Have a friend looking at a house and in the basement it was noted some seepage’s , which I guess would require basement waterproofing. The concrete also seems to be crumbling would be done to fix this. ballpark number on cost house in New Jersey, so I would imagine not inexpensive.
Basement issues - water through block wall
- Thread starter raaizin
- Start date
Could be a couple reasons. Improper gutter runoff, grading, or bad waterproofing. Two of those aren't as expensive as the last. To properly repair that they exterior of the foundation needs to be excavated, waterproofed, and new weeping system installed. I've seen those interior drain systems as a cheaper alternative, but I'm not convinced. I'm not an engineer or expert so my advice is hearsay.
There's a behind for every seat out there, but unless the sellers or buyer are prepared to open their wallet, pass on this house IMO.
EDIT: Also the mold remidation and repairs are going to be costly. Run, don't walk away from that!
There's a behind for every seat out there, but unless the sellers or buyer are prepared to open their wallet, pass on this house IMO.
EDIT: Also the mold remidation and repairs are going to be costly. Run, don't walk away from that!
JHZR2
Staff member
I don’t know why anyone would build with cinderblock versus poured foundation, but that’s just me.
If the water table is high, close to the footings, and the blocks are full of water, I can see this happening. I believe they drill relief holes, direct water into an interior French drain, and then run it to a sump pump.
If the water table is high, close to the footings, and the blocks are full of water, I can see this happening. I believe they drill relief holes, direct water into an interior French drain, and then run it to a sump pump.
My grandmother had this exact issue in her small, Scarsdale, NY home. If I remember correctly, it cost a small fortune to mitigate. They cut out a channel for the water to run into, and created a well for the sump pump. I never saw any water in the system, but the basement never flooded again.
As mentioned above, there was a pathway for the water to travel, so it did not pile up against the blocks and seep through endlessly.
As mentioned above, there was a pathway for the water to travel, so it did not pile up against the blocks and seep through endlessly.
I think impossible to make a determination without seeing the whole story.
I see some comments in the report about the grading outside the house and also roof drainage system.
Grading can be a simple project or very difficult project depending on how difficult ii is to get water running away from the house instead of towards it. I take care of stuff like that myself. If it was difficult meaning an entire lot would have to be regraded I would pass.
Clearly that basement has been wet for a long time but some people are clueless that SOMETIMES a simple solution can be found by making sure all water runs away from the house. Yeah, dehumidifier at this point is needed. No mention of how much ventilation is down there.
With that said it can be difficult if the water table is naturally high. Since he paid for the inspection I would get some qualified people there to offering solutions and what cost
I see some comments in the report about the grading outside the house and also roof drainage system.
Grading can be a simple project or very difficult project depending on how difficult ii is to get water running away from the house instead of towards it. I take care of stuff like that myself. If it was difficult meaning an entire lot would have to be regraded I would pass.
Clearly that basement has been wet for a long time but some people are clueless that SOMETIMES a simple solution can be found by making sure all water runs away from the house. Yeah, dehumidifier at this point is needed. No mention of how much ventilation is down there.
With that said it can be difficult if the water table is naturally high. Since he paid for the inspection I would get some qualified people there to offering solutions and what cost
If not grading, leaders, etc it appears to be hydrostatic pressure and to correct situation you might need interior French drain system. With the basement slab already poured it's a hard job. Depending on the size of the house you're looking $ 10,000 - $ 15,000. They have to break thru the concrete and dig a trench around entire interior of basement and also install one or two sump pump pits.
Owen Lucas
$100 Site Donor 2023
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Looks like a thorough, well-done inspection. I hope they did a radon test as well.
Is there a french drain around the exterior of the house? That might be worthwhile.
Is there a french drain around the exterior of the house? That might be worthwhile.
JHZR2
Staff member
Same exact scenario in our 1920s home.
We had the interior French drain installed with a sump pump installed. Never have we seen water draining into the sump (I have seen many other homes around that do, because we are near a lot of water and the water table is high). Never again have we had water in our basement. Before that it was a very rare fraction of an inch in a low corner.
In the closing in on 20 years that we’ve had the system, I’ve only heard the sump pump run maybe four times. Once when I checked it, twice during hurricanes, and once the other day after a lot of rain. That was curious to me!
I think the drain and gravel helps redistribute water around the foundation and let it ultimately flow away In other ways. However it turned out, it worked.
Way more than that .
In a home I had years ago I had the same problem. Dug up the perimeter of the basement, installed new drain tile to sump pump. Backfilled with gravel and re-cemented. Pretty extensive and expensive job. Never had a water problem after that.
That method deals with the water after it has entered the basement. I would try addressing the situation before it enters through the foundation.
JTK
$100 Site Donor 2025
For minor weather related seepage or moisture wicking through concrete block walls, I've had excellent results with a product called Thoroseal. It was a bagged, sandy/powder product that you mixed an activator liquid with IIRC. Quite messy and not fun to apply, but it gets the job done.
Obviously your best solution is to expose the entire exterior of the wall and coat it or wrap it with some type of impervious heavy-duty membrane, then backfill appropriately, but only our BITOG financial gurus would have the funding for that.
Obviously your best solution is to expose the entire exterior of the wall and coat it or wrap it with some type of impervious heavy-duty membrane, then backfill appropriately, but only our BITOG financial gurus would have the funding for that.
If it's a hi water table it won't matter. You are correct it's best addressing exterior but cost will be 2 or 3 times more.
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