Homes in Michigan are suspect of flooding at the end of winter and into spring. During this period, the air temperature will begin to rise but the ground temperature can remain cold and frozen. When there is excessive snow melting or rainfall, the ground is unable to absorb the moisture and water begins to collect in pools against home foundations and in backyards. When this happens, the results can be disastrous as the water can work its way into basements through cracks in the foundation, windows, and doorways. When flooding happens in your backyard, your grass will begin to suffocate since it cannot get the CO2 that it needs to survive. During warmer months when the temperature is above 80 degrees Fahrenheit, turf has an even greater chance of dying off and at most fast rates.
Although proper draining can help direct excess amounts of water away from your house and lawn, sometimes frozen ground and heavy rain can be too much for even the best drainage systems. That is why it is important to protect your home with proper waterproofing. Our waterproofing experts can help you save money by preventing costly leaks.
A French Drain is a gravel-filled ditch that has a perforated PVC pipe that helps move excess water away from a house or backyard. Installing a French Drain around a home is easier and cheaper to complete while the house is being built since the foundation is already exposed and you do not need to dig around utilities, patios, and decks. However, if trying to alleviate a leaky basement, you may need to dig quite a ways down to access your foundation’s footing and where water collects. It is recommended that you hire a professional drainage expert like Sir William Gardens to perform work located so close to your home to ensure no damage is done to your property.
A home’s foundation endures decades of stress caused by weight, fluctuating weather conditions, and environmental effects, which can cause cracks. Although the foundation may be structurally sound, it can still be susceptible to leaks. Fortunately, minor cracks in the foundation can easily be sealed by one of our professionals and can help keep your basement dry.
When foundations are created, builders will use heavy metal tie rods to keep foundation forms from bulging under the heavyweight of the wet concrete. These tie rods are passed through the concrete forms and then wet cement is poured over them. When the cement hardens, the tie rods are pulled out and holes remain. The contractors will fill and patch the holes with hydraulic cement or other adequate material. After many years of freezing, thawing, and ground expansion and contracting, these patches can begin to wear, break down, and crack themselves, resulting in leaks. Similar to crack repairs, one of our experts can repair those trouble areas and keep moisture and mold out of your basement.
Sometimes the easiest solution for keeping your basement dry is to install a sump pump in your basement that can move water away from your drain tile and your home’s foundation. A sump pump can also act as a backup in case flooding occurs when you are not home for long periods of time (i.e. vacation homes).
Sir Williams Gardens, Drainage and Waterproofing Solutions works with the true root causes of water leaking into a basement or crawl space. Our drainage solutions are engineered and designed to correct exterior conditions which lead to water leakage.
Working to correct exterior outside reasons that lead to hydrostatic pressure are caused by water standing around the foundation and saturating the soil. Our Drainage Solutions and Waterproofing work to eliminate Hydrostatic Pressure by correcting exterior water causes like water standing around your foundation. In the majority of all homes, correcting exterior water issues resulted in eliminating Hydrostatic Pressure and never needed a French Drain in the first place. In all of the 25 homes my family owned for over 40 years, we always addressed water issues from the outside and then addressed Rod Holes and cracks with simple solutions. No expensive French Drains or high-pressure polyurethane was ever required. Not even in my current two homes. I invite everyone to experience the difference with Sir Williams Gardens Drainage Solutions and Waterproofing.
Other Waterproofing systems only deal with water after it has leaked into the basement or crawl space. Those systems need the Basement cement floor jackhammered through to install a tiny box collection system or digging trenches in a crawl space where some of the water is guided into the sump pump pit and is pumped out through a discharge line just several feet away from the house.
Most of these systems never handle all the water and in some cases cause more water to leak in. Some systems even try to cover the wall hiding the water leaking into their small channel box systems that have barely enough cement to cover them up, cracking after a while and allowing water to seek up through the cement, flooding the basement. They created a higher humidity level, needing an expensive de-humidifier to eliminate the humidity levels in the basement.
At Sir Williams, we believe that the exterior causes of water leakage must be addressed first. In the majority of homes and businesses, when the exterior causes are addressed properly, water leakage is eliminated with no need for an interior French Drain.
Sir William did a great job. He installed French drains from our gutters, installed pavers and he water proofed our basement. He communicated very well and was reasonably priced. Our property looks fantastic!
After another company unsuccessfully tried fix our neighborhood common area drainage problem, Bill & his team not only fixed the problem but also provided pictures of the work in progress along the way. Bill (owner) is very professional & knowledgeable in drainage issues & his team did a great job in cleaning up the work area & planting seed to where they were working. I highly recommend Sir William's Gardens & look forward to working with Bill on future landscaping projects.
As he had done for the front of my house several years ago, Bill and his crew came back to help improve the drainage around my garage. The gutters were doing their job but not putting the water far enough from the two walls near them. During heavy rains, one wall would get damp and I didn't like that. trench and drains installed will channel the water away from the walls and down the hill toward the road. This group is prompt and communicated well with me before and during the job.
Bill came to discuss a solution to our backyard drainage problem. (He brings a wealth of knowledge and stands out as he really listens to the homeowners and comes to a mutual decision using his years of experience. The other bonus is that you are dealing directly with the owner. Bill communicated promptly and professionally. His crew did an outstanding job and Bill continues to teach them additional skills during the project. We would highly recommend. One year later and the drain is working great! No standing water anywhere even during the heaviest of rainfalls. Just thought I would add an update since the system is working so well.
I hired sir Williams gardens for a drainage project. I had approximately 220 feet of schedule 40 pvc that I wanted hooked up to my downspouts. Sir Williams gardens worked with me on my design. The advantage I found with sir Williams gardens was that I could get involved as much or little as I wanted. I was hands on during the entire project. I dug part of the trenches needed with a trencher (had to manually redo much of that) as well as used a backhoe. Sir Williams uses manual labor and you pay a set fee per person per day. Payable in full each day. The productivity is dependent on the guys you get. There was a slight issue with the work crew one day. Bill and I discussed the issue and he immediately addressed the issue. The project took approximately 3 days. Bill is flexible from a work and schedule perspective.
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