Most of the price of a waterproofing or foundation job comes down to how much of the house is involved and why the water or movement started. A downspout fix and a full perimeter system are both "waterproofing", but they are very different jobs and very different prices. That is why we don't publish a price range. The inspection and the written quote cost nothing, and they give you a real number for your house instead of a guess.
Below are the things that move the price, so you can read any quote, ours or someone else's, and see what you are paying for.
Where the water gets in, and why
The repair depends on the cause, and the price depends on the repair. Water in one corner after a storm often traces back to a downspout or to ground that slopes toward the house. A damp line along the bottom of every wall points to the joint where the wall meets the floor. Water running out of a crack is coming through the crack.
Each of those has a different repair, from an afternoon of outside work to a system around the whole basement. If a quote does not say where the water comes in, it is hard to know what it is fixing. See how we find the source on the basement waterproofing page.
Interior or exterior work
Interior waterproofing deals with water once it reaches the wall: sealing entry points, a drain along the footing inside, and a sump pump to send the water outside. It needs no digging outside, which usually keeps it simpler.
Exterior waterproofing means digging down to the footing, cleaning and sealing the wall, and setting drainage at the base. It stops water before it touches the wall, but the digging, backfill and yard restoration all add to the job. Some houses need one approach, some need both.
What the wall is made of, and what shape it is in
A poured concrete wall with one vertical shrinkage crack is a small, contained repair. A block wall with stair-step cracks, or one that has started to bow inward, is a structural repair first and a waterproofing job second. The further a wall has moved, the more work it takes to stabilize it.
This is the main reason foundation repair prices vary so much. See the signs that separate a cosmetic crack from a structural one on the foundation repair page.
Access and how deep we dig
On the outside, cost follows the dig. A deeper basement means a deeper trench. Decks, patios, driveways, porches, mature landscaping and air conditioners next to the wall all have to be worked around, protected or removed and put back. A wall with open lawn in front of it is easier to reach than one under a deck.
Every dig goes through Miss Dig 811 first, so utility lines are marked before any digging starts.
How many feet of wall are involved
Interior drains and exterior sealing are both priced largely by length. Fixing one leaking wall costs less than treating the whole perimeter. The inspection shows whether the water is coming in along one wall or all of them, so you pay for the length that actually needs work.
Sump pump and discharge
If the plan includes a sump, the basin, pump and discharge line are part of the price. So is where the water goes: the discharge has to run far enough from the house that it does not soak back toward the foundation, and it has to keep working through a Michigan winter. A longer or buried discharge line is more work than a short one. Read more about sump pump installation.
Finished basements
Interior work on a finished basement means opening up drywall, flooring, trim or built-ins along the wall first, so a finished basement usually costs more to work in than an open one. Tell us at the inspection what is finished, and ask any contractor you talk to who puts it back afterward.
Permits
Some jobs need a permit from your city or township, depending on the work and where you live. Where the work calls for one, we pull it, and that cost is in the quote rather than added later.
Outside fixes that can replace a bigger system
Plenty of wet basements are solved outside. Roof water dumped next to the foundation can be carried away with buried gutter extensions. Ground that has settled back toward the house can be regraded, and water that collects in the yard can be handled with yard drainage or a French drain. When one of those will do the job, we say so and quote that instead of a full system.
Crawl spaces follow the same logic. The size of the space, how easy it is to get into, and how much moisture it is taking on decide the scope of crawl space encapsulation.
How to compare quotes
Two quotes can only be compared if they cover the same work. Before you weigh two numbers, check:
- Does the quote say where the water or movement is coming from?
- Does it name the walls and roughly how many feet are being treated?
- Is it interior work, exterior work, or both, and does it say why?
- Does it deal with the water that caused a crack, or only fill the crack?
- Does it say who restores finished areas, landscaping and hardscape?
- Are permits and utility locating included?
- Is the contractor licensed in Michigan? You can check any residential builder on the state's LARA license lookup.
- What happens after the job, and is any warranty written into the quote?
What is in a Swift Dry written quote
Every job starts with a free inspection, inside and outside the house. You then get a written quote that sets out:
- What we found and where the water or movement starts
- What is being repaired and how
- The price, before any work starts
- Financing, with three options on the quote, if you want it
We are a licensed and insured Michigan residential builder, license 262400278. After the work, we come back for a free check-up visit about six months later, on every job. Warranty terms are set job by job; when one applies, it is written into your quote.
Cost questions
Why won't you give a price over the phone?
Because the price depends on things we can only see at the house: where the water comes in, what the walls are made of, how far they have moved and what is in the way. A phone number would be a guess. The inspection is free and you get a written price before anything starts.
Is the inspection really free?
Yes. We look at the areas you are worried about, inside and outside, and give you a written quote. There is no obligation.
Is the cheapest quote the best value?
Only if it fixes the cause. A coating on the inside of a wall costs less than drainage, but if wet soil is pushing water through the wall, the leak comes back and you pay twice. Compare what each quote actually fixes.
Do you offer financing?
Yes. Financing is available through our financing partner, with three options on your quote, and pre-approval on request.
Can a smaller fix really stop a wet basement?
Often, yes. If the water comes from roof runoff or ground sloping toward the house, extending downspouts or correcting the grade can stop it without a bigger system. We look at the outside first and tell you if that is all you need.