Exterior Waterproofing

Related terms

• Footing

  The widened concrete base below a foundation wall or post that spreads the structure's load over enough soil to prevent settling. New str…

• Foundation

  The structure (slab, crawl space, or basement) that transfers the building's load to the ground. Foundation condition underlies the feasi…

• Flitch Beam

  A composite beam of steel plate sandwiched between wood members, used where a slim but very strong beam is needed.

• Expansive Soil

  Clay-rich soil that swells when wet and shrinks when dry, cyclically stressing foundations. A leading cause of foundation cracking and mo…

• Footing Drain / Drain Tile

  Perforated pipe in gravel along the footing that collects groundwater and routes it away or to a sump, relieving pressure on the foundation.

• Expansion Joint

  A deliberate separation that lets adjacent concrete or structure move with temperature and load without cracking or buckling.

• French Drain

  A gravel-filled trench with perforated pipe that redirects surface and groundwater away from the structure.

• Egress Window Well

  An excavated, retained, and drained well allowing a code-compliant egress window below grade — required to make a basement bedroom legal.