Contractors cut a trench in the basement floor to install a perimeter drain and sump pump.

Like most older homes in our area, ours suffers from water intrusion in heavy rain, with water running across the floor to a sump previous owners had installed. It was tolerable, if annoying, when we used the basement for laundry, storage, and shop space, but it was a problem we needed to solve if we were going to renovate with an eye to adding living space. I briefly considered installing a perimeter drain myself following the instructions on familyhandyman.com, but the thought of moving tons of earth and concrete didn’t appeal. After reviewing bids from a couple of local companies, we selected PermaDry Waterproofing. While they were slightly higher than other bids, I appreciated their materials choice (perforated PVC over corrugated polyethylene) and design. After some government-shutdown-induced rescheduling, PermaDry brought in two crews to install an interior perimeter drain and sump pump in a single day. Continue reading →