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Waterproofing basement - would you just seal the cracks or the entire area?

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Dec 11, 2005
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Waterproofing basement - would you just seal the cracks or the entire area?

Hi all,

In the last couple of years, we've had small amounts of water seep in through the cracks around window of basement to the concrete floor. The other crack is on the inside of the basement wall where the backyard gate is (in picture down arrow).

Basement was partially finished by the previous homeowner and its concrete floor and only drop ceiling, more of a rec room.

Here's the thing though, we've only seen water come in during spring-thaw months or after Ice storm when snow is compacted and about to thaw. I've had this 2 times max in the last 4 years.

I've had several basement waterproofing companies come in and provide quote and it's around 120-140 linear feet. Quotes were very similar and the process entailed/steps looked all the same. Only a couple wanted to fill the crack from the inside, everyone else said this needs to be remedied from the outside.

Question: One of them advised, it;s best to just remedy the two cracks from outside instead of spending 5-6K and doing entire 40-45 feet of the side of house (pictures included). The cost to just fix/seal the two cracks are around 2.5K

Unfortunately with the above, I will loose all shrubs/plants that are currently there but they will grade the area and re-sod so I can plant in next spring.

Would you seal the entire side of house or just fix the area where the crack is (entrance door) and crack near window?

thanks for all the feedback
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Apr 22, 2009
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We did this at my parents house. Exact same symptoms and issues we faced after any major storm.
Same kind of window where the crack started from. After lots of research we determined repair from inside was not worth it because its going to need fix again.


Luckily I found a guy who did the job for $600. Yes the price was awesome and he did great work.

He dug up the outside 5 ft down. Filled crack and sealed with liner. The section of the crack was about 15-20ft where he sealed.

Been fixed for 2 yrs and haven't had any issues. I will try finding the contact info for this guy.
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STCman wrote: We did this at my parents house. Exact same symptoms and issues we faced after any major storm.
Same kind of window where the crack started from. After lots of research we determined repair from inside was not worth it because its going to need fix again.


Luckily I found a guy who did the job for $600. Yes the price was awesome and he did great work.

He dug up the outside 5 ft down. Filled crack and sealed with liner. The section of the crack was about 15-20ft where he sealed.

Been fixed for 2 yrs and haven't had any issues. I will try finding the contact info for this guy.
Thank you so much STCman, if you can find the contact and DM me, I'd appreciate it.

So at your parents', it wasn't worth doing the entire side of the basement/house I suppose correct? This is what 2 of the contractors from HomeStars are telling me, while the others recommended doing entire 40-45' side of house incase of future problems.
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May 15, 2017
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Are the walls fully finished in the basement?
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turtler wrote: Are the walls fully finished in the basement?
The ones in the rec room yes, but there is a large area that isn't drywalled where one one of the crack is from the inside.
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TorontoEh wrote: Thank you so much STCman, if you can find the contact and DM me, I'd appreciate it.

So at your parents', it wasn't worth doing the entire side of the basement/house I suppose correct? This is what 2 of the contractors from HomeStars are telling me, while the others recommended doing entire 40-45' side of house incase of future problems.
I am trying to find the invoice but no luck yet.... but I have a feeling its Ace Waterproofing. You can give him a call and ask for a quote.

Il keep looking though
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STCman wrote: I am trying to find the invoice but no luck yet.... but I have a feeling its Ace Waterproofing. You can give him a call and ask for a quote.

Il keep looking though
Thanks so much, found him via home stars but couldn't find a number to contact. I'll message him on home stars.
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Aug 23, 2014
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Are you sure water is coming through a crack near the gate? You can actually test this by running a garden hose for 20 minutes in that area. If you see water in the basement, then it means water is indeed going through that area.

I learned this the hard way. I had my basement sealed from the outside (cost me $2k). It turns out water may have just been going through my basement window (and just needed caulking).
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There might be a cheaper/easier solution. If it's leaking due to water pooling along the house, you may be able to solve the problem by preventing it from pooling, which could include regrading the soil, redirecting downspouts, etc.
Not the best or most complete fix, but may do the job.
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TorontoEh wrote: Hi all,

In the last couple of years, we've had small amounts of water seep in through the cracks around window of basement to the concrete floor. The other crack is on the inside of the basement wall where the backyard gate is (in picture down arrow).

Basement was partially finished by the previous homeowner and its concrete floor and only drop ceiling, more of a rec room.

Here's the thing though, we've only seen water come in during spring-thaw months or after Ice storm when snow is compacted and about to thaw. I've had this 2 times max in the last 4 years.

I've had several basement waterproofing companies come in and provide quote and it's around 120-140 linear feet. Quotes were very similar and the process entailed/steps looked all the same. Only a couple wanted to fill the crack from the inside, everyone else said this needs to be remedied from the outside.

Question: One of them advised, it;s best to just remedy the two cracks from outside instead of spending 5-6K and doing entire 40-45 feet of the side of house (pictures included). The cost to just fix/seal the two cracks are around 2.5K

Unfortunately with the above, I will loose all shrubs/plants that are currently there but they will grade the area and re-sod so I can plant in next spring.

Would you seal the entire side of house or just fix the area where the crack is (entrance door) and crack near window?

thanks for all the feedback
You have a poured concrete foundation (vs block cylinders). You can get the cracks filled for fairly cheap (starting around $300). You can get a quote from Crackmasters (https://www.crackmasters.ca/).
Kevin Somnauth, CFA
Principal Broker/Owner - First Toronto Mortgage - MA (Ontario #13176, BC #X301007)
Real Estate Salesperson - Century 21 Innovative
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Jedi14 wrote: Are you sure water is coming through a crack near the gate? You can actually test this by running a garden hose for 20 minutes in that area. If you see water in the basement, then it means water is indeed going through that area.

I learned this the hard way. I had my basement sealed from the outside (cost me $2k). It turns out water may have just been going through my basement window (and just needed caulking).
Hi there, so what's weird is that the crack that's inside (the backyard gate is on top) water has stopped coming in last few years.

I think it's the window crack that's the culprit here. I hope these guys can dig and fix this time of year because of wintery weather on way.
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CdnRealEstateGuy wrote: You have a poured concrete foundation (vs block cylinders). You can get the cracks filled for fairly cheap (starting around $300). You can get a quote from Crackmasters (https://www.crackmasters.ca/).
Thx for the note. The crack that was inside I already filled it myself with items sold at Home Depot.

It's the other window crack that's really worrisome.

One of the contractor mentioned because the grading changes over time, when it shows and then ice compacts that's when usually you'll see that little bit of water sneaking into your concrete floor near the basement stairs.
"You can't soar with the eagles if you're hanging with the turkeys - Gary Kent

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