Standing water in your Dream Home?

Contrary to popular belief even if you live in the Pacific Northwest you can avoid standing water and drainage issues when building a home. NO, you should NOT have standing water in your dream home! So frequently do homeowners in rainy climates deal with basement and foundation drainage problems that it’s common to think that they can’t be avoided. But with proper planning of your basement drainage system you can.

A cell phone video of our basement drainage

So, what did we do in the Renewal Dream Home to avoid drainage issues?

1. Once the foundation was poured we sealed the concrete with a tar like material to minimize water infiltration through the concrete.  There can be so much pressure against the foundation wall that water will pass right through it. The “tar” like material will help but not stop the water.
2. Mira drain is a product that goes over the foundation wall after painting it with the tar substance.  It keeps the water pressure from building up against the foundation and allows it to run down into the drainage system that goes around the footings.
3. The same drainage system is on the inside of the footings to capture any water that leaks under the footing.
4. We also put a vent drain at the slab to wall area to allow it to dry out.
5. Don’t forget to tie in your downspouts to your drainage systems.

Although these 5 steps take a lot of planning and labor, a little sweat now will save a lot of headache and money later. Just ask anyone who has had added a drain or dealt with a sump pump.