Using Concrete to Stop a Leaky Basement

If you see concrete poured around a house that’s actually touching the house itself, you can rest assured that the basement leaks or has leaked at a prior time. Those who believe the water is coming in around the top of the foundation conclude that the pouring of a concrete collar around the house (or along the wall experiencing the water intrusion) will eliminate the problem. It won’t, because the problem is not at the top but, rather at the below grade foundation wall and as far down as the footing.

The time to dig a trench to accommodate the concrete plus the cost of the concrete itself renders this a very time consuming and expensive ill conceived attempt to eliminate the water intrusion. I’ve even seen bales of straw lining an exterior wall in an attempt to absorb water before it enters the ground. While this is much cheaper than installing concrete, the result is the same…a wet basement.