Drain Tile Systems on the Foundation Exterior

Pros and Cons of Repairing your Wet Basement With an Exterior French Drain

Illustration of an exterior French drain system installed around the perimeter of a home

Cutaway of a French drain system installed on the outside of the concrete footer of a home foundation. A discharge line would also be included to send the water away from your home.

Shown in this photo is the French drain itself (filled with water), a fill of stone, and the backfilled soil.

One way of basement waterproofing that many contractors will suggest for waterproofing a basement is to install a french drain system along the outside perimeter of your home.

To install an exterior French drain, the contractor will take the following steps:

  1. First, the entire perimeter of your home must be cleared. Gardens, steps, or porches, must be removed before they can begin.
  2. Next, the contractor will dig out the perimeter of your home. Excavated dirt will be heaped around the home.
  3. The drain will be laid in a bed of stone along the bottom. The stone, and possibly a layer of filter fabric, are there to protect the drain from clogging.
  4. The excavated soil will be "backfilled" on top of the system. In a year, this soil will settle, and the contractor will need to return to fill in more soil.

Vancouver Basement Systems does not recommend this type of drainage system installed in your home. 

Instead, we suggest installing an interior basement drain along the inside perimeter of your basement or crawl space. For a free waterproofing quote in BC, call or e-mail us today!

basement waterproofing Vancouver

Getting Ready To Install an Exterior French Drain
A home before a french drain installation
You Will Need to Remove:
  • Trees
  • Shrubberies
  • Gardens
  • Porches
  • Steps
  • Sidewalks
  • Patios
  • Driveways
  • And More

Along with that, you can expect the contractors to create huge heaps of excavated soil all around your home, creating a mess.

On top of that, the process is extremely expensive, costing $15,800 to $21,000 CAD per installation. The installation time is twice as long, or more, than if you choose to have an interior system put in.

Failing French Drains in British Columbia

clogged french drain found in Surrey, BC

A clogged French drain systems found installed around a home in Vancouver, BC.

French drain systems have been installed on the outside of homes since the 1920's, and if they were the best way to dry a basement, Basement Systems Vancouver would be installing them too.

Unfortunately, placing a French drain along the outside exterior is a recipe for failure in the long term. When you put a drainage system several feet under the earth, even in a bed of gravel it will eventually clog with dirt, roots, and debris.

Sometimes, a contractor will try to stop this by laying down a layer of filter fabric around the drain. In this case, instead of the drain clogging, the filter fabric does. Other problems, such as freezing pipes, animals in the discharge opening, and improperly sloped lines are also common.

What happens when your drainage system clogs? It will need to be excavated again. Who wants to do that again?

For a FREE waterproofing quote, call or e-mail us today!

We service the Vancouver area, including Surrey, Richmond, Burnaby, Matsqui, Powell River and nearby towns.