Excavating & Drainage Blog
Is All Well With Your Window Well? Common Window Well Problems
When any portion of your home's basement window is below grade -- that is, below ground level -- you need window wells. Window wells do two things: They keep the surrounding dirt in place. They drain rainwater away. These are the two vital functions of window wells....
3 Potential Drainage Trouble Spots You Need to Know About
Home drainage problems often fit into multiple categories. As we've mentioned in other blogs, your home's drainage is a system. And in a drainage system, troubles may be above ground, below ground, or both. In fact, the trouble may be the ground itself. But let's...
Where There’s Slope, There’s Hope: Protect Your Foundation / Basement
What's the average annual rainfall in Vancouver? The answer: 1,153.1 mm, or 45.40 inches. Now, here's a more personal question. How much of that rain is leaking into your home's basement? We're sure you'll agree that any amount is too much. Slope / Grade It may be...
Installing a Driveway Trench Drain? 3 Things to Ask Yourself
"Thank you, come again soon!" If you're a do-it-yourselfer, there's a chance you'll be hearing those words at your favourite home improvement store again soon—maybe too soon. It's easy to find materials for your driveway trench drain do-it-yourself project, only to...
Our Camera Investigation Service: Zooming in on Your Drainage Problems
Video cameras capture the most interesting things. We recently came across the "Donair Cam," a live cam that captures a rotating donair 24/7 from a Nova Scotia eatery called the "King of Donair." If we weren't so busy doing drainage inspections for homeowners, we...
PVC: A Smooth, Reliable Choice for Perimeter Drainage
What was life like before PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) pipes ? Heavy and rough. That's our short answer. In 1623 cast iron pipe was installed in the Fountains of Versailles in France. That same piping is still functioning, no doubt with considerable...
6 Ways Water Can Damage Your Home and Your Health
Imagine a lifeguard in your flooded basement shouting "Get out of the water! Extreme? There's more. He's shouting "Sharks in the water." Okay, maybe we're over the top with these images. But we're just trying to get the message across that water damage...
5 Signs You Have Water Line Troubles That Require Immediate Action
"Oh, Danny boy, the pipes, the pipes are calling" is an old Irish melody we sometimes hum as we work. Why? Because, aside from being great diggers, we're "pipers." Not bagpipers, though. Water pipers. And our experience with pipes is that their "call" is...
Is Your Home’s Basement or Foundation Leaking? Finding the Source
“Are your tie-rod holes leaking?” Yes, that’s a pretty personal question. We don’t expect you to give a ready answer, so relax. Leaks to home foundations come in a wide variety. If you want to get the right waterproofing assessment and repair in the right places, it’s...