Records
Drainage project records to keep
What to save after drainage or waterproofing work.
Short answer
Drainage project records help with future maintenance, resale, warranties, and troubleshooting. Homeowners should save proposals, drawings, discharge locations, photos, invoices, warranties, and maintenance instructions.
Checklist
- Save before-and-after photos.
- Keep diagrams of buried drains.
- Record cleanout and outlet locations.
- Save warranty and maintenance terms.
Decision framework
Use this page as a planning checkpoint. The goal is to turn a vague concern into a clear next action, record trail, and professional question list.
Common homeowner questions
What evidence separates routine dampness from a drainage problem in drainage project?
Drainage project records help with future maintenance, resale, warranties, and troubleshooting. Homeowners should save proposals, drawings, discharge locations, photos, invoices, warranties, and maintenance instructions. Compare timing, location, photos, rain amount, duration, and whether water appears near foundation walls, crawlspaces, sump discharge, grading, gutters, downspouts, or paved surfaces.
Which photos make drainage project easier for a contractor to diagnose?
Use one wide photo showing rooflines, slope, downspouts, paved areas, and the house wall, then close photos of stains, ponding, erosion, cracks, drains, or discharge points with the date and rain context.
How soon after rain should I document drainage project?
Take notes during the rain if safe, again within a few hours, and once the area dries. That sequence shows whether water is flowing through, pooling briefly, or staying long enough to suggest a grading, gutter, sump, or drainage defect.
What scope details matter before paying for drainage project work?
Ask the contractor to identify the observed cause, proposed water path, materials, discharge location, exclusions, access damage, and how the repair will be checked during the first meaningful rain.
Related guides
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