Will it do any good to put drainage tiles under the patio slabs around the perimeter of our leaky basement?

Will it do any good to put drainage tiles under the patio slabs around the perimeter of our leaky basement? The slabs measure 18″ x 18” and begin right next to the wall. Water is leaking into the basement where the wall meets the basement floor, about 8-feet down.

Curing a leaky basement is always tricky because there are so many variables. Weeping tiles installed just under the patio slabs might work, but maybe not. It all depends where the water is coming from. The typical approach is to have weeping tile installed just below the bottom of the basement wall, but that’s a huge amount of messy and expensive work. If I were you, I’d try installing the tile in a bed of crush stone just under the patio slabs. If it doesn’t work, you’ve wasted a relatively small amount of time, money and hassle compared to the alternative. While you’re at it, install a continuous heavy rubber membrane under the slabs when you put them back. Also, be sure to orient the slope of the surrounding soil, the membrane and the patio slabs outwards, so water sheds away from your house. And don’t forget the need to have eavestrough in good working order, directing roof water at least 10-feet away from the building. Since this is the easiest possible fix of all, might as well try it before anything else.

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