I recently had some landscaping done to improve drainage around my old New England house, which has never had gutters due to its slate roof. The work included adding window wells and regrading the soil to create a slope away from the foundation. This was then covered with thick plastic before adding a layer of river rock to prevent erosion. However, after a rainstorm, I'm noticing a leak on the south side of my basement, which is concerning because this area usually only leaks during heavy downpours, not regular rain. I've read that having plastic under the rock can be problematic. If the slope is right and the plastic is on top, why would this be causing water to pool near the foundation instead of draining away? I'm planning to contact the landscapers once the rain stops, but I'm looking for any advice in the meantime.
2 Answers
I've seen similar situations happen, and it usually goes back to whether the layer under the rocks allows for drainage. If there’s insufficient grading away from the house, the water can’t flow down as intended. You might need to check how far the grading extends from your foundation—ideally, it should be more than just a couple of feet. If that’s correct, then removing the rocks and replacing the plastic with a proper drainage cloth could help redirect that water away.
It sounds like there might have been a mix-up with the materials. If they used plastic instead of a drainage fabric, that could certainly trap water instead of letting it filter through. As the soil settles, it might be forming a low point near your foundation, which would explain the leak. You might want to consider options like installing a sump pump or weeping tile later. But first, you can talk to your landscapers about pulling up the plastic and redoing the setup because that might resolve the issue without needing extensive drainage work.