Basement Waterproofing
in Northeast Philadelphia

Water entering the top of a block wall, traveling down through the hollow cavities, and exiting through a mortar joint or crack near the floor, often mistaken for a simple wall crack when the real entry point is higher up.

Decades-old developments where original grading has settled, sending water back toward the foundation instead of away from it, a mechanical problem as much as a waterproofing one.

In brick twins common throughout Rhawnhurst and Mayfair, a shared driveway or party wall can concentrate runoff toward one side of the foundation, creating a wet basement on one half of the twin while the other stays dry.

Homes near Pennypack Creek and Poquessing Creek often already have a sump pump, but undersized or aging systems can't keep pace during spring thaw or a multi-day storm.

Many Far Northeast basements were finished for living space decades ago, and moisture trapped behind drywall or paneling shows up as a musty smell or visible white efflorescence long before a visible leak appears.

Basements in Northeast Philadelphia get wet for a mix of foundation type and geography. 

Most homes in Somerton, Bustleton, and the surrounding Far Northeast were built on concrete block foundations during the postwar development boom, and those blocks have hollow cores that can channel water downward once moisture gets past the exterior coating, releasing it through a mortar joint or crack near the floor.

Proximity to Poquessing Creek and Pennypack Creek raises the local water table in parts of the Far Northeast, which pushes hydrostatic pressure against basement walls from the outside, especially during spring thaw or sustained rain. 

Decades of settling have also changed the original yard grading in many postwar developments, so water that used to drain away from the house now runs back toward the foundation.

Add aging or undersized sump pumps and clogged downspouts, both common in homes now sixty to eighty years old, and you get a basement that stayed dry for decades suddenly taking on water. 

Because these mechanisms differ from the rubble-stone seepage common in older Philadelphia neighborhoods, we evaluate Far Northeast basements on their own terms rather than applying a rowhouse diagnosis to a block foundation.

Yes. Elite Basement Solutions is based in Feasterville-Trevose, which sits directly across the county line from Somerton and Bustleton, close enough that we're physically nearer to the Far Northeast than most Philadelphia-based waterproofing companies operating out of the city itself. 

We don't maintain an office inside Philadelphia and don't claim to, but Lower Southampton Township borders the Far Northeast, so a truck from our shop typically reaches Somerton, Bustleton, Fox Chase, Rhawnhurst, or Torresdale in well under half an hour.

That proximity matters practically, not just as a talking point: it means faster scheduling for evaluations, and it means we're already familiar with the block-foundation, postwar-twin housing stock that defines this part of the city, because we work in it constantly on the Bucks County side of the line too. If you're weighing a Philadelphia-based company against a Bucks County one for a Far Northeast basement, drive time and local housing-stock familiarity are worth asking about directly, and we're happy to answer both on a call at (800) 902-5311.

Postwar brick twins and rows built in the 1940s through 1960s on concrete block foundations are the most common source of basement water problems in the Far Northeast, found throughout Somerton, Bustleton, Fox Chase, Rhawnhurst, Parkwood, and Holmesburg. 

These homes were built quickly during a development boom, often on modest lots with grading that has settled or reversed over sixty-plus years, sending runoff toward the foundation instead of away from it.

Twin homes present a particular pattern: because two houses share a driveway or a party wall, runoff can concentrate on one side of the shared foundation, leaving one half of the twin with a wet basement while the neighboring half stays dry. 

Homes closer to Poquessing Creek or Pennypack Creek face an added factor, a naturally higher water table that increases hydrostatic pressure against the foundation, particularly in spring.

Finished basements are also common in this housing stock, which means moisture problems are often hidden behind drywall or paneling for months before a musty smell or visible efflorescence gives them away. 

We look at the housing era, the foundation type, and the proximity to a creek together before diagnosing what's happening in any specific basement.

Cost in Northeast Philadelphia depends primarily on the foundation type and how much of it is affected, and we don't quote a number without seeing the basement first. 

Block foundation work, common throughout Somerton and Bustleton, typically involves interior drainage at the base of the wall combined with sealing hollow block cores where water is entering, and the scope scales with how much of the perimeter is affected.

Homes with actual side yards, which many Far Northeast properties have unlike rowhouses further south, sometimes have exterior excavation as a realistic option, which changes the cost equation compared to an interior-only system. Grading corrections and downspout work, when runoff is contributing to the problem, add to the scope but often reduce the size of the drainage system needed.

Our cost guide outlines general ranges, but the only reliable number comes from a free on-site evaluation. 

Financing options are available, and every waterproofing system carries a lifetime warranty on workmanship and materials, non-transferable, covering the waterproofing system itself rather than foundation repair or finishing work.

Yes, twin and row homes in Somerton and Bustleton are a large part of the work we do, given how close both neighborhoods are to our Feasterville-Trevose base. 

Twin homes present a specific pattern worth understanding: because two properties share a foundation wall and often a driveway, water concentrating on one side, whether from grading, a downspout, or higher ground on one half of the lot, can produce a wet basement on one side of the twin while the other stays completely dry.

We evaluate both halves when relevant, even if only one owner has called, because understanding the shared drainage picture matters for getting the fix right. 

Row homes in this part of the city are typically on block foundations rather than the older rubble-stone construction found closer to Center City, so the diagnostic approach and the system we recommend differ accordingly, usually interior drainage along the base of the wall paired with a sump pump sized for local water table conditions near Poquessing and Pennypack creeks.

Every evaluation is free and on-site, because the right system depends on what we actually find in your basement.