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Old 06-17-2013, 12:18 PM
 
Location: NH and lovin' it!
1,780 posts, read 3,923,522 times
Reputation: 1332

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Hello, everyone! When I bought my house two years ago, the basement floor had a bunch of cracks in it. Seemed normal to me since it was built in 1969 and also there is a hill behind my house. Water seeps in during certain parts of the year, mostly spring. Being a walk-out, only one side is fully exposed to the outside.

After the earthquake in Maine, when was that-- a year ago?-- the cracks widened and now I have standing water everywhere down there.

My question is: What sort of company do I call to get it fixed? Should I find a hydrologist to survey it first? Would French drains help?

Would it be a company that lays residential cement, or a company that digs foundations, or ???

Suggestions greatly appreciated!
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Old 06-17-2013, 01:37 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh
6,782 posts, read 9,559,909 times
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It sounds like your basement isn't finished. There's usually a drain the floor. Is that not working? You need to get the water to go down the hill around your house and there could be different ways to do that.
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Old 06-17-2013, 01:37 PM
 
Location: Spring Hill, Florida
3,177 posts, read 6,798,542 times
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There are not many basements here in Florida, however when I lived in PA there was no shortage of companies that specialized in basements. They advertise they can turn even the worst wet basements into finished and useful living spaces.
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Old 06-17-2013, 01:45 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh
6,782 posts, read 9,559,909 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by HWTechGuy View Post
They advertise they can turn even the worst wet basements into finished and useful living spaces.
Yep, but I've never dealt with any of them. I'm always a little suspicious of any contractor with that kind of advertising budget. My neighbor had work done (french drain, sump) and it seems to have worked.
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Old 06-17-2013, 01:58 PM
 
Location: Spring Hill, Florida
3,177 posts, read 6,798,542 times
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Alot can be done from outside as well that will yield dramatic results (downspout extensions, mild grading around the foundation, and so on). When I was a kid, we always had water in the basement. My parents are still in the same house. Now, it never gets in there because my father re-graded the lawn on the front and side of the house. When it rains, the water rolls away from the house. He's in process of finishing the basement and turning it into a complete living space now that it's been dry for years.
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Old 06-17-2013, 01:58 PM
 
Location: The Triad
34,090 posts, read 82,716,942 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JoanD'Arc View Post
My question is: What sort of company do I call to get it fixed?
Start with general labor: 98% of the job is nothing more than hard dirty work.
(get some help with a good "recipe" then you can supervise)

Break up and remove the broken concrete, probably remove some more fill material below that.
Then trench around the perimeter (more shovel and remove work).

At this point you're ready to lay the perforated drain pipe and sump well.
Do that with a clean gravel bed and cover.

Now you're ready for the concrete and a real finishing crew.
Don't go cheap here and have them arrange their own concrete truck.
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Old 06-17-2013, 02:34 PM
 
Location: Pittsburgh
6,782 posts, read 9,559,909 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by MrRational View Post
(get some help with a good "recipe" then you can supervise)
That would be the trick, wouldn't it. You've got to get the water to the downhill side of the house and I don't see how you do that efficiently without some expert advice.
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Old 06-17-2013, 02:59 PM
 
Location: NH and lovin' it!
1,780 posts, read 3,923,522 times
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Wow. Lots of super advice here. Let me see if I can answer each concern:

No, it is not finished. There is a drain that works but no sump pump. It looks like the floor grade, or just the cracks, do not allow for much of the water to flow towards the drain. (Old house foundation has probably settled that way.)

Probably there are companies that specialize in basement fixes... it's just that I don't know if that is the place to start. BTW, this is NH.

I'm thinking French drain, plus remediate the grade. Also I wondered about the possibility that was brought up about removing the broken concrete and repouring the floor, so thanks for mentioning that. Would love to make that part of the "fix." I haven't even unpacked my tools to use down there. Oh, yes, the downspout issue needs to be looked at as well.

So who do you think would give me the best "recipe?" Do I just start calling foundation/concrete companies to get their best guesses as to how to attack it?
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Old 06-17-2013, 03:11 PM
 
Location: The Triad
34,090 posts, read 82,716,942 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JoanD'Arc View Post
So who do you think would give me the best "recipe?"
A structural engineer. Someone who is not there to sell you anything.
Sorry, I thought I had mentioned that.
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Old 06-17-2013, 03:44 PM
 
Location: NH and lovin' it!
1,780 posts, read 3,923,522 times
Reputation: 1332
Quote:
Originally Posted by MrRational View Post
A structural engineer. Someone who is not there to sell you anything.
Sorry, I thought I had mentioned that.
Thank you, and thank you all very much.

Please post any further thoughts... I am sure this is going to take a while to accomplish!
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