Daily Dose Blogger Bios
basement diaries
So right now I'm hoping that we haven't just built ourselves a huge problem underneath our house, but I can't be sure. Back in the happy days, before the renovation times, when we still had grass in our yard, we had no basement, and hence no water problems. Now we have a basement that fills up every time it rains. OK it doesn't fill up, but there's definitely water down there. Putting the roof on did improve things significantly, but after every rain, we have wet walls and a tiny indoor pond. Note how unhappy my husband Josh looks as he tries to usher the water down the tiny drain and sump pump that is in permanent residence down there.
The solution? Hard to say. We seem to have a grading problem, meaning that water runs down a hill straight into the basement through the place where the foundation meets the floorboards. What we're trying to do right now is dig a trench around the house, thus tricking the water into heading down a different path, onto the street. Maybe this is called a French drain, but I'm not sure:
Click below to see more about this and perhaps to offer us some advice...
Here's where the water is supposed to run out into the street. What we're hoping is that the water isn't actually out to get us and will follow the easier path downhill into the road rather than into our basement. But I don't know the slightest bit of anything about this, and Josh just gets furious and unreasonable whenever he thinks about it, which is no help. (In fact, check in later this week to see if we're still married after I posted that photo of him above) Has anyone out there had similar experiences? Got any websites that I should check out? Any advice would be much appreciated... I would love to have this issue resolved so that we can get on with picking fun stuff like wall coverings and bathroom fixtures.
In closing, here's the house on Sunday...
It was so nice to see you over at my blog, I replied to your comment over there on the Shredded Bliss post. I have been lurking here watching your reno since you started, and I'm amazed by your progress - I can't wait until you have walls and floors so you can start the fun part - decorating!
-h
Have you looked into whether or not you have drain tile around your home? Both drain tile and/or creating a French Drain, but in a trough style around the perimeter of your home would help. BUT, if you have excessive quickly puddling water around the house that cannot percolate into your drain(s) fast enough, the moisture will over time still affect your house's exterior walls and cladding. Been here - done this. Most water-preventative effective is to BOTH re-grade your surrounding property AND add drainage...over time, water will di$troy your home...drip by drip
Are you going to garden? It's not just that I am single-minded, which I am ... but a landscaper takes care of all grading and drainage issues surrounding your house. Believe me, I do this stuff in my sleep... maybe that's why I'm an insomniac...
Love the progress!