Dry yards and basements, fixed at the source

French Drain Installation in Lancaster

A French drain is a sloped trench lined with filter fabric and filled with washed stone around a perforated pipe. It collects groundwater and carries it away from where it gathers. On Lancaster properties it is most often needed along the uphill side of a house, across the back of a lot that catches runoff from higher ground, and beside driveways that stay soft after rain.

You probably need one if water sits in the same low spot for a day or more after a storm, if the soil next to the foundation stays wet after the rest of the yard has dried, or if one basement wall is damp along the bottom. A lot of ground in this part of the county is heavy clay, which holds water instead of letting it soak away.

On a visit we walk the yard, find where the water starts and where it can safely go, and draw a route. Utilities are marked through Pennsylvania One Call before any trench is opened.

Yard Drainage in Lancaster

Yard drainage covers the smaller fixes that keep a lawn from turning into a pond. That can mean surface inlets in low spots, short runs of solid pipe to a better outlet, shallow swales shaped into the lawn, or a dry well where there is no place for the water to daylight. Many lots in Lancaster and the surrounding boroughs were graded decades ago and have settled since, so water that used to run off now stays put.

Watch for moss or bare patches in one area, ruts from the mower, mosquitoes around standing water, or a patio or walk that has started to tip. A heavy rain shows the pattern best, so it helps to look during or right after one. Then we explain the simplest fix that will work and what it involves.

Basement Waterproofing in Lancaster

Basement waterproofing means keeping groundwater out of the basement, or dealing with it once it reaches the wall. On the inside, that can be a perimeter drain under the edge of the floor that leads to a sump. On the outside, it can mean digging down to the footing, sealing the wall with a membrane and laying a footing drain. Many older Lancaster homes have stone or block foundations, and those walls let moisture through at the mortar joints in a way poured concrete does not.

Signs include a white chalky crust on the wall, a water line on stored boxes, paint peeling near the floor, or a musty smell that returns every spring. Before we recommend waterproofing, we check the gutters and the grade. Roof water pooling at the wall is a common cause, and it costs far less to fix.

Wet Basement Repair in Lancaster

Wet basement repair is for a basement that is already taking on water: a crack that seeps, a gap around a pipe through the wall, a floor joint that weeps in storms, or a window well that fills up. We find where the water gets in, often using photos you took during the last rain. Then we fix that spot and whatever is sending water to it.

Summer thunderstorms and the thaw after a snowy winter are when most Lancaster homeowners first notice a problem. If water is coming in now, call during our hours. We will tell you what to do until we get there, like clearing a floor drain or moving things off the floor.

Sump Pump Installation in Lancaster

A sump pump sits in a pit at the lowest point of the basement and pumps collected water out of the house. A good installation has a sealed lid and a check valve so water does not flow back into the pit. The discharge line should end well away from the foundation. If it ends at the base of the wall, the water just soaks back in.

You may need a new pump if the old one runs constantly, switches on and off quickly, hums without moving water, or lets the pit overflow in heavy rain. We size the pump to the amount of water coming in, check where the discharge goes, and explain options like a battery backup if your street tends to lose power in storms.

Downspout Drainage in Lancaster

Downspout drainage carries roof water underground in solid pipe to a pop-up emitter, a dry well, or daylight on a slope. A roof can send a lot of water to one corner of the house in a single storm. When the downspout ends at the foundation, that water goes straight to the basement wall.

If you see mud splashed on the siding, mulch washed out under a downspout, or damp in the basement at the same corner, this is often the cheapest fix of all. We test the lines with a hose, make sure they slope downhill the whole way, and check that the outlet does not send water onto a neighbor's yard.

Grading and Regrading in Lancaster

Grading is the shape of the ground around your house. For the first several feet, the soil should slope away from the foundation so rain runs away from the wall. The fill around a house settles over the years, and flower beds, patios and extra topsoil can slowly tip the slope back toward it.

We check the slope with a level, add and compact fill where it is low, reshape swales and reseed. Regrading often comes before any drain, and on plenty of Lancaster homes it solves the problem by itself. The soil has to be dry enough to compact, so late spring through fall is the usual time to do it.