Basement Waterproofing in Ferndale, MI
Most of the houses in Ferndale, MI went up between 1920 and 1951, while the city grew into a bedroom community for Detroit workers. If one of those older basements has started letting water in, the short form lets you ask one independent local contractor to reach out about it.
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Basement Estimate Request
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Waterproofing Options in Ferndale, MI
Ferndale is a separate city in Oakland County, about 2 miles south-southeast of downtown Royal Oak, MI. Downtown sits at Nine Mile Road and Woodward Avenue, where interurban trolleys once ran down the median. Village status came in 1918, city status in 1927.
A request from this page tells one independent contractor you would like to be contacted. That contractor looks at the basement, explains what might suit it and writes its own estimate. Nobody can honestly promise a basement that stays dry through every storm.
The site itself is a free referral and advertising service, not a contractor or plumber, with no state builder or maintenance and alteration contractor license. It performs, prices and signs nothing. The one contractor receiving requests may pay it a flat advertising fee, waived during a trial, and homeowners owe it nothing.
Ferndale, MI Has the Oldest Houses Nearby
Ferndale has the oldest housing of the five towns here, with a typical build year of about 1945 (Census survey data). About 42% of its 10,927 homes date from 1939 or earlier, about 16% from the 1940s and 18% from the 1950s, so roughly three in four were built before 1960. About 78% are detached.
The city counts 19,212 residents (2025 Census estimate); two in three homes are lived in by their owners, and the median value is $247,700. Pre-war walls can carry decades of freeze and thaw. Not every house has a basement; this page is meant for owners, landlords and condo owners whose homes do.
Common Jobs in Ferndale, MI
- Mortar-line seepage. In older block walls, water can creep through worn joints. Repointing, an interior drain or both may come up; see full basement waterproofing.
- A first sump. Some older houses never had one. Its discharge belongs outside, away from the walls and the house next door, and never in a floor drain or sewer line; see sump pump installation.
Ferndale, MI Storms and Its Combined Sewer
The City is direct about its pipes: "Ferndale and the surrounding cities use a combined stormwater and sewer system," and "the infrastructure is the same as it was 80 years ago at installation." It adds that storms once called "100-year storms" are "occurring much more frequently – even annually."
Ferndale flooded in August 2014. DPW then bought sewer-camera equipment and inspected, cleaned or televised many thousands of feet of sewer; Patch reported one basement-water request by late October 2015, against 100 or more in a usual year. Restrictor plates on many streets let a street hold water briefly so a basement doesn't.
On July 24, 2021, the City said Ferndale received nearly 2 inches of rain in under 50 minutes, with wastewater heading toward the Kuhn basin. Groundwater pushing through a wall is a separate problem, and that is what waterproofing addresses.
Who Handles Permits and Backups in Ferndale, MI
Community and Economic Development, 300 E. Nine Mile Rd, 248-336-4117 ext. 115, handles building permits and inspections. The City requires "any and all construction work in connection with sewerage and drainage" to be done by a licensed plumbing professional, and repairing a sanitary service lateral takes a permit. Structural or excavation work may need a permit too; the contractor sorts out which with the city.
Report a basement backup to DPW at 248-546-2519, or to Police non-emergency at 248-541-3650 when DPW is unavailable. A Royal Oak address goes through the City of Royal Oak instead; a Ferndale house uses Ferndale's lines.
Price Ranges for Ferndale, MI Basements
No Ferndale prices are published; these are national.
| Cost row | Figure | Source (year) |
|---|---|---|
| Typical basement waterproofing project | about $3,000 to $10,000 (average about $5,000) | Fixr national (2026) |
| Interior perimeter drain, per linear foot | $40 to $120 | Fixr national (2026) |
| Sump pump installation | $600 to $2,500 | Fixr national (2026) |
| Epoxy crack injection, per crack | $250 to $1,000 | Fixr national (2026) |
| Waterproof paint or sealant, per sq ft | $1 to $8 | Fixr national (2026) |
Lateral repairs and backwater valves are plumbing, priced separately by a licensed plumbing contractor. For a ballpark, try the cost calculator.
Local Help, One Request
- Ferndale's own rules. The lateral permit, the sewer-work rule and DPW's lines in one place.
- Details kept to one. Only one independent contractor sees what you send.
- Guides first. Read up on drains, sumps and cracks beforehand.
Check a Ferndale, MI Address
Type in your street address to see whether it is covered, then try the wet-basement quiz.
What Ferndale, MI Homeowners Ask
Ferndale's sewer is about 80 years old. Will waterproofing keep it from backing up?
No. Waterproofing handles groundwater coming through walls and floors. Water rising out of a floor drain is a sewer backup, so report it to DPW at 248-546-2519. Whether a backwater valve makes sense for the house is a question for a licensed plumbing contractor, who takes out the plumbing permit to fit one.
Do I need a permit to repair my sewer lateral?
Ferndale says yes: repairing a sanitary service lateral needs a permit, and sewer and drainage work must be done by a licensed professional, in practice a licensed plumbing contractor. Before anyone digs, ask the city which part of the line is yours. Community and Economic Development is at 248-336-4117 ext. 115.
Is the City serious about skipping laundry during a storm?
It is. In heavy rain, every load and every shower adds water to the same combined pipes the storm is filling. The City suggests waiting until the rain eases, and having the sewer line surveyed, snaked and jetted regularly by a trained plumber.
How do I check a contractor before signing anything?
Licensing is a state matter: LARA issues residential builder and maintenance and alteration contractor licenses, and basement waterproofing falls under them. Confirm the number at lara.michigan.gov/colaLicVerify; LARA calls a contractor who can't show one "a red flag." Get a signed written agreement, never pay everything up front, and know a sale solicited at home may have a three-business-day cancel window. The Attorney General's office hears complaints at 517-335-7599 or 877-765-8388.
Towns Around Ferndale, MI
Close by are Huntington Woods, MI, Madison Heights, MI, where the George W. Kuhn basin sits, and Berkley, MI, a city built largely in the 1940s.
Get an Estimate in Ferndale, MI
Photograph the wet spots and note how long after rain they appear, then send the request form. The contractor who receives it reaches out, sees the basement and writes up its own estimate. What happens after that is your decision.