Serving Bellingham
Groundwater & Basement Water Intrusion in Bellingham, WA
Basement seepage, failed sumps, and hydrostatic pressure against the foundation are extracted and dried, and the path from the ground is identified so the loss does not repeat. Groundwater and basement seepage are extracted and dried only after the path from the soil is identified — a wall, a slab, a drain, or a failed sump. Drying the interior without stopping that path returns the same water to the same floor.
Frequently asked questions
Is a curtain drain uphill of the house worth the disruption?
On a slope where water arrives through the ground rather than over it, usually yes, and it is the only intervention that treats the cause. It intercepts flow before it reaches the wall instead of relieving pressure after it arrives. The work is disruptive and the line has to run somewhere it can discharge, which on a hillside is normally achievable by gravity. Done properly it does not depend on a pump or on power.
The ground stays soft near the house all winter and nothing is obviously leaking.
That is likely the season rather than a fault. With rain arriving continuously from November onward the soil holds a high moisture content throughout, and there may be no event to find. What matters is whether that saturated ground is reaching the building. Metering the framing and the base of the wall distinguishes wet ground outside from water getting in, and they call for quite different responses.
Does anything on our property affect the slope below us?
Roof and yard water does, more than most owners expect. Discharging it toward the top of a slope adds directly to the groundwater that weakens it, and it is one of the few parts of the process within your control. Routing that water away from the crest and to a stable outfall is standard practice on hillside lots and it is genuinely effective, particularly over a wet season rather than a single storm.
The Bellingham overview carries this FAQ with the city research.