What is the most cost-effective way to waterproof a basement?

In order of cost: extend the downspouts, correct the slope in the first ten feet, then an interior perimeter drain and sump, then exterior excavation and membrane. Work down that list rather than starting at the bottom of it. The first two cost very little and are the whole answer more often than the industry admits.

Which of these your house here can use

The middle home in Layton was built in 1993, and 46% of the mapped ground here sheds water rather than taking it in. Housing from the first half of the nineties is usually poured concrete, so every option on the list is available — but on a city where roughly half the ground sheds, the cheap fixes at the top of the list are doing more work than they get credit for. Water that runs across the surface toward a wall is stopped by grade, not by excavation.

The reasoning behind that

Downspout extensions come first because one roof outlet can deliver hundreds of gallons to a footing in a single storm. Getting that discharge six to ten feet from the wall is measured in tens of dollars.

Grading is second. Ground that falls toward the house in the first ten feet is a permanent delivery system. Correcting it is soil and labor, and it is still an order of magnitude below any drainage system.

An interior perimeter drain with a sump is third. It does not stop water reaching the wall; it collects what arrives and removes it. It is installed from inside, so it is unaffected by patios, decks and property lines, which is why it is often the practical choice.

Exterior excavation with a membrane is last and most complete. It stops water at the wall rather than after it. It is also the only one that requires digging out the side of the house.

Interior sealants and paints are not on the list. They address the surface of a wall that water is already passing through.

More on this: Basement Waterproofing and Interior French Drain in Layton, UT.

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