Perimeter Drains

Vancouver Island gets a lot of rain. A LOT. Every house needs a way to get water away from the foundation, and a lot of older homes on the island have drainage systems that have quit working — crushed pipe, silted up, or just old enough that they've outlived their original install. That's where we come in.

What We Handle

• Full perimeter drain replacements (older homes)
• New perimeter drain installs for new builds
• French drains across yards and driveways
• Foundation waterproofing and membrane work
• Sump pump installation and connection
• Surface drainage — fixing pooling yards and soggy spots
• Drainage troubleshooting on systems that aren't working

How a Perimeter Drain Replacement Goes

1. Figure Out What's Going On

Wet basement? Pooling yard? Water in the crawlspace? We walk the property, check the grading, and figure out what the actual problem is. Sometimes it's the perimeter drain, sometimes it's surface water that needs to be redirected, sometimes it's both. The fix has to match the problem.

2. Dig, Replace, Waterproof

For a perimeter drain replacement, we excavate around the foundation down to the footing, rip out the old pipe, waterproof the foundation wall, install new perforated pipe in drainage rock, wrap the whole thing in filter fabric, and run it to a proper outlet.

3. Backfill and Restore

Backfill in lifts, re-grade the surface so water runs AWAY from the house, restore landscape where we can. Before we leave, we make sure the system is pulling water the way it should.

The Signs Your Drain Is Done

You'll usually notice something before it gets bad — damp spots in the basement, water stains on the foundation wall, a musty smell, the soil along the foundation staying wet for days after rain. If your house is more than 25-30 years old and the drain has never been replaced, there's a real chance it's not working the way it was designed to. Worth looking at before it becomes a foundation problem.