I’m trying to understand the logic behind different waterproofing methods before I start talking to contractors. From what I’ve read, there are two completely different schools of thought when it comes to keeping a basement dry.
The first is exterior waterproofing, which means digging up the dirt all around the outside of your house, sealing the foundation walls from the outside, and installing a perimeter drain. This makes the most sense to me because it stops the water before it enters your home. But the excavation cost is astronomical.
The second is interior waterproofing, where they let the water seep through your walls, catch it in an interior trench, and pump it out with a sump pump. This is way cheaper, but aren’t you still technically letting your foundation walls stay wet and degrade over time?
I’d love to get some opinions from people who have done either method. Did you go the cheap route with an interior system, or bite the bullet for the full exterior excavation?