[gs1]

Hi,

Is it a good idea to buy a house with brook running in the backyard? Since house is a raised ranch, when it rains heavy, water over flows and from the drive way comes into the garage. The present owners say it overflowed five times in 25 years since they have occupied the property, but has happened two times in last two years.

I am only interested in this house because it is very close to the Stratfield elementary school and we are expecting twins in coming months, so thought it would be convenient for the kids.

To overcome the water issue in the garage, I am thinking of closing and converting the garage into the playroom and cover the driveway with the soil and grass.

What do you guys think is it a good idea or should I leave this property?

Thank you

[Viralmd]

You couldn't pay me enough to take a house like that.

[skytrekker]

I would not buy property as you described.

[notjustamom]

What an expensive risk you would be taking. We don't have a raised ranch, it's a one level ranch, but our garage is under the house. The house is built on sloping land. Whenever we got a heavy rain, water would flow into the garage. Talk about a mess, and the musty, mouldy smell....mold would grow on everything in the garage. Eventually we had to pay $13,000.00 and have the driveway replaced, the concrete foundation replaced in the garage, and drainage added in front of the garage. We also had drain pipes added to our gutters and buried underground in the backyard, leading away from the house.

You can try converting the garage into a playroom, but the water will still be there. In our last home that happened, and cracks developed in the foundation wall, and water seeped in flooding the basement with each heavy rain. If the water is there, it will find a way in. In our current house we have a similar situation on the far side of the basement, away from the garage, there are cracks that have developed in the foundation and water occasionally pours into the basement. We have to keep patching the cracks. Water is very difficult to control. Is it possible you could divert the brook, redirecting the flow of water? Of course I am not sure how big your brook is, that may not be practical. At any rate, with a heavy rain a brook can turn into a raging river. We have a brook behind our house and another one down the road from us. Fortunately we are much higher up than both brooks. Twice in the eleven years we have been here, the brook down the road from us has crested it's banks and flooded the road. A brook can be very dangerous and fast-moving during a flood, you have to see it to believe it, even very small ones.

I also wanted to add that if the home in a flood-prone area, your home insurance could be costly, too.

[notjustamom]

I had another thought, all that water could cause drainage issues with your septic system if the home has a septic tank. Frankly, I would run from that house.

[JayCT]

gs1 - I believe I know the house (and the brook) you are interested in. It is very nice but I have to agree with the others. You would be taking on a risk with it. If I understand you correctly though, the flooding occurs from water coming down the driveway, not from the overflowing brook. Is that correct? If that is the case then you may be correct that removing the garage and driveway would correct the problem. Keep in mind though that this may not be as easy as you think. You will still need a driveway somewhere else on the property and I don't thinkn there are a lot of other options. Good luck though. Jay

[notjustamom]

But just replacing the driveway with soil and grass isn't a guarantee that the flooding issue is solved, though. If the water is still flowing downhill towards the house, the water will still be there, especially in the winter when the ground is frozen. That's when we have the basement wall flooding issues, when the ground is frozen and we have several inches of rain from a nor'easter. All that standing water, with nowhere to go--often the concrete foundation will crack from the pressure, resulting in water in the basement/garage. If the playroom gs1 is thinking of building will be in the former garage below ground, they could well end up with water seeping through the walls one day. It's a risk gs1 should be aware of.

[sliver203]

It's probably not a good idea to buy a home that has a history of flooding. As others have noted, it's bound to be an expensive mistake.

Also, if you're having children, you may not want water to be in your backyard. While I'm sure it's very nice, it could pose a very dangerous threat. A few months ago when we were house searching, we specifically looked at properties with no lakes, ponds, rivers or streams nearby - maybe we're a little paranoid as new parents, but it was something that concerned both of us.

Good luck with your home search.

[Srib]

I would agree with the suggestions to avoid such a home. My wife grew up in a home in a flood prone area along the CT river. All it took was one spring (i think it was 1987) with very bad rains and the snow melt and the entire first floor of her families home was underwater for over a week. The damage, stench and clean-up after that were another nightmare. The house hadn't flooded before 87 and hasn't flooded since, but since the one you are interested in already has some history, all it would take is a bad spring to flood more than just the garage so be careful.

We actually own a home now with a porter brook running at the base of our property. Luckily our home is higher on a slope and farther from the brook. We have only seen it overshoot its banks twice in 5 years. The nice thing about it is the sound, wildlife and look it gives to our yard. In our case no negatives since no flooding issues. Sliver203, I think I would tell people to assess each property (distance of water, history, etc) rather than just have them avoid property with water on it. JMHO.

[JayCT]

gs1 - I drove by the house I think you are interested in this weekend and realized the brook is on the garage side. I forgot which side of the house it was on. Anyway, I can see the problem that you would have if the brook over flows. It will easily send water down the driveway into the garage which is under the house. Not a great situation. Jay