Lot of moisture in Foundation wall as per inspection (Austin: new house, inspector) - Texas (TX) - City-Data Forum

Mikey0915 · 03-05-2010, 05:18 PM

I had inspection done in the new house and the inspector pointed out moisture in Foundation wall. The inspectior suggested that this may have been due to recent rains. The home is on a bunny hill. The builder is putting french drain to divert the flow of the water. But I am not sure if it is going to help. The inspector suggested that sometimes the water may be flowing underground through and having french drain may not completely help.

I am not sure how to determine the severity of this issue. It seems that whenever it rains, the water is somehow is going to hit the foundation and collect moisutre. How can this be solved?

Closing for the house is at the end of this month so it is approaching really fast. I would like the builder to resolve this issue and the builder has been showing a lot of resistance.

Any suggestions are most welcome.

Mikey0915 · 03-06-2010, 05:53 AM

Any suggestions :-)

texdav · 03-06-2010, 06:04 AM

You need a engineer in this type of problem . I use to have a place that had this from a hill but it was no problem because it was elevated above ground to allow the water to continue downhill to a drainage collection.

Mikey0915 · 03-06-2010, 07:24 AM

I went to Austin Foundaton and they seem to offer free inspection. I am not sure if that can help understan the problem.

CptnRn · 03-06-2010, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mikey0915

I had inspection done in the new house and the inspector pointed out moisture in Foundation wall. The inspectior suggested that this may have been due to recent rains. The home is on a bunny hill. The builder is putting french drain to divert the flow of the water. But I am not sure if it is going to help. The inspector suggested that sometimes the water may be flowing underground through and having french drain may not completely help.

I am not sure how to determine the severity of this issue. It seems that whenever it rains, the water is somehow is going to hit the foundation and collect moisutre. How can this be solved?

Closing for the house is at the end of this month so it is approaching really fast. I would like the builder to resolve this issue and the builder has been showing a lot of resistance.

Any suggestions are most welcome.

Your description is not clear enough for us to understand what it is that you think is a problem. Does the house have living space below ground where the moisture is coming through? Or does the site drainage simply cause moisture to collect near the foundation? What is a bunny hill?

If you are in an area with clay soils it would be prudent to make sure the grading around the house causes surface water to drain away from the foundation, otherwise the surface water will saturate the soil along the foundation causeing swelling when its wet and shrinkage when it dries out, which translates into soil movement and stresses on the foundation.

Mikey0915 · 03-06-2010, 01:15 PM

The house is on a downhill slope. The foundation wall in drop-down garage shows moisture/wet spots. The inspector observed that the foundation wall contains a lot of moisture to the point that it is almost wet. The back yard has drainage problem. The builder did put the French drain yesterday about 20 feet away from the foundation but not sure if that is going to help solve the moisture issue in Garage foundation wall. There is another house behnd this house - also on a downhill slope. The builder is not communicating to me what is the real issue so I am bit concerned.

I would like to know what action I should take so that builder is made responsible for solving this issue before closing. My closing date is March 25th so I am quickly running out of time as the issue is still not resolved.

CptnRn · 03-06-2010, 04:03 PM

It sounds like the foundation wall is at least a partial basement. It should be waterproofed sufficiently to prevent moisture from penetrating it. If it has as much moisture in it as your inspector indicated then it sounds like the waterproofing is inadequate. A french drain 20' away from the foundation might help devert some water before it gets to the house but isn't likely to completely solve the problem when the waterproofing is inadequate. Ideally there should be a french drain installed along the base of the basement wall. If it were me I'd put my concerns in writing to the builder now insisting that these problems be fixed before closing. Your inspector should be able to give you more help on this, stating clearly what the problem is. If he can't, hire someone else.

centralaustinite · 03-06-2010, 04:48 PM

You can always delay the closing! don't be afraid to ask for a postponement until this gets sorted out.

Mikey0915 · 03-06-2010, 06:08 PM

The builder did put the French drain surrounding the foundation and just yesteeday put another French drain 15-20' away from the house (just in bak yard). So I am puzzled why the foundation wall is still moist. He also put gravels in the very back of the yard. The french drain discharges in the front of the house on the street. I see the water dripping but it is slow discharge. We are going to have rain tomorrow so we will know how well the French drain discharges.

The thing that I am not clear on is what exactly do I need to have in writing from the builder - It seems that this needs to be a legal document and I do not know that. Also the inspector suggested that I consult structural engineer to understand the moisture problem in the foundation wall. This is brand new home - The builder has been working on it for the past 6 months. Within 6 months can the foundation wall get damged due to heavy moisture? Is it worth hiring structural engineer? If so whom to contact?

Mikey0915 · 03-07-2010, 06:22 AM

The builder has put the French drain in the back yard but not sure what more he could do to resolve the issue? Also How can I ensure that the closing on 3/25 will be done -contingent upon resolving the drainage and Foundation wall moisture issues. What powers I can use to ensure that the issue is either fixed at closing or the closing gets delayed :-)