The basement
Start from a common job, then replace every figure with your takeoff. Picking a system, pump, or backup never overwrites a rate you already typed.
Your crew rates
A $36/h tech loaded at 32% is $47.52. Quoting the raw wage on a published per-lineal-foot special is how a seepage house that looked fine turns into a two-day loss after the first window well.
Hand the customer a proposal
The price above is for you. This is the page you print or save as a PDF and give to the customer — your details, their details, the scope, the deposit split, and a line for them to sign. Your business details are saved on this device so you only type them once; the customer’s details are never saved.
Everything on the printed page is text you typed or a number this calculator worked out. It contains no warranty, lien, or cancellation wording — those depend on your jurisdiction and your contract, and this tool is not the place to invent them.
Your bid
- Perimeter / wall membrane
- Window wells
- Crew hours
- Loaded labor
- Materials + haul-off
- Travel + equipment
- Overhead
- Total cost
- Profit at this price
- Price per lineal foot
- Effective hourly rate
- Walk-away price
Where the hours go
Where the cost goes
Transparent arithmetic from your own inputs. Starting hours and material rates are common ballpark figures, not an industry standard, a dry-basement warranty, or an engineering specification — replace them with your own takeoff.
Common questions
What does this waterproofing bid actually add up?
The price adds up drain or excavation labor and material by system, a wall-membrane and floor-vapor-barrier area, concrete pour-back and spoil disposal, window wells and covers, floor-crack and wall-crack injection, a new sump pit when checked, a primary pump, a backup pump, discharge pipe and a freeze-proof kit when checked, and a dehumidifier when checked — plus travel and equipment, overhead, and your target margin, all from the perimeter, wall height, and system you enter, not a flat price-per-lineal-foot list.
Why does an 80 lf basement with an existing sump price so differently from a 120 lf seepage house?
Interior drain, exterior excavation, and crawl-space encapsulation each start from their own hours and material rates per lineal foot or per 100 sq ft of wall. On top of that, a new sump pit, a backup pump, extra window wells, crack injection, and freeze-proof discharge are all separate line items that do not scale with perimeter footage — a quote written for a brochure job with an existing pit and no wells prices a seepage house with four wells and a new pit the same way, which is exactly how that job loses money after the first well.
Why do I set hours per 100 square feet of wall instead of per lineal foot for the membrane?
Wall membrane and floor vapor barrier are area-based work — the wall area is perimeter times wall height, so a tall basement wall costs more to membrane than a short crawl-space wall of the same perimeter, even though both are priced from the same lineal footage of drain or excavation.
Is my data uploaded anywhere?
No account and no network requests — the calculator runs entirely in your browser. A share link encodes only the inputs you choose into the address bar and is never sent to us, and the optional usage counter records only which features were used and the day, never your lineal footage, wages, costs, or prices. Only your business details for the printed proposal are kept in this browser’s local storage so you do not retype them, and the customer’s details are never saved.
What’s the difference between the bid price and the walk-away price?
The bid price already includes your target margin on top of labor, materials, and overhead. The walk-away price is the total cost underneath it — drain or excavation, membrane, wells, cracks, pit, pumps, and discharge — the point below which the job stops being profitable at all.
Does this check hydrostatic pressure, drainage design, or structural conditions?
No. Hours and material rates are ballpark shop figures you can edit, not an engineering specification, a dry-basement warranty, or a guarantee of hydrostatic performance. Whether a specific foundation needs interior drain versus exterior excavation, how deep a new sump pit should sit, or whether a wall crack is a moisture issue or a structural one is still a judgment call for the site walk — this tool prices the system you choose, it does not choose it for you.
How is this different from a paid platform like Oblyss?
Oblyss is a paid CRM and estimating platform built for foundation repair and waterproofing companies, with scheduling and warranty tracking across every job the company runs. This calculator connects to nothing: you price one job in your browser, with no account to make, cancel, or pay for. See this calculator vs. Oblyss for which job fits which situation.
Why not just quote a flat rate per lineal foot like a lot of the trade does?
A flat rate does not see window wells, whether the sump pit is new or existing, floor and wall crack injection, a backup pump, or freeze-proof discharge. A shorter perimeter with more of that scope can cost more than a longer, simpler one. See this calculator vs. a flat rate per lineal foot for a worked example.