About 24 hours after we closed on our first house, a torrential thunderstorm roared through Fairfax County. Our inspector had warned us that our below-grade basement windows might lead to a bit of ""leaking"" every few years or during a ""perfect storm."" Well, that was an understatement. We spent our first night of homeownership procuring a mop and bucket and going to work.\r
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Over the next few months, we looked into an exterior french drain but our yard didn't have enough slope. We also looked into replacing the window wells alone but that wasn't going to solve everything.\r
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Mid-Atlantic gave us a reality check: our 1955 house wasn't built to be waterproof forever. In the end, they installed a full interior perimeter drainage system with two sump pumps, window well drains, and a stairway drain. They worked with us on price, which came out lower than a competitor who offered only window wells and a dehumidifier, and helped us procure very reasonable fixed-rate financing. They completed the job early and didn't even seem to disturb our dog while they were there. \r
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A few weeks later, we were actually hit by a so-called perfect storm: Hurricane Sandy. Our back lawn looked like a pond. Water spilled over the lip of our basement stairs. Power flickered on and off. Not a drop of water entered the house itself.\r
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I highly recommend Mid Atlantic for your waterproofing needs.
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