If we build a basement with our new home, do we really need a sump pump?

No, the large majority of basements built in Texas were built without any kind of sump pump system. Some of them were built without waterproofing on the basement walls, and many of them don’t have any drains around the home’s exterior walls. Though you don’t really need a sump pump it is much better to have one. Consider they only cost a few hundred dollars to install, and they require nearly no maintenance. The problem is if you need one and it has to be installed later, it could cost you up to $6,000 in many places. Adding waterproofing later could cost you nearly $20,000 later so do you really need it? I guess the real question is: Do you feel lucky?