Drainage Solutions
in Fraser Heights, BC

Fraser Heights occupies the higher ground on the northwestern edge of Surrey, overlooking the Fraser River valley and offering some of the best natural drainage in the municipality. The soils here transition from the heavy clay of lower Surrey to a siltier, better-draining mix on the upper terraces. Homes in Fraser Heights, many of which were built in the 1980s and 1990s, tend to have fewer flooding and standing-water problems than neighbours in lower-elevation areas, but they are not without crawlspace challenges.

Drainage problems in crawlspaces have two distinct origins: water that arrives from outside (surface runoff, failed exterior drainage, high water table) and water that condenses from the air inside the crawlspace onto cooler surfaces. The solutions for each are different, and correctly diagnosing which problem you have — or which combination — is the critical first step. Applying interior drainage solutions to an exterior water problem provides partial relief at best; addressing the exterior source is far more effective and usually less disruptive.

Interior drainage systems — perimeter drain tile installed inside the crawlspace along the base of the stem wall — are the right solution when exterior work is impractical (due to finished landscaping, hardscaping, or very tight site conditions) or when the primary issue is groundwater rising from below rather than surface water entering through the wall. Interior drain tile channels water to a sump pit where a pump removes it. This approach does not stop water from entering the foundation, but it manages it effectively once it does.