A basement waterproofing installer puts in the systems that keep water out of a home's lower level: interior drains, sump pumps, crack repairs, wall braces and crawl space liners. They break and patch concrete, set and test pumps, and show the homeowner how to look after the system.
By the HireBus team · Updated · Pay data: BLS, May 2025
Median pay, structure and exterior contractors · BLS, May 2025
As an Installer/Technician in our Basement Waterproofing division, you will play a crucial role in ensuring the comfort and safety of our clients' homes. You will install and service basement waterproofing systems, including drainage systems, sump pumps, and sealants. Your expertise in foundation repair will contribute to the overall success of our team and satisfaction of our customers.
2. Essential Duties and Responsibilities
Install basement waterproofing and drainage systems accurately and efficiently.
Service and repair sump pumps and sealants as needed.
Conduct foundation inspections and perform necessary repairs.
Educate clients on the maintenance of their waterproofing systems.
Comply with all safety regulations and maintain clean and organized workspaces.
3. Key Tasks / Daily Activities
Inspect and prepare worksites each day.
Install, service, and repair waterproofing systems as scheduled.
Interact with customers, addressing their queries and concerns professionally.
Document and report daily activities to the Operations Supervisor.
4. Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Job Completion Rate: >95%
Customer Satisfaction Rating: >4.8 stars
Safety Compliance: 100%
Efficiency Ratio: >85%
5. Required Qualifications and Skills
High school diploma or equivalent.
Minimum 2 years of experience in the home services industry.
Proficiency in using hand and power tools.
Excellent communication and customer service skills.
Ability to read and interpret blueprints and diagrams.
6. Preferred Experience
Prior experience in basement waterproofing or a similar field.
Familiarity with foundation repair techniques.
7. Physical Requirements
Ability to lift and carry up to 50 lbs.
Comfortable working in confined spaces and varying weather conditions.
8. Work Environment and Schedule
Typical work hours are Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Occasional weekend and evening work may be required.
Minimal travel required.
9. Compensation and Benefits
Competitive hourly rate of $20 - $30 per hour, based on experience.
Performance-based bonuses.
Comprehensive benefits package including Health, Dental, Vision, and 401(k).
10. Company Culture and Overview
At [INSERT COMPANY NAME HERE], we believe in fostering a culture of growth and success. We are committed to providing the resources and support necessary for each team member to excel in their role and advance their career. We aim to maintain a positive, inclusive environment where every employee feels valued and heard.
11. How to Apply
If you meet the above criteria and want to be part of a growth-oriented company focused on customer satisfaction, please send your resume to [INSERT EMAIL HERE] or apply online at [INSERT WEBSITE LINK HERE].
Need help filling this role? HireBus posts the ad, Iris interviews every applicant by phone before you do, and you decide who to hire. Start hiring now
The work happens below ground level, in tight spaces, in a house where the family still lives upstairs. Most drain jobs start by breaking up concrete.
Every interior drain starts in silica dust
An interior drain starts by sawing and chipping the concrete floor along the walls. OSHA's silica rule for construction has a table of common tasks with set controls. For a jackhammer or chipping tool, that means a steady water spray at the point of impact, or a shroud with a dust collector. Indoors, the table also calls for a respirator with an assigned protection factor of at least 10, however long the task runs. Handheld saws used indoors get the same respirator line. Source: OSHA: Respirable crystalline silica in construction (29 CFR 1926.1153).
Most systems end at a pump
Interior drains carry water to a sump pit, and the pump sends it outside. The installer sets the pit and pump, adds a check valve so water doesn't run back, and routes the discharge line where your local rules allow. Many jobs add a battery backup or a high-water alarm. A pump that quits in a storm floods the basement it was sold to protect, so every install ends with a test fill.
A leaking crack or a moving wall
Installers seal many wall cracks by injecting epoxy or polyurethane, and they brace bowing walls with steel beams, straps or anchors. Anchors mean digging in the yard. OSHA requires the employer to work out where buried utility lines run before anyone opens the ground, and the free 811 service gets them marked. When a wall looks like it's still moving, the installer stops and calls the lead rather than patching over it. Source: OSHA: Excavation requirements (29 CFR 1926.651).
Crawl spaces and tight corners
Crawl space encapsulation means working on knees and back under the house, laying and taping a heavy liner over dirt, around piers and up the walls. Many crawl spaces have one small hatch. Installers also move concrete, gravel and pumps through basements packed with storage and laundry. Describe these tasks plainly in your ad so applicants know what a normal day looks like.
The family is home all day
Crews carry broken concrete out through the house and work where the family keeps storage, a laundry or a finished room. Floor runners, plastic dust walls and a full vacuum before the crew leaves matter to the homeowner as much as the drain does. Boxes and shelves along the walls have to be moved and put back, so ask the office who clears them before the crew arrives.
How much basement waterproofing installers make
The closest BLS group for basement waterproofing installers is construction laborers. Construction laborers who work for foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors earned a median of $22.63 an hour ($47,070 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s about the same as the $47,120 median for construction laborers in all industries. About 114,160 of the 1,096,780 construction laborers in that survey work for structure and exterior contractors.
Hourly, with performance bonuses in the template. BLS publishes no figures for waterproofing installers alone, so this page uses construction laborers, the closest match. An installer who handles crack injection and wall bracing alone may be worth more than that median.
Structure and exterior contractors
$47,070$47,070 median Middle half $39,480–$57,420 10th–90th $36,290–$73,090
All industries
$47,120$47,120 median Middle half $38,620–$59,740 10th–90th $35,090–$78,090
$30k$40k$50k$60k$70k$80k$90k
10th–90th percentileMiddle halfMedianAnnual pay, May 2025. Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Annual pay by percentile
Group
10th
25th
Median
75th
90th
Structure and exterior contractors
$36,290
$39,480
$47,070
$57,420
$73,090
All industries
$35,090
$38,620
$47,120
$59,740
$78,090
BLS doesn’t publish pay for waterproofing contractors on their own. These figures cover foundation, structure and building exterior contractors, which include them. Post a real range for your market in the ad.
The pay line in the template above is an example from our Role Blueprint. Set yours from these figures and what local companies pay.
Skills to hire for, and what you can teach
Hire for these
Breaks and patches a concrete floor cleanly with a breaker, saw and trowel
Lays drain pipe in gravel with the slope water needs to reach the pit
Installs a sump pump, check valve and discharge line that pass a test fill
Reads a job sheet or drawing and lays out the work to match it
Uses water or dust controls and wears a respirator without reminders
Walks a homeowner through the pump, alarm and warranty without jargon
Teach these on the job
Your drain, pump and liner brands and how each one installs
Crack injection with epoxy or polyurethane
Wall bracing with beams, straps or anchors
Crawl space liners and dehumidifier installs
Your job photos, checklists and warranty forms
Installers run an electric breaker or jackhammer, a concrete saw with a water feed, a shop or HEPA vacuum, a wheelbarrow and a mixer for the patch. They set sump pumps, check valves and PVC discharge lines, and use injection guns on wall cracks. Tell applicants in the ad whether you supply the power tools and respirators.
Two of the 6 questions we'd ask, and what a strong answer sounds like. Ask every candidate the same questions, and rate each answer on your own before you compare notes.
Situational · Silica dust control
You're about to saw and break the slab along the walls of a finished basement. Walk me through how you control the dust.
A strong answer: Follows OSHA silica rules with water or vacuum dust collection on tools, plastic containment, the respirator the plan requires, and cleanup with a HEPA vacuum instead of dry sweeping.
Behavioral · Teaching homeowners maintenance
Tell me about a time you explained to a homeowner how to maintain something you installed, like a sump pump or a dehumidifier.
A strong answer: Showed them hands-on, such as testing the pump, used plain words and left simple written steps.
Track these per installer through a full year of wet and dry months before you settle on targets of your own.
Job Completion Rate
Jobs finished in the scheduled days with every item on the work order done, out of all jobs the installer worked. Count it monthly from the work orders.
Customer Satisfaction Rating
Average the post-job ratings, from surveys and reviews, on jobs this installer worked. Read the comments on dust, cleanup and how well the system was explained.
Safety Compliance
Site checks passed for dust controls, respirator use, cords and ladders, against every check made. Add recordable injuries from your log, and thank people who report near misses.
Efficiency Ratio
Sold labor hours on each job compared with the hours the crew logged there. Flag buried rock, debris or an extra-deep pit on the job so a hard dig isn't scored as slow work.
Career path
Apprentice / helperHauls concrete, mixes patch and learns each system on a crew.
Basement waterproofing installerInstalls drains, pumps, crack repairs and crawl space liners.
Lead installerRuns the crew on site and plans each install.
Field supervisorVisits each crew's jobs and signs off on the finished work.
What does a basement waterproofing installer do on a drain job?
The crew covers the floors and builds a dust wall first. Then they cut and break the concrete along the walls, dig the trench, and lay perforated pipe in gravel. They set the sump pit and pump, run the discharge line, and pour new concrete over the trench. Before leaving, they test the pump with water, clean up and walk the homeowner through the system.
How much does a basement waterproofing installer make?
Construction laborers who work for foundation, structure, and building exterior contractors earned a median of $22.63 an hour ($47,070 a year) in May 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The middle half earned between $39,480 and $57,420 a year. Pay also depends on your local market, experience and overtime.
Does a waterproofing installer have to wear a respirator?
If you follow OSHA's silica table, chipping or sawing concrete indoors calls for one. Your company then needs a written respirator program. Under it, a new hire is medically cleared to wear a respirator, then fit tested on the respirator they will actually wear before using it, with a repeat fit test every year. Build the fit test into the new hire's first week, before they ever pick up a breaker.
What work history helps a waterproofing installer?
Two years in home services is the template's minimum. Concrete finishers, yard drainage crews, plumbing helpers and foundation repair workers bring the most. They already know how to break and pour concrete, set grade on pipe, or lift heavy materials safely. Someone from painting or cleaning can learn the trade too, but plan on more time with a lead.
How should I interview a basement waterproofing installer?
Ask them to explain how water gets from the wall to the sump pit and why a check valve matters. Ask what they'd do if a wall has shifted since the estimate. Then pay them for a working day on a drain job. The lead will tell you how they ran the breaker, kept the dust down and spoke to the homeowner.
What should installers tell homeowners when the job is done?
Show them how to test the pump by pouring a bucket of water into the pit, and what the alarm sounds like. Point out where the discharge line ends outside, and ask them to keep it clear of leaves, snow and ice. Leave the warranty and the office number in writing, so a worried call on a stormy night reaches someone who can help.
