Basement so far

Some more pictures. There's a layer of gravel across the basement floor now. I walked through it earlier today and as I was leaving the sump pump kicked into gear and shot out a stream of clear water. I guess my walking on the gravel pushed the water into the French drain, which funneled it to the sump pump. It actually works!

Basement from back to front.

Front right corner: the window wall will be pushed out.

French drain sticking out in front left corner. The bottom of the shelf above it is where the old floor was.

Front corner - you can see wetness, even though there was no rain for a few days

French drainage

Word is, the gravel is laid down and the French drains are installed -- and they're working fine. No truck delivery after all - the contractor went and got bags of gravel. As long as it works...

And for the record, French drains have nothing to do with France. They're named for some long-ago dude named Henry French.