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Hi there,
I have a deep crawl space . 54" deep from cement to joists. So there is a drain for the funace & a 2nd drain for emergency. It has block walls with vents. The walls have rolled insulation which covers the vents. The space has heat and air conditioning. The lot was graded properly and there are unclogged gutter poop ups. I added a dehumidifier which keeps moisture low. This was also over looked. This is a great place for storage and my furnace. My tankless water tank should be down there too but Builder said it was against code. Heres the problem, there is water inside the block walls at the bottom, it seeps in where the block meets the floor & there are large cracks in the floor where clay has got wet and heaved up the floor. The worst part is the cement floor does not slope to any drain! So when it rains I still have to shop vac water over to a 'workable drain.' The City said pretty much that there's no codes that apply here because it's just a crawl space - and that I do have a 'workable drain.' So basically my house is sitting in a pool of water where the water has no where to go. Wheres Code for mitigating water and moisture from my conditioned useable space? City just told me that there is a high water table in the area. Why not require a sump pump then? So simple. Two basement companies each quoted 20k to add a sump pump and properly moisture proof the crawl. They both called my crawl a mini basement since its conditioned and has the cement floor. Any pro's out there that could help with applying code for a Conditioned crawl space and mitigating water and moisture and, floors that slope to a drain? I could really use the help. Ps I still do not hagec100% occupancy. Thank you for any help.
First off, your crawl space has a concrete slab or as they call it, a Rat slab. It’s not cement since cement is a powder that’s the adhesive ingredient in concrete, mortar and other cementitious products.
It’s sounds like your crawl space is really unsuitable for storage since you have a high water table and probably high humidity even with your equipment to mitigate the moisture and move the air. A sump pump could be a waste of money unless you know the height of the water table and how much (if at all) it rises when having a storm or substantial rainfall. It is unfortunate that the builder did not slope all of the concrete slab areas to the drain. We also don’t know if the builder placed the slam on a crushed stone base and how thick the slab actually is.
You, or a professional, would need to monitor and determine the height of the water table under normal conditions, as well as the rise durning a rain storm, prior to considering a sump pump. It could be a viable option if it will prevent the water lever from rising above the slab. All of the necessary unknown information can be determined, however it will require a professional and involve some money to come up with a good plan to use this area for storage. Hope this helps!
You're not going to be able to turn your cellar (calling it what it is) into a boat. You need to figure out how to get the water away from the foundation. This may involve deep trenches filled with gravel, or dry wells with sump pumps, or other things that I'm not familiar with.
Quit worrying about "code" and concentrate on getting the space dry.
What does "not 100% occupancy" mean? You live there six days a week and somewhere else the other day?
I still only have temp occupancy because there are a few code violations which I have fixed and landscaping for water mitigation on driveway side of house. My drive and the neighbors drive used to be same height. My driveway now is 12" higher. There is only 5' from my house to the neighbors driveway. So I worked with the City to mediate water over there. First it was a retaining wall, then french drian, then a dry well... now its finished as a gental slope to a swale which I've seen in a code book where there is less than 10 feet. And I've just been told that my drive didnt have to be 12" high. I could have applied for a variance. So I have a retaining wall 3ft from my neighbors along the driveway. I never saw this one coming. Omg! Thank you for the water monitoring advice. I can't believe it. I'm doing it starting this week. I will find someone to work with on this before I put in a sump pump. When I first got temp occupancy, I had an inspection company inspect. They said it's only one of 3 houses in 15 years they've seen with such poor workmanship. I think the builder kept too much money and underpaid his subcontractors. They all got me somehow. The only thing good in my house is what he didnt touch. Builder even nailed siding in place and trim is falling out of place. Nothing is mitered.
...I had an inspection company inspect. They said it's only one of 3 houses in 15 years they've seen with such poor workmanship. I think the builder kept too much money and underpaid his subcontractors. They all got me somehow.
And you bought it anyway!?
That explains everything- and nothing! I suggest you seek an attorney not subcontractors. Any advise you get here about fixing this or that, just leads you down the road of "chasing good money after bad".
I still only have temp occupancy because there are a few code violations which I have fixed and landscaping for water mitigation on driveway side of house. My drive and the neighbors drive used to be same height. My driveway now is 12" higher. There is only 5' from my house to the neighbors driveway. So I worked with the City to mediate water over there. First it was a retaining wall, then french drian, then a dry well... now its finished as a gental slope to a swale which I've seen in a code book where there is less than 10 feet. And I've just been told that my drive didnt have to be 12" high. I could have applied for a variance. So I have a retaining wall 3ft from my neighbors along the driveway. I never saw this one coming. Omg! Thank you for the water monitoring advice. I can't believe it. I'm doing it starting this week. I will find someone to work with on this before I put in a sump pump. When I first got temp occupancy, I had an inspection company inspect. They said it's only one of 3 houses in 15 years they've seen with such poor workmanship. I think the builder kept too much money and underpaid his subcontractors. They all got me somehow. The only thing good in my house is what he didnt touch. Builder even nailed siding in place and trim is falling out of place. Nothing is mitered.
Sounds like you have bigger fish to fry before thinking about crawl space storage!
No matter what, I have to fix the water problem. Its baffling that no one is to blame but me. No Code, no City building dept and an aweful Builder. What kind of house do I have if it's in a pool? Errr
Where are you in MI? There is very high water table in MI right now, and my relatives have similar issues, with wet finished basement in a new construction house. The developer and township don't respond to their emails.
No matter what, I have to fix the water problem. Its baffling that no one is to blame but me. No Code, no City building dept and an aweful Builder. What kind of house do I have if it's in a pool? Errr
Right.
Not sure why we need to know the level of the water table to solve the problem--- You know where it is when the space is flooded. You need a sump pump. The only question is how big and how durable. Holland is one giant flooded crawl space with pumps running continuously. They've been doing OK for 500 yrs.
(If you really want to know the water table, just dig a post hole hear the house and see at what depth the water start oozing in...a mini-well, so to speak.)
Make sure roof, lawn & driveway run off goes way away from house and does truly run away. You don't want all that water flowing back to your foundation.
Improved drain tiles around base of foundation may help some. If the water table is all that high, they'll be full most of the time anyway and only fruitlessly serve to drain your yard.
The purpose of a "drain" in a basement is not really to allow water to drain out, but to serve as a relief route for hydrostatic pressure under the floor so it doesn't break or let the house float off like a boat.
Is this a new house? If so, you should be going after the builder to correct these problems. You may want to talk to a lawyer for advice.
Have you already closed on it? If there is not a C.O., you may have an out to cancel the contract. Again, seek out a good real estate lawyer.
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