Drainage assessments, expert reports and water problems

A neighbour raised their lot, a new building changed the slopes, a neighbouring parking lot drains toward your property: when water arrives from outside, you need to understand where it comes from, which way it travels and what changed. Grade surveys on both sides of the property line make it possible to document it.

A slope toward the house, a low point with no outlet or a settled lot is enough to cause ponding or infiltration. We compare the measured grades with the grades needed for water to move away from the building. See also site grading plans and layout.

Pavers or paving laid with a reverse slope send water toward the building instead of away from it. Measuring the actual slopes makes it possible to compare what was built with what it should have been, and to ground the discussion with the contractor on a technical basis.

Basement infiltration, sewer backup, catch basin overflow or ponding after heavy rain: these symptoms can have several causes, sometimes combined. We separate what comes from grading, foundation drainage, collection structures or water coming from outside the property.

An expert assessment rests on measurements. We coordinate the field and topographic surveys needed to identify the probable cause of the problem on a verifiable basis.

The engineer’s report presents the probable cause of the problem, the findings that support it and the recommended corrective work. It can be used to discuss the matter with a neighbour or a contractor, to support a claim, or to document a file for an insurer or a lawyer.

For homeowners, see also solutions to residential water and drainage problems.