Concrete and Channel Drain installed against foundation to solve stubborn basement flooding

[@Esala888]

Great job on not talking bad on other hard working contractors. May Your business will flourish God bless!

[@GCFD]

I honestly think the other contractor had good will and thought he was helping the homeowner out. I did talk to him on the phone about his work. I tried to talk about the water as being more than he was expecting and we needed a more drastic solution. This is not correct, but I didn't want to tell him he basically made a huge mistake on his install.

[@0Tweaky0]

Landscape should get a bad review and give money back since he doesn't know what he doing and may carry on doing the same thing.

[@Aviertje]

@@GCFD Could you not have been more honest without being offensive about it? His solution would have been fine for a garden, which is what that contractor specializes in... but not for something involving a foundation and/or basement leakage.

[@justchill10]

really love watching this guy work... every different scenario and approaches every situation with common sense

[@GCFD]

Thank you! This job is one of my jewels - in that we completely solved the issue here and it's been like 2 years.

[@lilJamesSwagg]

I really hoping to see the drain in action from the rain

[@GCFD]

Yea I know. This was a somewhat early project and I didn't get the after-footage into it.

[@johnrotondaro4677]

Wow great job guys. I am a homeowner who had a similar issue with a stamped patio that was pitched toward our house due to pool elevation being higher than original yard. Patio contractor installed a 1" wide channel drain against house with an unglued joint in drain which traversed window well. Joint constantly leaked and window well filled with water and eventually rotted window frame and leaked water into basement. I replaced window, window well and cut concrete back 16" from foundation and installed a 4" NDS drain connected similarly to the method you used and picked up gutter drain and sent water out to daylight in front yard. We then stamped the concrete with a skin pattern which will be antiqued next spring to match existing patio. Didn't have quite the fall you had but nonetheless it works and no more leakage into basement. Thanks for documenting this and showing people what is involved in properly directing water away from the house and ditching that crap corrugated pipe - it should be banned, lol.

[@GCFD]

Thanks for your comment! I'm glad you got your leaking issues fixed and correctly. I'm uploading a similar video where we poured an entire patio with a channel drain for a customer and caught a few gutters along the way. It's incredible the amount of water that gushes from a proper system with proper pipes!

[@youtubeistrh4666]

I wonder how many customers send this guy holiday thank yous? I've been doing quite a bit of research on my property and this industry after a flood here an I gotta say this guy knows his water mitigation unlike others I've reviewed. Keep up the reputable work bud, you give people a lot of Peace of Mind 1 gallon at at a time

[@GCFD]

Thank you Kevin! I'm glad you enjoy my content! - Shawn

[@faeezf]

Your wisdom here instantly solved the house’s problem

[@Rubbernecker]

Damn that's some quality work there.

[@GCFD]

Haha the homeowner texted me on the year anniversary and said she's had no problems. 👍

[@phillycheesetake]

4:15 As much as I like the snail, I think a contracting business with a snail as a mascot might quickly develop a branding problem.

[@eddiemortontapman7252]

It does not surprise me that older homes develope problems with drainage, but what surprises me are some of the newer homes and structures you work on as well

[@GCFD]

I also see brand new homeowners (old or new homes) who get a major surprise after the first rain!

[@wheresmary]

You do great work and you truly care about the quality and outcome. I’ve learned a lot from watching your videos. You deserve any and all success that this channel brings.

[@b_lumenkraft]

You can see the algae up the walls of the window wells there. A clear sign of a constant wet spot.

[@GCFD]

Yep! The water tells you where it's been.

[@borderprepper]

Shawn, you do very good work.

[@GCFD]

Thank you!

[@elitelandscapeslifestories]

I’ve been learning more from each vid you post!! I installed a large “catch drain” in February, based off the video you posted, for one of my clients. It was low grade and sump pump wasn’t practical for the rental property, so hopefully the large capacity catch does the job. I’ll be switching to the pvc pipe from now on!! Thank you for your knowledge....from “the landscaper” hahahahaha!!

[@GCFD]

No problem! It's not my style to bash the work of others, especially in this case where the customer was so defeated by the flooding issues. The landscaper she hired didn't do anything dishonest, he just didn't know what he was doing in this case. Nothing wrong with that but it made things worse here.

[@dustbat]

Always a fun thing to watch you guys. Beautiful job. Going under deck was a challenge and it came out nice. Hate those basement window wells. Most I have seen were metal and had a drain in the bottom. Sure hope this works. Customers have been through a lot.🦇

[@manorin]

It would be nice to see proper crack control joints in that concrete . Lots of irregular corners in that little slab.

[@GCFD]

👍

[@felixnungaray3253]

I highly respect that you covered the landscaper and didnt bad mouth the guy. We know for a fact he messed it up and it was his fault. Too many people do jobs they have no clue, which then gives everyone else a bad name. Imagine if she never found you and got another landscape guy bad times.... At the very least you should have educated the landscaper.

[@maplenook]

Well maybe she deserves a refund from landscaper. Sometimes it feels like everyone is covering for each other and the HO is hung to dry.

[@GCFD]

I did talk to the landscaper on the phone and I hope that he learned drainage is more than burying a pipe in the ground. He had the best intentions but, like you said. I really didn't want to badmouth him, especially to the HO.

[@michealramirez1495]

Looks really slick. Cant wait to see this system in action!

[@GCFD]

Yea this was one I didn't get the after footage. The homeowner has reported 100% results. She's my best reference!

[@edithflood631]

Beautiful solid red brick houses. Face bricks. Workmanship. I’ll bet they don’t make them like that anymore.

[@GCFD]

👍

[@mannysmith1962]

I love your videos! I have a problem similar to this right outside my back door and carport. I have an oil tank inside of my house and the pipes come from within the ground for filling. The blocks were distributed and now have a little seepage coming in. I was told to dig up the foundation and seal it before I do anything else. Can I get away from doing all of that if I create this method? I live in Maryland and afraid of the concrete cracking. Have a hill as well and resolving this problem now. Just don’t want more water in my basement. Suggestion please?

[@psoulik10]

Always that one guy who just has to go bare skin on a job site😂

[@drewjohnson265]

Seeing that concrete go all the way to the top of those window wells - is it possible now that surface water will pour directly into them if the channel drain were to clog or not be able to keep up with flow? Was there any thought to setting the concrete slightly lower than the brick window well??

[@GCFD]

The concrete guys sloped it pretty hard away from the window wells. The channel can take a ton of flow since it's open on both sides with over a full bubble coming off the channel. Great Question!

[@larryehrlich57]

If a snail is your mascot...do you work at a snail's pace?

[@GCFD]

👍

[@thenexthobby]

I have a foundation wall with basement windows at ground level (no window wells.) I think there's some negative slope, and so building up that side with earth and/or concrete is appealing. But I wonder if it will help, since infiltration occurs in cracks much lower than that. In other words if you protect the surface near the foundation from water flowing straight down, how do you know if infiltration is actually starting there vs. some other way underground and simply finding a weak spot in the foundation?

[@georgezgreek]

I'm pretty sure drain pipes buried under dirt should be a minimal 12 inches deep ?

[@GCFD]

If its a sewer line yes, yard drainage has no code. I bury it so that I have fall.

i have a house foundation 4 sides 30 feet, so in total 120 feet, do i have to move the water away from the drainage pipes on every corner or can i have one long drainage pipe that goes around the house and connects in one place and then moves the water away from the foundation

[@GCFD]

You want the path of least resistance so multiple pipes might give you that.

[@Sean006]

A very understanding neighbour....makes life easier. Are local authorities worried about flooding issues in general?...with people piping storm water directly into the road doesn't that put added strain on the network downstream. An alternative would have some sort of soakaway in the front lawn to take at least some of the water into the ground (possibly too expensive)! With global warming and storm events getting more severe & more frequent this must be being discussed by city & state planners.

[@GCFD]

Here in our area we have clay subsoils so a soakaway is out of the question for stormwater. The city allows tie ins to the street even with any added burden to the system. Global warming is a huge deal and we now understand that heat drives the wind, rain, ocean current, storms, and local weather and climate, so we now call it Climate Change.

[@maplenook]

We’re in a grand solar minimum. In our dreams will it be warming.

[@Sean006]

@@maplenook I hope you are correct. I wasn't even sure what a 'grand solar minima' was, so I did a little digging and found this: "....peer-reviewed research has examined this very scenario, "On the effect of a new grand minimum of solar activity on the future climate on Earth" (Feulner & Rahmstorf 2010). What they found was even if the sun fell into a grand minimum, global temperature would be diminished by no more than 0.3°C."

[@LouieFord-t4f]

Do you ever put in clean outs?

[@GCFD]

Yes if the customer requests it. The rectangular downspout leaves enough space inserting into a round coupler for a jetter hose or snake.

[@AtomicQuotient]

Another amazing video Shawn thanks for sharing .. I recently had some basement leakage, was watching your videos long before I realized, so some of these ideas might be me out .. nothing as extreme as this, but just as annoying .. finally found what the previous owners were hiding from me, I am pretty sure they knew about it, but that is life.

[@GCFD]

Check the gutter water first. Make sure it's flowing far away from your foundation.

[@AtomicQuotient]

@@GCFDThanks Shawn, no gutters too near by and my land is pretty flat, no way I think of where to funnel water even if I could. Both times I over watered the flower bed where the issue seems to be and ground seems to be slopping towards the house or at least flatish. So right now I don't think it is necessary a gutter issue, it could be, but it only occurred when I forgot the water on in the garden bed right next to the house and saturated the garden bed. So I am avoiding this, if anything I learned not to water it or leave the water on in that bed. All your videos try get the water away from the bed (gutter principle), so this is me doing the opposite not realizing it. Also I planning to put dirt sloped at the base like I have seen in many of your videos. I am going to monitor it to see if this is just me over watering (bringing water to the base of the house) or this is problem getting worse with pressure. I live in the city which is flat and no real way to take water away to the curb and I think we have regulations around that, but something to think about. By the way I am in Victoria, Canada. Who knew your videos would help me out before I knew I had an issue of my own. One of your videos recently where the landscaper put gravel right next to the foundation wall was so valuable, just stuff regular home owners like myself would never even think of just like that guy didn't .. love watching your videos Shawn, I can watch for them hours .. something about moving water and the flow of water that us guys love.

[@Garbo4u]

nice work, Got to get those channel drains straight man I concrete them in before the pour day and peg them plus run a string line to get them straight. 👍

[@DanBurgaud]

3:35 "...landscapers are not in the drainage business..." AGREE! 4:28 is she your boss? forewoman?

[@GCFD]

Yep. I was trying not to badmouth the landscape guy. He honestly worked very hard and thought he was helping the homeowner out. Yes, that's the forewoman in charge. 👍

[@davidchristensen6908]

That’s nice but where I live you can’t outfall the water across a sidewalk. The city would come take my license away. That has to go under the sidewalk to a curb hole and if it is pumped it has to go in the gutter of the street an up through a bubbler. Bubbler is just a drain use in reverse. So if you have a 2 inch pump plane you have a 3 or 4 inch drain for the water to bubble up with no pressure. The outfall along the side of the driveway you might get away with but usually the city says once in a pipe it has to daylight in the appropriate place, city inspector seeing that will require it to go to the driveway apron and daylight there or a bubbler in the apron. Good video always see different thing in different jurisdictions.

[@GCFD]

Every time I call the city and ask permission to do something they seem to not care at all. Luckily, this project was all private property and so I worked with the property manager and the operational director to their satisfaction.

[@marcus3078]

25:06 - what do you use on the gap between the channel drain and the concrete pour as the concrete cures and pulls away from the drain channel?

[@GCFD]

Nothing. I don't have any problems with that tiny gap.

[@regun2434]

We have here french drain at almost every house and we build it so deep it keeps foundation bone dry.. So these videos are like comedy to me 🤣

[@GCFD]

Where are you located? With over 50" of rain per year, our water table is way too shallow.

[@regun2434]

@@GCFD Finland.. We have lots of water from melting snow.

[@drgoodusername]

@@regun2434 :DDDDDDDDD

[@justanfyi6013]

Great work. I would use a 22/45 combination to catch the downspouts. The 90's make the connections look torqued.

[@GCFD]

Sometimes we do in order to make things straighter.

[@williamlloyd3769]

Looking at the home it appears that it has been there for several years. Was water runoff problem new or did home owner finally get tired of water damage? Seems like plot plan was overlooked or was that not considered by code when house was built?

[@GCFD]

The problem was getting worse and worse until it was major flooding.

[@TSBOFRLM]

Question? I know you said never put gravel next to your foundation so is it ok if you put the concrete over top?

[@GCFD]

Yes! The only way it's okay to put concrete over gravel is if the edge where the dirt meets the concrete is compacted very well and slightly higher than the concrete. You don't want water getting under the concrete and into the gravel, where it will fall down.

[@spicy7109]

only thing that bothered me is why didnt you back up your trailet all the way to the gate

[@donspencer2110]

On those houses with guttering to take water from the roofs, how about suggesting the use of gutter gard to keep leaves and debris out of the guttering?

[@GCFD]

Most of these houses have gutter guard and my gutter guy often installs it for houses that don't have it.

[@Gamerz00760]

What does projects like this normally run?

[@GCFD]

👍

[@galady8632]

Well done, as always.

[@mike88g1]

Good work but most of it won’t pass inspection in California

[@GCFD]

We are in NC

[@felixnungaray3253]

Thats why california sucks glad i left.

[@mike88g1]

@@felixnungaray3253 I’m doing great here

[@maplenook]

Why not?

[@darin3683]

I love your work I wish u was in Wichita Kansas

[@GCFD]

👍

[@tracyrain4941]

Reverse dump! Love it! Who is that woman? She's funny 🤣😂🤣😊

[@GCFD]

That's Crystal!

[@martynbuzzing3327]

Why didn’t you back your truck up? ..🤔

[@GCFD]

No access in this steep back yard. It was a huuuge amount of work!

[@musclesmouse]

leaves are the bane of good drainage

[@GCFD]

Indeed. That's one reason I try to keep as much flow as possible to help move them out.

[@ericlapointe1150]

Ive watched many but not all of your videos and i have a question or two that i haven't heard you address yet but i may have missed them...... You dont like black corrugated which i agree for the same reasons as youve talked about..... But why dont you like to use a dirt fabric betweeen the dirt and grey stone to prevent hydrolock? And why not use pvc white drainage pipe with holes to help pick up ground water along the way, in French drains, or other practical areas? Not being wise here, I'm just curious. Maybe location or soil differences?

[@GCFD]

I don't use fabric because it clogs easily. It is maybe 1mm thick. I use several inches of gravel instead to preserve the flow. In this instance we didn't want any subsurface water, and there shouldn't be any at all. This system has solved her flooding issues for over a year now. 👍

[@darrellrousu1390]

But why would drain that right over the sidewalk

[@GCFD]

No curb for access to the street.

[@christiandior8890]

great work as always!

[@GCFD]

Thank you!

[@matthewwindisch9449]

Nice work.

[@GCFD]

Thank you!

[@robertlerner5306]

Nice job, any reason why you would not use ACO branded channel drains?

[@GCFD]

I get the NDS locally is the only reason.

[@mathusvaiaoga9787]

We’re over here helping a homeowner fix her drainage problem Owner: “Hey look, I found a snail”

[@GCFD]

Haha

[@KevinWta]

3:45 it sounds like he's saying, it's the customers fault for hiring the landscaper.

[@GCFD]

Not at all. Landscapers often list drainage as one of their services.

[@KevinWta]

So it's not the landscapers fault it's not the customers fault then it's nobody's fault?

[@anthonyfindlay466]

Hey Shawn you need a mini dumper possibly one with the high tip.

[@GCFD]

Anthony Findlay yes! I’m currently looking for a tracked concrete buggy or similar. What would you recommend?

[@anthonyfindlay466]

@@GCFD HOC HONDA high tip track dumper loader check it out.

[@GCFD]

@@anthonyfindlay466That's like the concrete buggy I've been looking at but it dumps way higher. I soo could have used one of those on this project! The demo was very time consuming! Thank you for sharing and don't be surprised if you see one in a future video!

[@michaelpiecuch7313]

Your channel drain looks like it is one full length but you had pvc pipe draining from both ends? How did you get the full bubble lol to drain both ways? Love your videos and work! A lot of work just to reply to all. Thank You!!!

[@mikecustenborder3991]

Question, no rocks or wrap for this system? Why is this installed this way?

[@GCFD]

Rocks as in a french drain? We wanted a waterproof barrier against the house and a FD takes the later lower in the trench. We wanted to keep the water high.

[@lkhan6204]

U guys do job in Richmond California ?

[@kotk05]

He's in NC

[@chrise9877]

what did you use to cover the drain before the concrete pour?

[@GCFD]

Hi Chris - I just use gorilla or duct tape. Using high quality tape makes removing it much easier.

[@mandobizar]

Can you explain why you didn’t add gravel? I’m been watching your videos and I always see you add gravel 🤔

[@MajorMajorx2]

Oh man no rain action? What a tease :(

[@GCFD]

Yea I didn't get back out there. The homeowner has reported 100% results and the drain in the garage that always had a trickle is dry!

[@BenNewman1776]

I liked when you showed the mouse :)

[@GCFD]

👍

[@lawrencewheeler8868]

Was it surface or subsurface water flooding basement?

[@GCFD]

Surface. I did some test digging to make sure there wasn't subsurface water and I didn't see any. This customer has seen 100% results and the walk-out garage that used to have a tiny trickle into a floor drain doesn't trickle anymore.

[@toosavvy3504]

I have watched you working and love 'a full bubble!' for the fall :

[@GCFD]

Thanks for commenting! I think that might be my catch phrase...Full bubble!

[@Aviertje]

The origin of the famous catch phrase is this comment?

[@GlobalistJuice]

Gravity is your friend! 👍

[@GCFD]

Yep!

[@jinshuoli3035]

Hi Sir, I have been watching so many of your videos, I have exactly same problem with this owner. While I asked my local plumber to install this channel drain and concrete path like you did, he said it won’t work as underground water will still coming from bottom of the house and said only solution is I need to dig all the way down to the footer and waterproof the wall then build a drain below the footer. This would cost me approx. 40k. Could you give me some advise please?

[@GCFD]

If you have a high water table that pipe might work. Here, we have clay suboils, which don't percolate well. I monitored this situation and tried to verify that it was surface water that was holding against the foundation and seeping into the basement. If it's surface water this solution will work. Wait until after a rain and find some standing water around your house. Dig down a little ways right at the standing water. If you hit dry soil under the standing water, then it means you have impermeable subsoils and the surface water only slowly percolates through. In other words, digging a pipe 8' down will likely never see a drop of water.

[@markstevens6682]

Shawn, I've watch so many of you videos so I feel I should be on your payroll....LOL After this video my back was even hurting...lol

[@GCFD]

Thanks for all your comments and your support Mark! This was a tough project but we achieved 100% results for the H.O. Worth it. 👍

[@zaax]

In ten years time what will the tree root ingress be?

[@GCFD]

It should be less than was there because there is no longer water hanging next to the foundation.

[@charliemiksch7299]

What cost did this run the homeowner?

[@GCFD]

👍

[@jasonwhite8529]

the ground should drop 1 inch for every 1 foot that you move away from the house for the first 5-to-10 feet around your house. I know this is not what is possible. But over the next 2-3 years people don't pay attention to leaves that are fell in the fall especially under the deck is a problem

[@GCFD]

👍

[@malikto1]

I'm not a fan of dumping water on the sidewalk. It freezes in my area and that creates a big patch of dangerous ice in the winter. Much prefer to tunnel under the sidewalk and discharge next to the curb.

[@GCFD]

We prefer to do that as well, but the tree roots made that impractical. Luckily we don't get much freezing temps here.

[@malikto1]

@@GCFD I hate tree roots. The bane of many a project in the past.

[@ericnewton5720]

Imagine a homeowner completely trusting a guy who plants foliage for drainage. That’s like a handyman doing electrician work. Im betting the French drain as originally installed, was making things a lot worse

[@GCFD]

Yes it was making things horribly worse!

[@garyh4458]

4:37 she is at the beach or somewhere

[@GCFD]

Gary - I give her a hard time about that clip ALL the time. She was playing on her watch and keeping an eye on me....When I started coming back, she got back to work! (:

[@dosam_6146]

@@GCFD Haha I saw that! Made me laugh.

[@jimsilverdale205]

One thing you are consistent, elbow crooked on the downspout's and ugly white pipe in the outfalls

[@pr3stn]

Will you come to Raleigh lol (my wife and i hav been on a 2 day binge of your vids)

[@GCFD]

Raleigh is outside of my service area. You can text me some pictures and I can try to help...

[@pr3stn]

@@GCFD After the next rain i will. thanks

[@MrAmez666]

5:21 best part

[@HappilyHomicidalHooligan]

Another problem I see with the Landscaper's 'French Drain' is he has WAY to much dirt mixed into his gravel... Dirt clogs gravel blocking water flow...

[@GCFD]

Yea for sure. That FD made things much worse within a week!

[@iansmartel5473]

Okay, why have a basement with out tanking it?

[@GCFD]

This homeowner has a drain in the garage side of the basement and she said there was always a tiny trickle into it. Within the last couple years there has been more and more water in the garage side until the finished side started flooding. That's when she hired the landscaper with the gravel all the way against the house. Within a week she had a major flood in the finished side and that's when she contacted me. I hear the same story over and over that things were never a problem until recently. Climate change is a major driver I think.

[@iansmartel5473]

@@GCFD State building regulations.

[@briangorton5790]

Till the second half 🤩

[@weejohnbb]

But no rain event happy ending!

[@GCFD]

👍

[@ericnewton5720]

24:30 neighbor already drove over the outfall. *crunch* ...whoopsies!

[@GCFD]

👍

[@MarioIArguello]

I use to live in a home that had similar windows sunken in the ground. Seems counterproductive to build a home with the windows sunken into the ground. I do not think "all" homes were built that way but over the years, better yet centuries, they got sunken with excess dirt that the ground rose up in buildup and became the new ground level. Interestingly, this brings to mind a topic I heard a while back. Has anyone heard of a reset in history where apparently there was a global mud flood? Ok sounds a bit crazy, but considering that many buildings, mostly located in downtown areas of mayor cities, like New York, Phili, and Chicago have also sunken windows (half windows below ground level and half above )that don't seem to make sense from an architectural build standpoint, It is hard let go of that possibility easily , if you are a critical thinker, that perhaps they were forced underground intentionally or unintentionally, thus the term "basement", and perhaps this gave rise to some modern homes built purposely with basements. BTW, there are videos out there of buildings that were dug out deep and found they had other levels under ground. On the same token, this brings to mind an old encyclopedia I use to read where they showed a photo of the pyramids dug up deep to reveal a lot more than what more modern historical books want to reveal. Interestingly that photo is no longer in circulation and neither is that encyclopedia , perhaps there is a video of it by someone who remembers it, apparently that digging of the pyramids revealed a bit too much for the public view they "cover up" it. Try to get any private archeological organization to "dig up dirt" pun intended, on the pyramids and people have found resistance from doing so. The same happens at the "antartic circle" and many other places considered historical landmarks. We live in an interesting playground.

[@GCFD]

Those windows are for basement living quarters and are deep like that so you can escape from the house. They are called egress windows. 👍

[@MarioIArguello]

@@GCFD Yes, on some, makes sense, but there are many buildings that have half windows fully sunken into earth, I've been to many commercial buildings in the east coast that had this odd detail from inside half of full windows sunken into ground and filled with bricks.

[@SlackerU]

10/10, 25:14 I don't think it could have been done better.

[@GCFD]

Thanks Bob! This project definitely kicked our butts. Lots of trips over there, lots of equipment and parts of the job, didn't charge enough. BUT, the customer was great to work with and the goal was solving the basement flooding problem. So overall, it was a win!

[@bcwindowcleaning7360]

Thats how I've grown my business under bid but did the work anyways. Most always they've returned 10 fold what I lost under bidding in referrals or other work.

[@dumptruckintruthduke]

9:30 well, you've got to try different camera angles to find out what works and what doesn't. This one didn't lol.

[@GCFD]

I actually liked that angle. I call it Wheel Barrow first person!

[@jonjacob1962]

I don't see that concrete lasting more than 15 years before it's all cracked up... They didn't put a bit of rebar in it...

[@GCFD]

No one used rebar here in this part of NC. We do occasionally see it when tearing out old concrete.

[@arnoldromppai5395]

when a basement flood putting in a french drain an concreting over the top, not going to fix it, you have to dig down to the footings, in stall new drain tile at the base of the footings and cover with 3/4" washed crashed rock, power wash the walls seal with 2 coats of foundation sealer and roll out a rubber foundation membrane that sticks to the sealer, stick on 1" rigid foam, back fill with sand and seal off the top with a good clay or road gravel that packs hard and has enough top soil in it to seal.. all the foundation drain tile hooks into your sump hole and is pumped out to the street. we get over 7 to 10 feet of snow every winter and easy 100 inchs of rain spring, summer and fall. putting concrete out a few feet with a channel drain sure will take water close to the house away but the ground water is high all over and it will run under your patch and into the basement..

[@GCFD]

Ours was all surface water. If we had subsurface water I would agree with you. Here we spent a lot of time assessing the problem and achieved 100% success. Thanks for sharing!

[@oror3837]

Why will anybody put two wheels on a wheelbarrow,, crazy 😦😦😦

[@GCFD]

OMG those barrows are amazing! Finally a product they got right. Definitely give them a try- they are a game changer.

[@david-breitenfeld]

@@GCFD a bigger game changer are those battery operated two wheel barrows that can run for 12 hrs on a single charge. I learned this from another KZbin channel contractor who was not too keen on the idea till he saw someone using it to haul rocks up a hill, or over a septic area that he could not use his heavy machinery. He now was three and uses them all the time and he said that now he can bid other and more work because of them. Just a thought. He was showing his Power Assist Lawn & Garden Self Propelled Rechargeable Electric Drive System Wheelbarrow Cart with 2 Front Wheels

[@Aussiem8e]

With that water leaking onto the sidewalk, its going to grow moss and be slippery.

[@GCFD]

I have been by there recently and I haven't seen what you are stating would happen.

[@Aussiem8e]

@@GCFD that's great then Sean, I guess it depends on how often it rains and how warm it is.

[@georgefitter7656]

I'd hate having the homeowner working the site with me. Daily updates are enough.

[@GCFD]

I like having the homeowner right there. They get to see that things are correct and see what they are paying for.

[@maplenook]

Yikes. I’ve learned the hard way never leave a worker alone!

[@weejohnbb]

"the home owner couldn't understand why I was telling her the opposite of what the landscaper was saying"... basement floods 1 week after landscaper finishes job. Gate City Foundation Drainage finally gets the chance to do the job right. It sucks the home owner had to pay twice but I'm sure she learned a valuable lesson.

[@GCFD]

After I looked at the job she called me to clean the drain in her garage. She said the plumber came out and said it couldn't be done and he left. I showed up with my gf and she started talking with the homeowner. Five minutes later I was loading the cleanout machine back in the van and they came back to the drain. The hose was blasting into the now-freely-running drain and the homeowner was very impressed. So the fact that I was saying the opposite of the landscaper and plumber gave her a lot more confidence in me. If I ever need a reference I give them her number!

[@weejohnbb]

@@GCFD that's the way to do it, even if you don't get paid much if any for the drain clean, the word of mouth will spread like wild fire. Next you'll be doing her electrical, hahaha.

[@paultwentyone1921]

Not too impressed with the end of the out falls? I think they could have been better finished…The rest of the job was pretty good….

[@GCFD]

I completely agree. the sidewalk was way too thin to core under with a 4" pipe and the enormous maple tree was right there! the outfalls look terrible. BUT this homeowner texted me on the 1 year anniversary thanking me and reporting 100% success.

[@ovidiuciuparu6421]

So let me make sure I understand. 0 drainage around the house and the homeowner is complaining that his basement is flooding? Did i miss something?

[@GCFD]

The basement is finished and there was water pouring through the window wells and through the wall at the floor. The homeowner was also getting conflicting advice from the landscaper, the plumber, and me. She chose to go with me and things have been dry ever since.

[@wee3149]

Was thinking the same thing.My problems are caused by concrete poured up to the side of house.

[@dosam_6146]

@@wee3149 How did the concrete cause drainage problems? Was it graded toward your house?

[@obviousness8113]

With regard to the landscaper, I'm sure he was trying to help but you also have to realize when a job is outside of your scope, or beyond your ability. I'm a professional and I do some things very well. But there are hundreds of things I know to call someone else in for.

[@GCFD]

I agree Rich. I tried really hard not to talk badly about him to the homeowner. I kept saying he's not a drainage guy, like you said.

[@franciscoroman9927]

No rebar? No welded wire mesh? No expansion joints? Those concrete guys just finished pounding some Coronas for lunch! I bet you they were at least 1 hour late 😂😂😂. Good video though

[@kreativelykinya]

I can feel her anxiety.

[@GCFD]

👍

[@thicccrusade2302]

Virgin landscaper got told by chad foundation drainage specialist.

[@GCFD]

Kind of, yea. I don’t like badmouthing others especially because the HO said he really was trying to help her situation and he worked really hard at the FD. I try to speak in terms of moving forward with those situations instead of making the HO feel worse.

[@larryehrlich57]

Her snail is known for moving very slowly. Do you want to be known to work at a snail's pace??? That doesn't sound like it conveys your work ethic in a very positive light???

[@GCFD]

She admires fellow Earthlings much like I do.

[@HappilyHomicidalHooligan]

In high-speed, the concrete guys sound like Daleks...

[@GCFD]

👍

[@mikejames663]

How are you allowed to just egress the water at a convenient place for "YOU" to put an outfall.

[@GCFD]

Here in NC the streets are part of the stormwater drainage system. We have so much water here that they can handle a large volume. Every time I call the city about a curb, drainage basin, culvert, sidewalk, or existing outfall, they never care. Definitely check with your city as different municipalities are different in their regulations.

[@mikejames663]

@@GCFD Thank you, fair enough, as long as it complies.

[@heresmytake2782]

wwow what a mess

[@GCFD]

For sure! Access was lacking for this job too.

[@l.g.a.8930]

I thought you supposed to put in the gravel on top of where the pvc pipes were installed in the lawn and not just around the foundation where the basement windows are and I just found that the dirt was put on top on the pvc pipes in the lawn and there is not any geo fabric to be put on top because the dirt remains and small particles will get into the pvc pipes from the holes and clog up the pipes. So it just starts does not make sense. What happened to all the previous videos with all the precaution to put geo fabric and prevention of dirt or big remains getting into the pvc pipes and? So.. this is so contradictory at what you taught us earlier from earlier videos.

[@SamCanada1]

👍

[@berg8970]

I don't know if this area gets snow and ice but if it does you just created a potential lawsuit for the home owner as well as yourself. The drain should never discharge water over a sidewalk or driveway, common sense should have prevailed here.

[@GCFD]

We are in NC and very rarely get snow or ice. When they even call for it everything shuts down the night before.

[@felixnungaray3253]

How would this be any different then from a driveway pitched to the street. That would be a hard lawsuit. I live in ohio and we freeze all the time. So some one falling because they slipped is a hard suit. But i guess if uou have money to burn you could sue someone for anuthing.