Step by Step Waterproofing System in Frankfort, Kentucky

Friday, December 5th, 2025 by Jack Purdon

Challenge

This foundation in Frankfort, KY, was leaking water on the frontside nearly every time it rained. This foundation had a tuck-under garage, where the garage was situated underneath the home. This type of garage is very popular for homes built on slopes, as they are able to conserve more yard space for lots located on a hillside. However, these types of basements often experience high water pressure on the front side of the home because they have a grade sloping down towards the front side of the foundation, causing water to naturally work its way down towards the foundation. This type of water pressure can often lead to structural issues, but in this case, we didn't find any. Our Inspector then put together an interior waterproofing plan for this home, which will help relieve this foundation of built up water pressure.

Solution

Our Inspector suggested fortynine linear feet of our WaterGuard subfloor drains and our SuperSump sump pump to fix the issue. Our WaterGuard subfloor drains were installed on the wall opposite of the garage door, right above the footing of the foundation to stay outside of the "mud-zone."

We use the term "mud-zone" to explain to homeowners where other contractors may propose to install their drainage systems. Often times, other contractors will install french drains from the outside or below the footing of the foundation from the inside. These types waterproofing systems are highly prone to clogging, and they are also much more invasive to install.

After hooking up our WaterGuard drains to the SmartSump sump pump, the system started discharging water immediately. We then ran another test to display to the homeowner how the system worked by spraying a hose down into the drainage system. The homeowner was very impressed, and they felt relieved. Not only was the homeowner relieved, the foundation was as well.

If you want a step-by-step explanation on how we installed our foundation waterproofing system for this tuck-under garage in Frankfort, KY, then be sure to scroll through the photos below for a clear explanation.

Step 0: This was the picture our Inspector took upon the free initial inspection. Clearly, the homeowner wasn't lying when they said the basement leaked nearly every time it rained.

Step 0: This was the picture our Inspector took upon the free initial inspection. The wall opposite of this garage door was where the basement was leaking the most. It was also leaking on the wall to the right of the garage.

Step 1: We excavated the basement floor slab around the perimeter of the problematic area to make room for our drains. We then drilled weeping holes through the blocks to invite built up water into our system. Cylinder blocks are hollow, and oftentimes, they hold a lot of water inside of them. Because of this, we made sure every block received a proper weeping hole.

Step 2: We then covered the weeping holes with our Wall-E system, (not to be confused with the movie). This vapor barrier will make sure that the weeping holes drain right into the trench.

Step 3: We then installed our WaterGuard drains by pitching them with gravel.

Step 4: We then covered the tops of the drains with a waterproof tape. This tape will prevent moisture transference from the drainage system to the concrete we poured over top, (as seen in the next photo).

Step 5: We then concealed the system with a fresh layer of concrete.

Finished Project: The backside of this garage is now waterproof. We were even able to run the drainage system past the interior wall on the left to the other room in the garage, (as seen in the previous photo).

Finished Project: We installed our SmartSump right near the garage door so we could run the discharge line right onto the sloped driveway, (just outside this wall). The discharged water will safely run down the driveway away from the home.

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Step by Step Waterproofing System in Frankfort, Kentucky

Challenge

Solution

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