Foundation & Waterproofing · South Central Indiana
Foundation Repair & Basement Waterproofing in Seymour, Indiana
📍 Serving Seymour, Columbus, Bloomington, Madison, Salem, Scottsburg, North Vernon, and the surrounding South Central Indiana counties.
Spring rains, clay soil, and 80-year-old foundations are a bad combination. We diagnose what’s actually wrong with the foundation or basement — not what someone with a sales quota wants to sell you — and we explain it in language you can take to a second contractor for a sanity check.
Partnership note: Cornerstone Foundation Repair & Waterproofing is the on-the-ground crew for foundation, sump, and waterproofing work. That Computer Guy 26 / TCG Solutions builds and runs Cornerstone’s website and digital ops — we’re not the contractor on a permit, but we’re the front door for inquiries that come through this site, and Cornerstone responds.
What we (and Cornerstone) actually do
Crawl-space waterproofing
Vapor barriers, sump pump installation, drain-tile, dehumidifiers sized to the actual square-footage. Most South Central Indiana houses need this more than basement work.
Basement waterproofing
Interior drain-tile + sump systems for water that’s already coming in. Exterior excavation + membrane when the budget supports it — we’ll tell you which one is right.
Foundation crack repair
Hairline / vertical / horizontal — each gets a different fix. Hairline cracks rarely warrant a $15k push-pier. We’ll show you the difference.
Push-piers / helical piers
For real settlement — doors that won’t close, drywall cracks above doorways, sloping floors. Engineered fix, not a sales pitch.
Sump-pump install & replacement
Battery-backup standard. Single-pump or dual-pump configurations. Water alarm with phone notification (the IT side helps here).
Mold remediation
EPA-Lead-RRP-trained for older homes. Containment, HEPA negative-air, source-removal — we don’t paint over it.
Why your basement floods in spring — and what waterproofing options exist
South Central Indiana sits on heavy clay soil that doesn’t drain. When the spring snowmelt and three rainy weeks combine, the water pressure against your foundation walls (hydrostatic pressure) overwhelms older mortar joints and concrete cracks. The water finds the path of least resistance — usually the floor-wall joint, sometimes a hairline crack, sometimes through the concrete itself.
Three real options:
- Interior solution (most common, $4,000-$10,000). Drain-tile around the inside perimeter, channel water to a sump pit, pump it out. Doesn’t stop the water from entering the wall — manages it once it’s in. Right answer for ~70% of homes here.
- Exterior solution ($15,000-$30,000+). Excavate down to the footing, apply waterproof membrane, install exterior drain-tile, backfill with gravel. Stops water from entering the wall in the first place. Right when interior won’t do it — usually new finished basements with high water tables.
- Encapsulation (crawl spaces, $3,000-$8,000). Heavy-mil vapor barrier, sealed seams, dehumidifier. The right answer for almost every crawl space in Jackson, Bartholomew, Jennings, and Washington counties.
What you should require from any contractor
- Written estimate — itemized labor + materials + scope, not a single number.
- Written warranty — transferable, with a defined term (lifetime, 10-year, 5-year — pinned).
- Photos before, during, and after — especially of the dig and any pier installation.
- Indiana plumbing or general-contractor license verification — for the work that requires it. The Indiana Professional Licensing Agency portal lets you verify any license number in 30 seconds.
- Two references from local jobs in the last 12 months. Call them — not the ones the contractor hands you.
Pricing — ballparks, not commitments
- Crawl-space encapsulation: $3,000 - $8,000 depending on square footage.
- Sump-pump installation: $1,200 - $2,500 with battery backup.
- Interior basement drain-tile + sump: $4,000 - $10,000 depending on perimeter and complexity.
- Push-piers per location: $1,200 - $1,800 per pier — most jobs need 4-8 piers.
- Foundation crack injection: $400 - $800 per crack, depending on length and severity.
Every estimate is on-site, free, and written.
Frequent questions
Do I really need waterproofing if I only get water once a year?
Maybe not. Once a year of light seepage is sometimes a regrade or downspout-extension fix — not a $7,000 drain-tile job. We’ll tell you that even though the bigger fix would pay us more.
How long does the work take?
Crawl-space encapsulation: 1-3 days. Sump install: half a day. Interior drain-tile: 3-5 days. Push-piers: 1-2 days per side.
Are warranties transferable?
Most of ours are. That’s a value-add when you sell the house. Pin the transfer terms in writing.
Can I get a second opinion?
You should. Take our written estimate to one or two other contractors. If we’re wrong about the diagnosis, we want to know. If we’re right, you have peace of mind.