Flooded Basement Problems

• Question

Ok so here it goes ... My basement floods .. My fiancé and I bought our house 6 years ago and we are first time home buyers !! Not sure what to do ??? Our basement is not finished and we would like to finish it to have more living space half of the basement is blocked off ?? How can we try to fix this problem ?? PLEASE HELP US!! We love our home and I believe in karma. So ... I do not want to sell to another person who would be unaware of the flooding like we were ! It is a terrible feeling every time we get rain I have a pit in my stomach :( .. Any advice would be greatly appreciated !! Thanks !! Your neighborhood bartender :) Jess from J.T. Cafe !!

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• Charlie's Solution:

Jessica,

Water in the basement is always a nightmare. The reasons can vary dramatically depending on the condition, not only of the house, but also the property surrounding the home.

A couple of questions. Could you tell me where the "water" is coming from?  The floor or the walls?  Does it pour through or just get wet/damp? You say floods; are we talking inches of water? It only gets water after rain?  What are the walls made of?  Concrete block, stone rubble, or concrete?  There is a concrete slab in the basement right?

• Outside. Do you live on a hill? What is immediately around the house? Dirt? Concrete slabs? Deck? Plants?  Do your leaders (roof gutter drains) empty out directly into the ground (underground), onto the surface of the ground around the house?  Are your gutters working or does the rain water run off the roof onto the ground below?

These are all important questions.

My initial thoughts to repair it completely (99%) would be a combination of under slab drainage along the inside edge of the basement leading to a sump pit and pump.  Additionally, I would dig up the outside of the home and re-waterproof the walls. Lastly, I would paint the inside walls of the basement with a water/moisture blocking paint. These recommendations might be altered or some may be added depending on your conditions.

Send me answers to the questions I asked and I will try to steer you in the correct direction.

Good luck and in the meantime pray for a drought.


-Charlie Frattini
TV Host/Master Builder of A&E's Sell This House Extreme
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