Basement Help (foundation, pool, drain, installed)

[dpbludreamer]

I recently purchased a 30 yr old home in the suburbs and there is a vertical crack in the middle of one of the poured concrete walls in the basement. I consulted a structural engineer who says this happens sometimes with this type of wall probably due to shrinkage. We had seen no visible water, but the basement has a damp musty odor that we presumed was from an adjoining crawl space not being vapor covered/ventilated properly.

During a recent heavy rainfall we noticed a tiny drip of flowing water coming from a spot in the crack, which accumulated into a small half-dollar sized pool on the floor. The house was vacant for a year or so before we purchased it, and the outside maintenance was not kept up on. The downspout extensions had been removed by the previous owner, dumping water down along the foundation for who knows how long. I installed some extensions on that wall, but the water still comes in when it rains hard. The yard appears to be graded slightly towards the house on that side. The area around that wall is a small side area that is bordered by a neighbors privacy fence. Probably no more than 6 or 7 ft of clearance. I called a waterproofing company and they quoted me 17k to waterproof the entire basement which is not in my budget at this time.

1. What is the best way to divert the water from the wall without flooding the neighbor's yard?
2. What is the best way to seal the crack in the wall? Can it be filled with a substance or is external excavation the only way to stop the leak? If so, can you just do it to one wall?

Any feedback is appreciated

[harry chickpea]

Well, you got a decent bid for doing the job right. Since you don't have the money for that, you will be going with patchwork. First - get the water way from the foundation. It isn't your responsibility to prevent water from going onto a neighbor's property. It is your responsibility to protect your investment.

Lay a layer of sloping soil with the slope away from the house (or dig a trench). You can fool around with putting plastic under the topsoil or putting pavers on top, but get the pooling water at least four feet from the foundation. If you want to put in corrugated drain pipe, go ahead, but an open slope is easier to keep clear and for surface water works better over time.

If the vertical joint is an expansion joint, then any filler would want to have some flex to it. On the cheap end, go to a big box home store and ask what is popular in the area. Stay away from the rigid stuff, like hydraulic cement, that would otherwise be great. You want something rubberized. If the water pressure isn't high and the problem is intermittent, then an interior stucco-like coating like the old Thoroseal might work fine. If not, there will be excavation involved.

Spend most of your effort and money on correcting the soil slope.