Interior vs exterior - which is right for your home?
This is the most important question we answer during an inspection. Interior waterproofing is faster, cheaper, less disruptive, and solves most leak problems. Exterior is more expensive and more invasive but treats the source of the water rather than managing it after it's already through your wall.
For roughly 70% of Newmarket basement issues, interior waterproofing is the right call. For the other 30%, exterior is the better long-term answer. We will tell you honestly which one fits your situation.
What exterior waterproofing involves
The work is sequential and conditions-dependent (rain stops everything):
- Excavation. We dig a trench along the foundation wall down to the footing. Depth ranges 6-9 feet for most Newmarket homes. Spoils get piled or hauled offsite depending on lot size.
- Wall preparation. The exposed foundation wall gets cleaned of old membrane, dirt, and any failed parging. Cracks get filled. Stone or block foundations get a fresh parge coat.
- Membrane application. A new dimpled or peel-and-stick rubberized membrane is applied to the wall. Modern membranes have 30-50 year ratings if installed correctly. We use Blueskin, Delta-MS, or similar trusted products depending on your foundation.
- Drainage layer. A drainage board or filter fabric goes over the membrane to channel water down to the new weeping tile.
- Weeping tile replacement. Old clay weeping tile gets removed. New 4-inch perforated PVC pipe goes in around the footing, sloped to a discharge point or pit.
- Backfill. Clean granular fill goes back in, in compacted lifts. Final grade gets sloped away from the foundation.
When exterior is genuinely the right answer
- Your home was built before original waterproofing membranes (pre-1970s) and you want a true 30+ year fix
- You have structural concerns (bowing wall, large horizontal cracks) that need parging or pinning while the wall is exposed
- The interior side is finished and you would rather not jackhammer your basement floor
- You're already redoing exterior landscaping, decks, or driveway
- Hydrostatic pressure is severe enough that interior systems would run constantly
What it looks like in Newmarket
Single-wall exterior on a Newmarket bungalow (one bad wall, 30 linear feet, 7-foot depth): $7,000-$10,000 typical, 4-5 working days.
Full perimeter on a typical Newmarket two-story (140-180 linear feet, 8-foot depth): $20,000-$28,000, 10-14 working days, weather-dependent.
Heritage stone foundation in Old Newmarket: pricing scales with parging labour, often 25-40% more than the same dimensions on poured concrete.
