
Posts: 24 | Location: New Jersey | Registered: 20 January 2008
That's a passel of work that's described, and none of it seems particularly excessive. Start saving your pennies. You've had an expert look at your conditions, and he seems to have found a number of defects and errors...they need to be fixed. Your house has little value as it is, so the only way to create some value is to CURE the problems. This person diagnosed the disease before prescribing medicine. Medicine isn't always pleasant to take, but it's usually far better than the alternative.
By the way, what he has descibed is far more than just an "exterior drainage system". Essentially, it's two systems, one to drain the subsoil, and one to carry roof water away from the house. It includes a means to inhibit stream water from backing up into the basement. It includes surface drainage in front of the house. It also includes excavating most of the foundation, and demolishing a porch for access to it, and includes membrane waterproofing and protection board on the foundation. It's major work, and of course it's going to cost major dollars. You have major problems...what did you expect?
The last guy did a "budget" job...did it work?
Architect (NY) and Home Designer (PA)
Posts: 2863 | Location: Tobyhanna, PA | Registered: 24 October 2005
Many years ago I was contacted by an architect friend to assist him with a house he had designed.
Another contractor had built the house, but the basement continued to leak...and leak badly.
This rather modest 30x40' lakefront cottage was built on a lot with up-bubbling artesian springs.
My architect friend has designed a rather simply gravity drain tile system, with stone and waterproof foundation membrane to easily deal with the situation.
The idiot 'builder' not only ran his drain tiles uphill, he also put a 'sock' around each pipe is this very silty soil and left out the stone to save a few pfennigs.
Within weeks that builder's 'system' failed completely, the basement flooded...and I was called.
That was about 1994.
I and 3 of my employees worked for about 4-5 weeks re-excavating the foundation, removing the old flex tiles, installing new rigid tiles, waterproofing the foundation, backfilling and regrading.
The cost then: About $10,000.
Put that in 2009 dollars and $25,800 is CHEAP considering how extensive and how much more you will be getting than just some properly installed foundation drains.
I have to chime in as well...for the work listed that sounds reasonable. Unless you can tackle all that yourself, I'd consider getting it done before your the damage gets worse.
