Basement waterproofing in Amherst

Amherst sits on the edge of the Tantramar Marshes, and that setting shapes every drainage question in the area.

The marshes are reclaimed tidal land, protected by a dyke system that has been maintained since the Acadian period. The ground is heavy marine clay with a naturally high water table, and clay of this type is close to the worst case for a foundation: it drains extremely slowly, it holds water against the wall for extended periods, and it swells and shrinks significantly with moisture content. That seasonal movement puts real cycling stress on foundation walls, and it is why Amherst sees more progressive crack widening than most of the province.

High water tables mean hydrostatic pressure under slabs is common, which shows up as water at the floor-wall joint rather than running down a wall. Interior perimeter drainage with genuine pumping capacity is usually the appropriate system.

Amherst’s older core has substantial nineteenth-century housing stock on stone foundations, requiring the repointing-and-drainage approach rather than injection. Cumberland County’s rural properties are almost all on well and septic, which affects where a discharge can be routed.

We serve Amherst, Springhill, Oxford, Parrsboro and the surrounding Cumberland communities on scheduled routing.