We Have lived in house two years. With in last 6 months or so have had the paint start "bubbling off" the block walls. i also had some rubber horse stall mats on the floor I looked under those and they had water underneath. Just trying to figure out what the first course of action should be.
I checked all down spouts and gutters and they are good.
Any one have any insight?
Two way's to approach it.
Excavate the exterior all the way around the perimeter down to the footing. Clean and apply a new waterproofing membrane and lots of drainage. Backfill with gravel 75% of the way to grade.
Or an interior drainage system. Cutting through the floor around the perimeter of the foundation, dig a drainage ditch sloping to a sump pump, drill weep holes in the bottom course of blocks, every cell and mortar joint, cover the walls at least to grade with an impermeable membrane that will allow gravity to take any water down to the drain below the floor, discharge water far away from the house, re pour concrete.
Thanks nick. I am guessing doing exterior way is better more expensive and interior not as good but cheaper?
I also dug down about 39" outside and there was no stone. And it seemed like the "tar" was flaking off when I pulled the (dirt ) clay off the block. The house is only 10years old why not do it right the first time?
Our house is a lot older and poured cement basement but when we had ours looked at the company recommended doing the external drainage tile and the tile under the basement because it was coming in around the chimney as the water table rose. I didn't even know there was tile underneath the house until then.
Somebeach wrote: The house is only 10years old why not do it right the first time?
Depending on your location and what codes are in determines how good the Waterproofing is at construction. If the code only calls for damp proofing you get what you have. And believe me, builders will go the cheapest route possible. When I was in the new construction waterproofing game, we were getting out bid by half a penny per square foot. The builders didn't care one bit about the quality of the product, as long as it passed code it was good. Going off of memory, to be considered "Waterproofing" and not "Damp proofing" the cured product had to be at least 60mils cured thickness. We were spraying it at 80mils wet to get to 60 cured. It was supposed to bridge at least a 1/16" crack, in a poured concrete foundation when cured to meet the minimum criteria. Our top of the line product included a 3" thick fiberglass drainage board that helped the water get to the footer drains and also provided a certain R factor to help meet the codes for basement insulation.
To your situation. I guess it depends on what results you want. Is this your forever home? Do you have plans to finish the basement?
I've done hundreds of jobs each way. It is massively more expensive to excavate. But, in my opinion, it's better to do everything you can to prevent water from getting in the basement in the first place. It will damage the blocks over time. I've seen blocks that I could poke my finger through in homes that were only 50 years old. But, you can create a dry living space by controlling the water with an interior system.
Yes plan is forever home. Would eventually like to finsh part of the basment. Sounds like exterior is way to go.
To get a quote I know a local Mason is that who I should call or do you look for a concrete company?
Are they directing the water well away from the house?
Somebeach wrote: I checked all down spouts and gutters and they are good.
If you know the mason get his input first IMHO.
In reply to Somebeach:
Where do you live?
Your options are to stop the water from getting in, or let it come in and control it. I have done the latter and it is OK for now, but clearly not the best option for the long-term. Next summer, the front corner of the house gets dug up and done right. I may be out there with a shovel for a month, but it will be worth it because once the wall is exposed, you can lock it down water tight for 50 years. Nothing you do on the inside will be as good.
I had some major settling around my house and now the lawn pitches towards the house.
If you have a yard stick and a laser level you can check it pretty easily. Even a yard stick and level string stretched from the house out towards the yard can be pretty telling. As a point of reference, once I considered the drainage around the house, it was visibly sloping towards the house.
I solved our leaking basement issue by fixing how the water was hitting our house. Some rocket scientist years ago decided to level off the area in front of our living room, which ended up becoming a mound that forced water from the downspouts TOWARD the house. I rented a Bobcat and dug a shallow area that now channels the water around the house instead. I then extended our downspouts about 10' out into the yard. Walls have been dry ever since. House is about 60 years old.
Grading and surface moisture control is a big deal. The more you can keep the water away the better off you will be.
If you are in a clay area you are still going to have to deal with more hydrostatic pressure than less clayish soils. When the clay gets wet it expands putting more pressure on the walls and forcing the water into any crack and crevasse it c an find.
Water is lazy, make it easier for it to go somewhere else than in your home. Gravity is your biggest friend, as long as you give it a path the water will follow.
slefain wrote: I solved our leaking basement issue by fixing how the water was hitting our house. Some rocket scientist years ago decided to level off the area in front of our living room, which ended up becoming a mound that forced water from the downspouts TOWARD the house. I rented a Bobcat and dug a shallow area that now channels the water around the house instead. I then extended our downspouts about 10' out into the yard. Walls have been dry ever since. House is about 60 years old.
Agreed on routing downspouts away from the house-underground if possible. Water problems are 90% drainage problems, 10% foundation problems, so said the foundation repair guy who turned down my job and told me to route my gutters. Worked like a charm, house is 72 years old.
My landlord put drywall up. Yup. That will solve it.
After two solid weeks of rain our soil is saturated and we're starting to get water intrusion in the basement. Good info in this thread.
Great info thanks. We are in ohio. 3 of the downspouts drop into tile and go to daylight 25-50yards from house.
2 down spouts have extenders on top of soil that go about 5 feet from house.
The grade around the house was pretty flat when I checked with a level and a 2x4.
The odd thing was where the grade is the best (most slopped away) is where the paint is coming off the worst.
Sump pump works. As that is where I have been dumping dehumidifier water and sometimes can hear it kick in.
Was going to try to get more slope on the grade around the house but would rather not do that twice if we have to dig it up anyway.
Talked to mason he reccomends digging up and redoing.
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