Specify the Complete Below-Grade Drainage Assembly

List the symptom record, viewed and unviewed drain segments, located routes, known access points, observed defects and outlet information that support the proposed boundary. Mark included foundation sides and any segment that remains unchanged. A whole-perimeter claim should not rest on one camera finding or one wet room. If evidence is incomplete, show optional investigation or provisional quantities separately. The accepted scope should explain why repair, partial replacement or broader replacement was selected and which uncertainty remains after that decision. Use the following blank response prompts with each bidder; these are comparison questions, not approved contract terms.

Observed failed segment and evidence reference: ___; viewed and unviewed limits: ___

Repair or partial replacement alternative: ___; included boundary, limitations and quoted price: ___

Broader replacement alternative: ___; evidence for the added boundary, exclusions and separately authorized investigation: ___

Describe the access method, utility locating, work-zone control, spoil handling, temporary drainage and protection of occupants, buildings and adjacent surfaces. Do not enter an excavation to check pipe or take photographs. Soil, depth, nearby structures, groundwater, weather and vibration can change safety requirements. Keep excavation design and control with the responsible contractor and qualified professionals. State what happens when buried conditions differ from the estimate, including documentation, stop-work decisions, authorization and pricing before the scope expands.

Assign excavation safety and control

Protect people and adjacent improvements

Require a written change process

State how the exposed wall will be cleaned and reviewed, which conditions will be photographed and what proposed treatment is included. Identify cracks, penetrations, ledges, transitions and terminations that require separate decisions. Structural repairs or engineered design should be routed appropriately rather than folded into a drainage allowance. List membranes, drainage layers or protection only when supported by current product information and a property-specific installation plan. The quote should explain how the wall work meets the footing and drainage assembly before it is concealed.

Record exposed wall conditions

Separate structural decisions

Require current product documents

Define pipe type and size, included lengths, fittings, aggregate, separation materials, cleanouts, sumps, pumps and connections. Product selection, grade and placement require qualified design and applicable code review; the estimate should state the proposed system instead of relying on the phrase drain tile replacement. Ask how corners, elevation changes, additions and transitions to existing work will be handled. Set photo or inspection hold points before aggregate, backfill or other materials hide the pipe and foundation interface.

List components and quantities

Describe transitions to existing work

Set pre-cover review points

Identify the proposed outlet or connection and the evidence supporting it. Victoria says a plumbing permit is required for installation or alteration of a connection to the stormwater utility, while its page separately notes circumstances where site-drainage systems may not require a plumbing permit. The City must determine applicability from the actual property and scope. Do not assume permission to connect, redirect, pump or discharge across another parcel. Record Engineering, permit, servicing or other requirements in a dated authority register.

Name the proposed outlet and evidence

Ask the City about the actual scope

Do not assume a lawful connection

Ask how pipe grade, continuity and outlet function will be reviewed before cover and what photographs, measurements or inspections will be retained. Describe aggregate placement, separation, staged backfill and compaction appropriate to the reviewed design and final surface. Identify who protects foundation finishes and buried components during backfill. Verification should be specific without promising future basement performance, because other pathways and unobserved conditions can remain. Require a final route diagram, product records, approved changes and any City inspection evidence.

Record pre-cover checks

Define backfill responsibility

Retain a final system map

Inventory soil, lawn, plantings, protected trees, irrigation, fences, decks, stairs, concrete, asphalt and pavers within the disturbance area. State whether each surface is restored, allowed for, assigned to another trade or excluded. Clarify limits for settlement, plant survival, reused material and colour or finish matching. Photograph existing and completed conditions from consistent positions. The closeout file should combine investigation evidence, route and component records, permits or inspections, product information, testing, restoration and a list of drainage sections the project did not change.

Inventory restoration by surface

Separate allowances and exclusions

Retain before-and-after records