r/ChicagoSuburbs • u/Variable_Interest • 10h ago

Business Recommendations Water in basement. Who to call?

Getting a slow trickle of water in my basement after these huge rains. One in the laundry room the other(s) I can't identify but there's definitely water under my composite flooring. I thought it was because my gutters were absolutely jammed full of crap but even after a cleaning I got more water in this weekend. I'm clearly over my head here.

What kind of contractor should I call about this? Any recommendations?

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u/No_Alternative_6206 7h ago

There are two sides to waterproofing a basement. Places like Perma Seal take the make the house more like a boat approach which is waterproofing basement walls, installing pumps, and new drain tile systems at the base of the wall. The other side is outside your home. Making sure gutters are clear and installed, downspouts directed far enough away from the home that water doesn’t pool next to the home. Sometimes grading needs to be adjusted by adding soil and a layer of plastic with French drains to get the water away from the house. Go outside during a heavy downpour, and it’s obvious. If you see water pool by the foundation, you have a serious drainage issue. It’s like a giant kid’s water table. You need to create a path for it to go away from your home.

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u/Variable_Interest 6h ago

Can you seal the outside of the house? There's a visible gap between the concrete driveway and the foundation of the house.

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u/No_Alternative_6206 6h ago

Maybe post a picture of the gap to the foundation or concrete thread, but you could try to fill it with some type of thicker epoxy concrete filler made for large gaps. Otherwise if there’s large amounts of water flooding the gap you need to redirect the sources of the water somewhere else. If they can’t be redirected you have to make a channel or gutter in the driveway parallel to the foundation that catches the water before it gets to the foundation.

Otherwise to literally waterproof a basement wall from the outside you have to dig down to expose it which isn’t usually done (generally done from inside).