I have a friend in need. Water seeps in her basement thru the walls and at times like this she has water running down the walls and across the floor to a drain. Can anyone recommend a contractor who can put in some type of control like ducts around the edge leading to a central drain, etc?

A coworker just had that done and it wasn't cheep I think he said $15,000

I'll ask him what the name of the Co. was.

Is it past the point of using DryLock or something similar on the walls?

Masters(?) out at the Bowman Business Park. I think they're a subsidiary of B-Dry basement water proofing. Some of the consumer's magazines have rated the B-Dry franchises as some of the most reputable.

There are a lot of unscrupulous businesses in the basement water proofing business, be careful.

here they are:

Phone: 1-888-400-2379
Address: 10210 Governor Lane Blvd
Suite 2008 B
Williamsport, MD 21795

They're next to Curves right down from the Harley Davidson dealer.

They're not inexpensive. I was looking to put in a back-up sump pump (battery powered in case of electrical outage), and they wanted somewhere around $2,500 I think. I didn't have it done. I can buy an emergency generator a lot cheaper.

B-Dry's Website

Also, did they check the obvious things like gutter locations and ground slope? I only ask because my nanny was getting ready to have the whole front of her house dug up to have the block sealed (or something like that), only to realize at the last minute that a contractor who'd done work on the windows the previous month disconnected a gutter extension that was in the way and didn't re-hook it. The water was running straight down the side of the house in to the ground.

I agree with Sman, always check the easy things first.

Sman
You're correct. Check first around the house and watch carefully where the marks of the water is coming from the downspout's. My folks live out on south mountain and we had to fix the spouting and also put in a trench along the back side of the house guiding the water away into the side yard which takes it on a down hill slope. Then on the inside of the house we painted a thick sealer type stuff up the block walls don't remember where we got it I think it was at Lowe's when Lowe's was in the old building across from where they are now. It's been that long ago. But they've had no water come in since then. Hope you get it fixed.

My basement actually has a cistern. It can take about 12 feet of water before the basement floods. It is hard to believe that people actually used to (ugh....gasp...) USE water caught in the cistern in the basement back in the 1800's, when my house was built! Maybe I can find a way to water plants with it..........................

You have a nannny?

Wow!

Is there an emoticon for the green-eyed monster?

Nanny with a capital N, like a grandmother, not the live-in babysitter type of nanny.

We thought the Nanny was hired to keep you in line, Sman! ♫♪♫♪♫

Darn, and here I thought we had a rich yuppie in our midst.

Thanks, all.

Yep, drainage issues looked at already. It is a long-standing thing. I'm thinking of a "gutter" around the inside edge of the basement leading to a drain to keep the floor dry. I think it is too much for DryLock which was tried.

Of course the ultimate is dig up the dirt, expose the exterior concrete walls, put in good drainage pipe and seal the walls. But $$$$$$$$!!!!

Snoopy, read the info/FAQ on the B-Dry website I posted the link to, they don't dig. Something, among all the other options, to consider.

or a goat...

Hopefully you dont get an issue like I have. The ground here does not allow for fast draining in heavy rains. I still have water laying in my back yard. My issue is the water comes up from underneath the ground. Usually just filling the sump pump hole but in storms like Saturday it comes in faster then I can pump it.