Digging along a Morristown foundation to seal the outside of the wall and add drainage, when the lot and the house make it possible.
Exterior waterproofing keeps water out of the wall instead of managing it after it gets in. That appeals to Morristown owners with fine old stone or brick foundations, finished basements they do not want torn up, or one problem wall on the uphill side of the lot. The contractor excavates to the footing, cleans and repairs the wall, applies a membrane, adds drainage board and a footing drain, and backfills with stone so water has an easy path down and away. The surface is then graded so it slopes away from the house instead of back toward it.
Access is the deciding factor in much of town. Houses near downtown often sit a few feet from the property line, with a driveway on one side and a porch or walkway on the other. Mature trees, stone walls, steps, and old plantings all crowd the foundation. Before committing, ask how the excavator will reach the wall, where the soil will be stockpiled, who restores walkways and patios, and whether hand digging will be needed in tight spots. On sloped lots, also ask how the trench will be kept stable and dry if a storm rolls through mid job.
For homes in the Morristown Historic District, exterior work that changes steps, walls, or visible features may raise review questions, so check with the town early. Every excavation needs a utility markout through New Jersey One Call before digging starts. In many cases, sealing just the worst wall from outside and fixing gutters and grading on the rest of the house solves the leak at a lower cost than excavating the whole perimeter. A thorough contractor will say so when a partial job like that is a reasonable option for your house.
Sometimes, with a small excavator or hand digging, but it costs more and takes longer. Many contractors will suggest exterior work only on the walls they can reach and an interior drain for the rest.
It can be, since it lets the contractor repoint and seal the outside face while the wall is exposed. The tradeoff is cost and disruption, so compare it with an interior system before deciding.
Work that is mostly underground may not, but changes to visible features like steps, walls, or grading near the front could. Check with the Town of Morristown before work begins.
In September 2011, after Hurricane Irene and the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee, the Whippany River overflowed onto Martin Luther King Avenue, closing it between George and Spring streets.
patch.comMorristown's housing is old: about 23% of homes were built in 1939 or earlier and about half before 1970.
api.censusreporter.orgThe Whippany River runs through Morristown on its way to the Rockaway River and the Passaic basin.
en.wikipedia.orgA drain at the base of Morristown basement walls, old stone and new concrete alike, that carries seepage to a sump pump before it spreads across the floor.
Injection repairs for leaking cracks in poured Morristown foundations, plus an honest look at cracks in older block and stone walls.
Sealing the damp crawl spaces under Morristown additions, porches, and older wings to protect framing and cut down on musty air.
Pumping out, drying, and clearing damaged materials after a storm, river overflow, or sump failure in a Morristown basement.