A town built in a creek valley
In Austell, basement water usually comes up from below.
The Mableton weather station, three or four miles east, averages a little over 56 inches of rain a year, and in Austell much of that water drains into one valley. Sweetwater Creek runs through town and Olley Creek joins it nearby. The city has said the 2009 flood came from five major streams overflowing at once. Near downtown, Altavista terrace soil keeps a seasonal water table about two feet down, and Toccoa floodplain soil along the creek holds it a little under four. In a basement on that ground, the water often arrives through the floor rather than the walls.
Ground level
How high the lot sits above the creek, how the yard drains, and where gutters and downspouts empty.
Wall base
Water at the seam where wall meets slab, damp block, white residue and any old flood line on the wall.
Slab and pit
Water coming up through cracks in the floor, and how often an existing sump has to run.
Signs an Austell basement is taking on water.
On the creek terraces, Austell basements mostly fight groundwater. On the hills, it is runoff. The four signs below tell us which one we are looking at.
Water through the floor
White crust low on the wall
A sump that runs all winter
A smell that dates to 2009
See one of these? Finding where the water starts is our first step.
How we diagnose basement water in Austell.
A lot of waterproofing companies show up to sell you the most expensive system they install. We show up to figure out how water is actually getting into your basement first, then prescribe the system that stops it, and tell you straight, even when the answer is "you don't need as much as you were told."
Diagnose
A free in-home inspection by someone who does this work. We trace where the water is coming from, inside and around the home, and walk you through what's actually driving it.
Prescribe
The right waterproofing system for how water is getting in, not the priciest package. A plain-English explanation and a fair price in writing. You decide on your own time.
Treat
Dependable work by our own local crew, on time, cleaned up after themselves. We keep you in the loop until the basement is dry and we have walked the finished job with you.
A lot of companies sell you a system. We diagnose first, then prescribe only what your basement actually needs to stay dry. That's the difference between an honest local team and a sales quota from out of town.
Basement waterproofing methods for Austell's creek valley.
A basement on the creek terraces fighting the water table needs a different plan from one on the hills taking runoff. We pick from these four methods and prescribe only what your Austell basement needs.
Interior Drainage
A drain channel set into the floor along the inside of the walls relieves the water pressing up under the slab and at the wall seam, and sends it to a sump.
Best for: groundwater at the wall-floor seam.
Sump Pump Systems
The pit collects the drain water and the pump lifts it out and away. A battery backup keeps it running through the storms that knock out power, which are the storms that raise the creek.
Best for: Altavista and Toccoa ground near Sweetwater Creek.
Wall Vapor Barrier
A sealed liner over damp block or concrete keeps wall moisture and musty air out of the basement and directs any seepage down into the drain.
Best for: damp walls and a lingering musty smell.
Grading & Downspout Fixes
On the hillside lots around town, regrading the soil and extending downspouts keeps roof water from soaking the ground right beside the wall.
Best for: hill homes that leak after heavy rain only.
Water does not stop at the basement wall.
Ground that stays wet in Austell's creek valley can reach more than the basement. If the diagnosis finds damage to the foundation or the floors above, one team handles it all.
Foundation Repair
Crawl Space Encapsulation
Sagging Floor Repair
Floor Rebuilds
Leak and something else? We will tell you which is which.
In their own words.
Austell basement waterproofing FAQ.
Find out where the water in your Austell basement comes from.
We will trace it for free, from the yard to the slab, explain what stops it and put a fair price in writing. If the city's flood map or a downspout explains it, we will tell you that first.