Regardless of physical location, waterproofing your basement is an important part of home ownership. Whether you find water entering your home or want to be proactive, you have to make sure that your foundation prevents any flooding.
The average homeowner spends around $3,995 to seal a basement or foundation, with minor repairs costing as little as $600. More comprehensive issues that include fixing cracks in the foundation or adding drains & gutters can cost upwards of $10,000. Depending on a number of variables, that cost can range anywhere from $2,041 and $6,086. Per square foot, expect to spend between $5 and $10.
Your basement could flood for a number of reasons. You might need to repair cracks in your foundation or add gutters and drains to your home. But the most important step to waterproofing is adding a comprehensive seal. To ensure proper installation, always consult a qualified licensed individual.
On This Page:
When keeping water outside of your home, start by consulting a professional. After an initial consultation, you will have a better idea of what steps to take to keep the house safe and protected.
The consultation may suggest steps to address the exterior of your home's foundation. Even if only have a crawl space, it's vital to prevent water from coming in. Because of access issues, sealing your crawl space costs between $1,500 and $15,000.
This guide will help you to understand the important difference between waterproofing and damp proofing. Youll also learn about differences in cost and the advantages or drawbacks of using cement, membrane, or weeping tiles to seal your foundation.
Understanding the difference between these terms is key. Most basements are damp proofed, which means that they are designed to keep out soil moisture. However, that is not the same thing as waterproofing, which keeps out both soil moisture and liquid water such as rain.
Damp proofing typically happens as a coating, which professionals can apply by spray or hand to the outside of your wall. It can protect against damp soil and costs less than more thorough alternatives.
Including excavation, expect to pay $3 to $6 per square foot, which compares favorably to the $5 to $10 cost per square foot for more thorough waterproofing. Because it doesn't protect against actual water leakage, the additional price for waterproofing may be a wiser investment.
A cementitious solution is probably the easiest way to keep the water out. It's a thick coat you can apply directly to your exterior walls, and anyone with experience in painting can apply it.
A 5-gallon bucket of dry mix costs about $40, and covers 100 square feet of your foundation. Add professional labor and additional work in patching cracks, and you will pay about $1,000 to $1,500 for cement waterproofing depending on your home. It works equally well for crawl spaces and full basements.
However, this option is also the most inflexible. Because cement hardens completely, any movement of joints or developing cracks will compromise its effectiveness. As a result, foundations in dry climates with sandy soil, which doesn't significantly expand or contract, tend to respond better to this cement solution.
Professionally Seal Your Basement
This is a more expensive option than cement. When adding drainage panels and including the cost for excavating, installation of this membrane can cost up to $15,000. At the same time, it might also be the most effective solution to a dry home.
The process includes fitting membranes onto your exterior wall. These membranes consist of rubberized asphalt, which is laminated to a waterproof polyethylene film. It's unforgiving, and needs to be installed just right - which is why this job is best left to professionals.
When installed correctly, the flexibility of this option combined with its durability might be the perfect fit for your basement, particularly in wet climates with expanding clay soil. It is not used as frequently for crawl spaces as it is for full basement, but its functionality remains similar.
Finally, you have the option of removing the water before it ever has a chance to seep into your walls. The cost to install a weeping tile system on your home's exterior walls is $100 to $250, depending on excavation depth and accessibility.
Despite their name, weeping tiles are actually plastic pipes with regularly punched holes. Water that would otherwise enter your walls instead enters these pipes, where it is guided away from the home. Especially in damp climates, exterior weeping tiles can function well for concrete foundations, basements, and crawl spaces.
With the proper installation, grading, and materials, this may be the most sustainable and successful option for your home. You can install a weeping tile system in addition to, not just instead of, cement and membrane options.
Hire a Basement Waterproofing Specialist
The interior walls also deserve further consideration. Here, you have the choice between concrete coatings, silicate sealers, special water repellant paint, and a vapor barrier for your oral space. Each is discussed in more detail below.
The same type of coating mentioned above can also apply to your interior walls. A thick, permanent concrete coat can help to keep the water out of your basement, even if it gets through your exterior barriers. The cost tends to be identical, although you can expect to pay less for labor because no excavation will be needed. Expect to pay between $500 and $1,000 for professional interior concrete waterproofing.
In addition to a simple coating, you can also use a product like Perma-Seal epoxy sealer to protect your basement. This Acrylic/Epoxy mixture provides an especially durable solution that improves the life of your concrete floors and walls in addition to their seal. When done by professionals, it will cost you between $3 and $12 per square foot depending on location, product, and prior repairs needed.
In contrast to the concrete, silicate sealers work by penetrating the walls on which they are applied. They provoke a chemical reaction with the concrete, increasing its chance to stay dry without actually changing its look. In fact, your concrete walls will look exactly like they did before if you choose this method.
Penetrating options like silicates also work well because they allow moisture to escape instead of trapping it. They are relatively cheap, $0.15 to $0.25 per square foot. Add professional labor costs, and applying silicate sealer will cost about $3 to $9 per square foot.
Perhaps the simplest way to keep the interior walls of your basement dry is to paint them with the right paint. This type of paint is typically acrylic, giving it the bonding it needs to keep the moisture away.
Think of this option as a thicker version of everyday paint. As a result, it can easily be done as a DIY job. One gallon of this basement paint is about $30 to $40, and covers about 75 square feet. More expensive solutions like Ever Dry, which are designed for professional use, cost about $130 per gallon.
Crawl spaces are at higher risk for water damage because they are typically less protected against leaks and moisture. However, you can take steps to ensure that they don't endanger your home.
At its core, a vapor barrier is a plastic sheet designed to prevent moisture from penetrating the house. However, installing it can get tricky which is why it makes sense to work with professionals to install it. Depending on the size of your crawl space and the thickness of the sheet, professional installation of a vapor barrier in your crawl space will cost between $1,500 and $3,000.
Hire a basement waterproofing pro
Ultimately, choosing only one of the available options is probably not enough to keep your home dry. Instead, you need to approach the problem holistically to ensure that even during the worst storms, your basement remains safe.
Fixing cracks, adding interior and exterior drainage, and grading your landscape can all work together to help prevent your basement from flooding. To understand whats best for your home and needs, work with a professional who can thoroughly assess your situation.
Sometimes, the simplest solution is the best. Cracks and holes in your foundation occur naturally over time, but can lead to significant moisture damage. Repairing foundation leaks and cracks will land you on the low end of the $4,000 national average for repair, at about $500 to $1,000.
In addition to sealing, it also makes sense to route any water that still finds a way in out. Interior drainage systems can range from floor drains to sump pumps, and will cost between $700 - $2,600 in most cases.
The right system to guide water away from your roof can help you prevent many of your water damage problems before they ever occur. The cost to install downspouts and gutters ranges from $550 to $1,350, with most home owners paying just under $1,000 for the job.
Water that doesn't drain from your lawn property could end up threatening your foundation. Removing standing water through a variety of solutions costs between $1,300 and $4,600. Simply resloping your lawn for better drainage will run you between $900 and $3,000.
Get a professional basement waterproofing
Regardless of the steps you take to fix it, a proactive approach to waterproofing your foundation is absolutely crucial. Without it, the damage and costs resulting from water damage can be significant.
On average, American homeowners spend $2,500 to repair water damage issues in their home, but that can range as high as $7,000. Taking proactive measures is an investment that prevents these costs from ever hitting your wallet.
Consult a qualified licensed professional to figure out exactly how you can improve your home's waterproofing system. Whether you are acting ahead of time or repairing an existing issue, you can get helpful advice on how to improve your foundation's condition and protect your home.
Was this page helpful?
Was this page helpful?
Thank you for submitting your feedback.
Share your cost experience
Help others plan and budget for their projects
 |
I looking to get waterproofing applied to an exterior wall. The area needs to dug-out and the material applied to the lower wall on a raised ranched house. What would be the estimated cost for such a project?
|
|
I got a next day free estimate ,, hopefully the original price he gave me $340 will stay
|
|
Given an offer for buying a house with basement leakage in heavy rains but now worried about this. Any advice / suggestions before we sign the contract.
|
|
Great to know the low and high ends of pricing. Definitely helps prepare me for what is to come.
|
|
Unable to take on this project at this time
|
|
Cannot afford at this time:( Thanks
|
|
My company charges $14,000. They do not provide follow up maintenance either. They are seling a crawl space and installing a dehumidifier and a sump pump! This is very high???
|
