A damp basement can be a nightmare, especially after mildew creates its eye-watering, nose-offending stench. There are two enemies to overcome: damp air condensing on interior walls and ground water penetrating the exterior. One can address condensation by drying or heating the air in a basement to raise it above the dew point. The simple way to do both is with dehumidifiers. However, they are expensive to operate. In this article, the author presents and explains a construction solution to the wet basement problem. (Contains 3 figures and 2 photos.)