I 100% agree with ya!

We did that to my grandmothers house which was built in the late 60's.   It was built on a small hill, the carpenter at the time said "you'll never have water on top of this hill".....Even though the very top of the hill is 1/2 mile away.    Small water in the basement every year, sump pump couldn't keep up.  PITA

We tore up the sidewalk, ripped the driveway apart, and made a huge mess on the yard.

Those small excavators work really good to get up close to the basement wall.

Tiled all around, covered it with 2 feet of pea rock, put some sticky plastic rubber stuff on the walls and back filled.   Luckily had enough slope to run it to the field tile. 

Sump pump still runs...... a little in the spring, or during a big dumper of a rain, but water problem is done gone! 

Would do it again in a heartbeat.   (it was time for upgrading the landscaping anyway)