We help Ottawa homeowners find local waterproofing contractors, understand what the work costs according to published pricing, and know what Ontario's Building Code and the City expect before anyone digs.
Water in a basement raises questions fast. Ontario's Building Code separates dampproofing, the default on a below-grade foundation wall, from waterproofing, which it requires where hydrostatic pressure occurs. It sets minimums for the drain tile at the bottom of the wall, for sump pits and for window wells. The City of Ottawa lists some of this work as exempt from a building permit and some as permit work. These are the questions this site answers, with each rule taken from the Code, the City or the law itself.
Some of the answers surprise people. Damp proofing an existing basement is on the City's exempt list, but replacing drain tile is permit work, and so is installing a backwater valve or a sump pit and pump. The City's protective plumbing rebate covers those devices, not membranes or crack repairs, and the City lists the program as currently under review. We found no Ontario or City licence for waterproofing contractors, while plumber is a compulsory trade in Ontario.
Ottawa Waterproofing Pro is a matching service, not a waterproofing company. We do not inspect, dig, seal or install anything and we do not employ contractors. You tell us where the water is getting in, and we send your request to local waterproofing contractors listed in the Ottawa Construction Network directory. They reply to you by email. We do not screen or verify them, and we say so, which is why every page tells you what to check yourself.
Choose the job type and add what you have in mind: which wall or corner, where the water shows up, whether there is a sump pit, or a quote you want to compare. No phone number needed.
We send your request to local waterproofing contractors in the Ottawa Construction Network directory. They contact you by email to arrange a look at the house and a written quote.
Compare quotes line by line: which walls and how many feet, dampproofing or waterproofing named, whether the drain tile is replaced and where it drains, the pit and pump, who pulls the permit, who requests the locate, and the warranty terms in writing.
This site covers one trade. Your request goes to contractors who list waterproofing work: exterior and interior waterproofing, drain tile, crack injection, sump pumps, backwater valves, window wells and structural foundation repair. Basement finishing is not part of this site.
A service page gives a range only where at least two independent published Ontario contractor price pages agree, labelled and dated. Where too few are published, such as drain tile on its own or structural repair, we say so instead of inventing one.
We explain the protections that matter when you hire here: a written direct agreement over $50, the 10-day cancellation right on a direct agreement, the 10% limit over an estimate, the Construction Act holdback, and when a WSIB clearance applies.
Our free knowledge base answers Ottawa waterproofing questions: what the Building Code requires on a foundation, which jobs need a permit, what the City's rebate covers, what the work costs according to published pricing, and how to compare quotes.
The jobs we match, with the published range where one exists:
Digging down the outside of the foundation to the footing and putting a membrane or coating on the wall, with new drain tile at the bottom where it is replaced.
About $100–$350 per linear foot, commonly $150–$250 (published Ontario contractor pricing, 2025–26; yours will differ). Deeper walls, decks, walkways and tight side yards add to it.
A drain channel cut in along the inside of the basement floor that carries seepage to a sump pit and pump, without digging outside.
About $70–$150 per linear foot, seen from $50 to $230 (published Ontario contractor pricing, 2025–26; yours will differ). The sump pit, pump and battery backup may be itemized separately.
Replacing the drain pipe at the base of the foundation that collects groundwater, laid to the Building Code's size and stone rules.
Priced as part of exterior or interior waterproofing; we found no separate tile-only range with two independent sources.
Sealing a leaking crack in a poured concrete foundation from the inside by injecting it, priced per crack.
About $500–$1,500 per crack; one Ottawa source quotes from about $300 for epoxy (published Ontario contractor pricing, 2025–26; yours will differ).
New sump pits, pump replacement and battery backup pumps, with the City permit and the protective plumbing rebate in view.
Pump replacement in an existing pit about $500–$1,200; a new pit adds about $500–$1,500; with battery backup about $2,000–$4,000 (published Ontario contractor pricing, 2025–26; yours will differ).
A normally open valve on the sanitary or storm drain that closes when the sewer backs up, installed under a City permit as part of a flood plan.
Interior retrofit about $1,500–$4,500 (published Ontario contractor pricing, 2025–26; yours will differ). We found one source only for an outdoor valve, so no range is shown for it.
New or replacement basement window wells, drained to the footing as the Building Code requires.
About $1,600–$3,800 per well with drainage (published Ontario contractor pricing, 2025–26; yours will differ).
Repairs to a foundation wall or footing that carries load, which the City lists as building permit work.
No published range with two independent sources; prices depend on the cause, the design and the permit.
Ottawa Waterproofing Pro is part of the Ottawa Construction Network, the directory your request is matched from:
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