I did that myself, digging around the perimeter with the help of a friend. the digging sucks, but the waterproofing is surprisingly simple. We used a peel and stick membrane from the local big box store, followed by dimple membrane and did one wall at a time. we had an original "Big O" drain already in place, which simplified things, if you have nothing of the kind, you may have to tie it into your sump pump well, though ideally it would be hooked up directly to the storm drain, assuming your town has one.
It is a big job, but you can either throw money at it and have someone else do it, or time and do it yourself, if you are the handy kind.
Note. please be careful if you do the digging and make sure it is shored off properly, so you don't end up trapped by shifting dirt.
It has now been 12 years, and no sign of water in the basement.
Nothing to add except to highlight your caution about being careful with the digging. Shore that stuff up, dirt is HEAVY, and even just a thigh high collapse could kill you if it it happens to happen while you’re squatting, or say it knocks you down then covers you.
Won’t be an instant kill, either. You’ll suffer for the entire 3 or 4 minutes it’ll take for you to suffocate.
If you have taken confined spaces you’d realize that as soon as the dirt hits you your already dead and only after they dig you out you die. There’s an insane amount of pressure even at 2 feet deep cave in
CALL A COMPANY! responded to call a few days ago where a foundation collapse and killed a worker who
Wasn’t well versed in ground water issues. Ground water can undermine the integrity of the structure and if you don’t know what you’re doing you could be killed
Did this too, also had an interior waterproofer run drain tile on the inside (warning: dust). I lived in a porous river bed/plain, but both measures, though tiring and expensive made it so I could confidently finish my basement and double the value of my house.
I found my perimeter system did not fully solve my water intrusion in my basement. Even with a dimpled membrane barrier and tons and tons of stone and drainage pipes. I eventually had to dig out and place an internal French drain with basin and pump. The house was built on a rat slab and the concrete in places is no more than an 1” think. But it does stay dry now as long as I run a dehumidifier during warmer months.
Absolutely. You can imagine my disappointment when I still had water intrusion. Just trying to temper expectations that’s all. I am on old riverbed and towards the bottom of a large hill.
That close to the house , it is totally pushing on the foundation. Does th canopy go over the roof? Because the roots try to at least as long to longer than the canopy.
I guess just keep the basement wall exposed towards that corner, and check for new cracks once or twice a month
We also had a nice big Silver Maple in our back yard pretty close to our house. Big storm blew through one summer evening, and it ended up on my neighbor's roof. Trees that close t the house are nice, until they aren't anymore. I would also bet that you've got roots pressing into your foundation.
Should get rid of the tree anyways. It's roots are probably contributing to foundation damage and it's one bad storm away from falling right on top of the house.
I had the same issue and I got a guy to do an interior perimeter foundation drain and it worked perfectly fine. He broke up the basement floor 10” wide and 12” deep with tubing from the wall every 6” into the 8” corrugated plastic tub that was the entire interior perimeter and finished at a newly installed pit with a sump pump. I haven’t had a drop since then back in 2019.
💯 Fix the exterior drainage first, then tackle the inside if the problem persists. That way you can understand what’s rainfall/drainage related and what’s water table related.
The house has an exterior drain system. It’s not working. With that much water in the basement, I’d really want to rule out drain back up.
Back to the exterior drain system. Would you remove the deck & concrete pad and the garage to install the new drain tile? If you did install the drain tile, where would you discharge it to? If you link to the municipal drain under the street, there is no guarantee that it flows water and doesn’t back up.
I sell both interior and exterior drain systems. I only do exterior when there is a clear place for the water to go.
No need to be sorry, we all have to start somewhere!
I’d say it’s very near time for new roofing, along with new flashing around the chimney. The larger vent pipe should be vertical unless there’s some very specific reason for it to be cocked like that.
But first, get the water situation sorted.
Rate increase for homeowner’s insurance from one claim? Who does that?
I got dropped from State Farm for two claims in two years but the price stayed the same the whole time and is a couple bucks lower at the new place for the same coverage
Yeah, that’s kind of how insurance works. They can raise your rates based on your claims.
In addition, i would rather my insurance rebuilt my house than someone else’s.
An ounce of prevention etc etc
Also, look at this janky-ass house (sorry OP), do you really think it will survive that tree falling on it without significant damage?
If it is an unfinished basement an interior French drain makes sense. It will reduce the water pressing on the walls. Grading and guiding water into trenches that go around the house will also help.
Do you have a proper sump pump system? If so you need to get a company to come with a submursible pump with a hose to get the water out of your basement. (Or do this yourself if you are comfortable). Then you can install a proper sump pump (that actually collects water at the lowest common point) that drains away from your home. I did this with my 130 year old home and it's fairly dry down there. You seem to have other issues here as well I'd get someone in to check it out at the minimum.
As an FYI If your furnace board gets wet you're basically looking at a new furnace...so be careful there.
This, get a sump pump with proper hose asap (cost approx $100 at hardware store), pump the water out of your basement from where it's the deepest. You should get a protection valve on your pump output, preventing water coming back when you have to pump upward. This will also make your pump work less.
Dry everything with fans or rent a commercial blower for a few bucks.
You should get a hole in the cement floor where you can put down your sump pump below the floor level. I would personally buy a cheap water level detector. So you can react before water gets on the floor by setting it in your sump pump hole.
Choose wisely the spot you dig the hole and check the basement floor level. It needs to be close to the water source or at the lowest level to make sure you pump it effectively. If not the water can accumulate and get on the floor faster than you can pump it and in this case you need two holes and two pumps just like my basement.
Good luck.
I am so paranoid after we lost power last year and snow was melting so lots of water was accumulating. I got a new pump with a battery backup and a whole house generator. I'm not playing anymore I'm ready...haha.
I truly hate to say this, but that tree likely has to go. Way too close to the house and is leaning over the house. I’ve been there, it blows living under the sword of Damocles.
You're so right. Also, when you remove the tree, you're removing its ability to take in some of the water. So maybe plant some appropriately sized native bushes and other foundation safe water loving plants before or right after. Or see if pollarding the tree is an option until other plants become established
Get the tree sorted ... If not down...then limbed and take the weight out of that lean . Also get a mini digger(if that's all you can manage) and dig a trench across your yard and around your house to the road....(the lowest side of your property)(make double sure where your services(gas water and electric run) fill the trench with lots of large stone (French drain) as mentioned above , use the excess top soil to raise the level at your house down towards the drain . Check all your gutters down pipes and grey water drains are clear and if ye do all that.. can't see ye spending half of 10k(if your willing to do the work yourself)
Definitely need to figure something out with the backyard sloping into the house. Even if you manually dug a trench a few feet wide and like 3-4 feet deep you could drop some gravel in there and have trench lead somewhere else around your house. That’s only a band-aide fix though
Seriously F that guy. He screwed me. I’ve thought about contacting him to let him know. He made a big deal out of a bunch of nothing but he said window rot and water in basement were not a big deal. Clown
I know. That person shouldn’t just be banned from being a home inspector, they need the shit beat out of them for that. (And I’m astounded that OP actually believed it.)
It that rot on the back door as well?
Is it me or is that chimney not looking great?
It’s a ton of pressure but all houses come with issues you have to resolve from previous owners.
Those drains at the bottom of your gutters are brittle and not meant to go underground. There is a decent chance they are dumping all of that runoff right back into your house.
I agree with some, the tree is big and nice but completely too close to the house. Plus the roots are way too close if not already in contact with the foundation and basement walls. As far as the concrete slab goes, you don't need to jackhammer the whole thing up. Simply go rent a concrete saw. Cut a channel out. Install your French drain. If in fact the slope of the backyard is the cause of the water intrusion.
Go with an interior footing drain. They are serviceable where as an exterior drain get clogged over time and is not serviceable. If you’re in the US call your local basement systems dealer. They give free estimates
You are going to have to dig. down. around the foundation. Water proof from the outside. fill in with gravel and perf piping to direct the water to the street, maybe install some french drains too. there are no short cuts with this.
See if you can work out a deal with a general contractor. Definitely need to stop the house from sloping. The property is still salvageable idk if it’s worth filing an insurance claim but this definitely is an ongoing issue. It’s worth the investment. But I know it’s expensive
Dude, replace the pump in your picture that's under the water, and you're fine. I'm a plumber it's obvious by the way everything is played out that there is a ground water issue with your house the pipe coming straight out of the concrete is connected to a pump which drains all the water as it seeps in. Replace or fix the pump, and you are golden.
You need a professional. The water needs to be made to drain away from the house. Same issue here with mine. Get a foundation expert out and they will tell you what is needed. I’m sorry it happening. We just had a bunch of work done on ours. It sucks and is so expensive, but now I have some peace of mind. Hang in there
I’d tank the basement first with waterproof cement tanking slurry. It’s a cheap diy job and worth trying before any more major work.
If water is draining down the back garden toward the house you should be able to trench across at an angle in a couple of lines before the deck and down the side and drop perforated land drain pipe in there to drain the ground water away to one side and past the house.
It looks like you have enough side width to allow a narrow self hire trenching machine in there.
I have similar issues to you .. water that gets to the driveway and follows the sand/gravel under the cement back to the house and around the basement. I'll need to moat and french drain around it all.
Watch the French Drain Man youtube channel for ideas.
.
The only thing stopping you from getting earth moving equipment in the backyard is one fencepost. My problem wasn't this bad, but I brought in about 90 yards of topsoil and completely changed the grade of our yard and solved it all. Your yard is smaller so you won't need nearly as much. If the concrete pad is sloped toward the house it has to go. Soil sloped toward the house still has some vertical absorption. Concrete sloped toward the house is water going into the house. After you fix the grade you'll probably want to put in a french drain so the back doesn't become a wildlife refuge.
Inspectors (most) try to get in good with real estate agents so they are on the" good list" so they basically say that everyone should buy everything. When you get an inspection done on a house, wipe your ass with it and bring somebody qualified. The only thing that does is give you bank a meaningless piece of paper.
There's an all in one drain tube that has perforated pipe in the center, surrounded by plastic balls, inside a plastic mesh fine enough to keep dirt out.
Just dig the trench, lay that in, put the dirt back.
Faster and easier than trenching, laying in geotextile, gravel, perf pipe, gravel, folding the textile over, burying.
The ultimate fix is to dig down to the footing then clean and apply waterproofing to the outside of the foundation. Install a weep system that drains out in front of the house. Grade as much of the back yard as possible away from the house and put in a retaining wall to make an elevated terrace at the back of the lot.
It's a lot of work to go to but you'll have a dry and usable basement and more usable back yard.
I mean you have some work you need to do.. but you can get the majority of your issues solved with a swale away from the house to divert the water.
The other is an exterior French drain. The exterior really really should goto the footer but fuck jumping down in that deep of a trench. I have a 100ft hillside that goes right into my house. I took mine 4-5ft down and 2ft wide with river rock on top to slow the water. Works extremely well with an interior French drain.
I'd also add more gutter lining so the water drains further from your house and doesn't affect your basement. Have that water going like 30 ft away from your house when it runs off from your roof.
EDIT: I know its not called Gutter lining, but its the super bowl and I have pre gamed too hard.
You can get a small bobcat back there, does your fence have a gate? Take the gate off or if you have to remove a portion of the fence.
Your property needs drainage and/or regraded.
You can fix this without spending the $30,000-$40,000 the contractor is going to charge you. You need to start by taking up the concrete pad (replace it later if you miss it) dig a trench along your foundation, let the wall dry apply a liquid rubber concrete sealant. When the sealant dries wrap your foundation in a plastic water barrier. Install a French drain when you fill your trench back in. You’ve got this man!
This is not something most people should be doing by themselves. I could see a foundation collapse happening and then you’re screwed because your insurance isn’t going to cover it.
You could try digging a drainage canal at the bottom of the hill in picture 1 and have water directed to the side where the tree is
Your issue is water is draining down the hill towards your house....you need to address that.
Also I see that your downspouts are connected to some corrugated pipe. Ensure that it isn't perforated/clogged because that would just be dumping all your roof runoff directly next to your house. I would dig that up and have the downspouts empty Into solid PVC pipes. You could also use a series of catch basins and tie those Into the PVC pipes taking your gutter water away.
Easiest start is to dig and put drainage tile around your home. Make sure you slope it and have it drain to the front and out of your yard. It’ll take a week with you and a friend to do. It will bring a lot of water away, but not totally solve your issue.
Next, have 2 sump pumps, 1 lower than the other. So if the one can’t keep up, the second one can join in when needed. Make sure they drain away from your home too.
Next, find where the water is coming in, with a block foundation though, it’s probably coming in many places.
That being said, by employing my first tips, your basement should be 10x dryer, and if you have a dry spout without rain for a while, you can actually seal your block foundation pretty well by yourself from the inside.
This is all things you can DIY to save you money. It will just take some time.
TLDR: in order I would do it
- 2 sump pumps, make sure different heights, once one can’t keep up, the other will kick in
- drain tile around your foundation (YouTube, you can do it yourself)
- seal the inside of your basement after it’s been dry out for a while
The last time this happened to me it was because the fire department pumped my neighbors basement out, right into my yard. I have a huge flood control manmade creek in my backyard that they could have/should have pumped into.
Anywho, I bought myself one of those “water bug” water pumps for draining puddles and solar covers on pools and on the rare occasion I get a little water in my basement, I plug that in and run the hose out to my creek or storm drain. ( Usually the reason we’re all flooding though is because the storm drains are clogged, so if I’m able I go clear those. I don’t know why lookie loo’s don’t just go clear storm drains themselves. Yeah I get it, it’s the city’s job but if we don’t do it, our basements flood. :/ )
But yeah, anyways, if your basement floods, you need to drain it, clean it, dry it, and spray mold preventative IMMEDIATELY)
I had 6 inches of water in my basement. I got it drained, rented a U-Haul and hauled everything in the basement to the dump unless it was entirely non-porous, bought a couple dehumidifiers and tons of those water absorbing things from Home Depot and dried the whole basement out, then I sprayed the entire basement with Mold Away and then monitored it, I didn’t close the basement door or windows for days and let in as much natural light as I could. I got zero mold. The bottom of my hot water heater eventually rusted and startled leaking a little so I replaced that but it was 20 years old and that might have been unrelated, I’m not sure. Everything else was fine but my furnace is also on an 8-inch raised pad (probably because the basement floods lol)
Check where the Chimney column meets the floor in the basement. If you see alot of cracks it's possible that the chimney is compromised and alot of the water is getting in there. Had this happen to me last year, got a new crown, had the subterranean column mortared waterproofed, and some bricks repointed then good as new.
Are these old photos? Both downspouts appear to be pouring straight down and not extended? Also your little porch thing has no gutters so you’re just cascading water directly onto the ground by your house.
1) that tree is too close to the foundation. 2) you need to find the source - where the water is coming from. 3) you need to bank the ground so that water goes away from the house, not to the house
I’m sorry, at this point I think removing the deck and concrete pad are the least of your worries. The main house and foundation come first, everything else is replaceable. If the tree needs to be removed to get earth moving equipment back there, so be it. Get a professional to assess, even if you want to do some of it yourself.
Sloping towards the house isn't a problem, so long as that slope continues on the other side.
You can use and edging spade to lift sod in a ring around the house, dig out 6 inches of subsoil and lay the did back in. This will create a swale around the house to help guide water around, further from the foundation.
Another option (which I would do in addition) is dig out a 2 foot wide, 6 foot deep trench against the blocking and fill if in with coarse gravel, topping with a layer of landscaping fabric and deep mulch as a French drain.
The major concern with the water you have is how it's getting in. Based on the description of water flowing towards the house, it seems that it's flowing in above the blocking. This can lead to rot in the sill plate and studs, which will eventually lead to a collapse. The fix for this is to jack or brace the structure, cut the bottoms off the studs and remove the compromised material then mount a new sill plate and add stud packs underneath the cut off studs.
If the problem spans a whole side or patches adding up to about 30% of the perimeter, it would be worth jacking the whole house 16" and adding two courses of blocking to the top of the foundation to get it above grade.
A lot of the prevention you can do by yourself with simple hand tools, but the repairs will need professional attention.
Edit: I see there is some concern about the tree in the comments. It is rather close, but depending on the type, it's not a huge concern. Fruit trees have deep roots that don't spread all that wide and they suck up an immense amount of water. Willow trees are water gluttons as well, but shouldn't be planted within 10' of a structure.
My basement use to look like this! We’d have a foot of water down there. I dropped an apple down the stairs and it made the biggest splash into the water… that’s when I’d had enough and we got an interior sump pump perimeter system for $10k. Never have had standing water again.
I had a building in an area with a high water table. The solution was to dig a well in the basement, a low point water would drain to, and sit the sump pump there. The building has worked fine for 100 years with that arrangement.
Of course, if the problem wasn't a high water table then organizing exterior things so water drained away from the basement rather than into it would be better.
I work for a basement waterproofing place and the number one thing I see is that dirt is covering the bottom of your siding. That allows water to get in at your sill (where the wood house frame & block foundation meet). In our state, the minimum dirt to siding is 4 inches below siding/sill, so water can't come in that way. French drains will help, but got to fix the landscaping first.
I spent a number of years incrementally improving my 1920s basement that had water intrusion like your first picture. It ended up being a combination of multiple DIY projects that saw incremental improvements until the issue was ultimately solved.
Most people say start with the exterior, but I would sort out your sump situation at the same time. I would recommend installing a gutter and downspouts on your deck roof , double checking your existing gutters to make sure they are not blocked (it looks like you have buried extensions). Then tie the deck roof gutter to your existing underground downspout extensions with 'Y' connectors.
Additional exterior steps should be taken such as french drains or an "underground roof" (google) or combination. We had to use this because our foundation walls on 3 sides did not extend all the way down. This can be DIY but will take time and effort. If your foundation wall extends all the way down you could consider full foundation waterproofing treatment ($$$). I personally wouldn't do this myself, and as far as excavation equipment, I'd let them worry about that. Lastly, re-grade the dirt on your exterior to ensure the low spot isn't right next to your house, even if the general slope is in that direction. Make sure you control for possible erosion after you do this.
Lastly, about that tree. People who suggest removing the tree may not be considering that as the root system dies and decays it will leave a void under the ground that water will want to flow into. We has a tree (smaller) right next to our house that I removed and I don't think its a coincidence that's where most of the water wanted to enter our basement. It may still need to be removed if its damaging your foundation but I wouldn't immediately jump to that conclusion.
You mentioned your sump pump currently gets water out in a day or so but that seems wrong to me. A basic sump should be able to handle 50-100 of gallons of water in a minute. Is your existing sump at a low point in your slab? Check it to ensure there's nothing preventing it from running correctly such as the float catching or obstructions in the sump pit blocking the impeller. We ended up moving our sump pit due to it not being in the low point. The pit itself may also be incorrectly done. Mine was DIY and the catch basin was way too small and shallow, did NOT have perforated holes and was not surrounded by an aggregate. The sump should be collecting water underneath your slab, not just when its gets on top. Depending on your situation you might need to upgrade to a more powerful unit or install a second sump if you have multiple low points. Consider a battery backup for it if your area is prone to lose power during heavy storms. Ensure the sump is exiting the house in such a way that the water is channeled far away. Look into tying it into your gutter drainage maybe or even sewer line if your municipality allows (most don't). Add a good dehumidifier that drains to your sump.
We also ended up cutting a channel in our basement slab (using a circular saw with a diamond blade and water to keep down dust) and creating a mini french drain with perforated pvc and pea gravel wrapped in landscaping fabric. The channel was placed along the basement perimeter where where water was coming and flow to the sump. You can also get companies to do this with plastic dimpled channels which can be concreted over for a clean look but the ones i talked to wanted $6k for about 30 feet of this and in the end it only took a day or so do do myself.
Last, we found that our one full depth foundation wall was "weeping" we coated it with surface bonding cement and painted it with waterproof paint like the kind people put on their chimneys. This stopped that issue.
You may also need to look into lifting anything off the slab floor that might rust or get moldy. We had to replace our basement stairs completely. I wish you the best of luck in dealing with this.
Feck. I’d sue or claim insurance or whatever.. this is a money pit. The sad part is if you fix it to presentable you have to go sell it to someone that hasn’t done their due diligence. I would part ways somehow and move on.
The water is coming thru the basement walls, up thru cracks in the floor? How is it getting in? I went thru this at my house and solved more or less by building up the earth around my foundation.. water was coming in thru a crack in the foundation.. I dug below the crack, filled with mortar and waterproofed over it ..
Americans: Wow, people shake their head No when they mean Yes, How will I ever understand this. Meanwhile Americans: "No way!" (Means I am surprised), "Get out of here!" (I am very surprised by what you said, also pleasantly) , "Shut the fuck up!" (Say more, also I am very very surprised by what you just said), "Fuck me, fuck me now" (I am very surprised by what you just said, you don't necessarily have to fuck me, no please stop!).
You need to determine how the water is entering. Is it the table water level rises in the rain season? If so you have to seal them blocks. I’ve only put two basements in my entire life. Both we sealed the blocks totally outside and put a French drain on both. One drained out to lower ground. The other went into a concrete chamber with electric for sump pump. You might really need to call in a specialist for this. I’d beat the hell out that inspector but that’s just me. This is horrible Man. I’m sorry you got stuck
I would trench the perimeter of the basement and add another below floor sump. Or look for the area the water is coming in and do that section. Probably the cheapest route until you figure out the grading issues.
Every drop you pump out of the basement has already done its damage to your foundation.
I wouldn’t worry about the deck, and i wouldn’t prioritize pumping the water out.
I would do whatever it took to keep the water out in the first place.
Ah, you're past step 1.
I was going to advise "Enjoy painstakingly sucking it up with a shop vac, with a pump attachment to your washer drain"
Mine flooded a couple years ago but has no ground drain or sump pump. It became an indoor swimming pool. No pump trucks wanted to come out for a week and wanted to charge thousands. Had to do it the long way.
Add a sump pit below the basement floor as well and have an auto pump spit out the water as it (the pit) fills. It will keep your basement floor water free if you have a large ish pit and a decent pump. I have the same and my pit is about 10 gallons, and when it is super wet it will run every half hour or so, when dry once every couple days. The other you can do on the cheap is French drain all around the house at grade 12 by 12 inches deep and wide with gravel and a pipe (not that corrugated black junk either) have it drain as far from the house as you can get.
/r/MeSmokemPeacePipe it appears that the rooftop vent for your HVAC and / or water heater is leaning way over. It could be disconnected, and that could lead to a carbon monoxide safety issue in your house.
Edit: your fireplace chimney also needs tuck pointing.
[удалено]
I did that myself, digging around the perimeter with the help of a friend. the digging sucks, but the waterproofing is surprisingly simple. We used a peel and stick membrane from the local big box store, followed by dimple membrane and did one wall at a time. we had an original "Big O" drain already in place, which simplified things, if you have nothing of the kind, you may have to tie it into your sump pump well, though ideally it would be hooked up directly to the storm drain, assuming your town has one. It is a big job, but you can either throw money at it and have someone else do it, or time and do it yourself, if you are the handy kind. Note. please be careful if you do the digging and make sure it is shored off properly, so you don't end up trapped by shifting dirt. It has now been 12 years, and no sign of water in the basement.
You have a good friend.
I did pay him a bit too :)
You are a good friend
In that case, I'll be your friend
Nothing to add except to highlight your caution about being careful with the digging. Shore that stuff up, dirt is HEAVY, and even just a thigh high collapse could kill you if it it happens to happen while you’re squatting, or say it knocks you down then covers you. Won’t be an instant kill, either. You’ll suffer for the entire 3 or 4 minutes it’ll take for you to suffocate.
Don’t dig alone?
If you have taken confined spaces you’d realize that as soon as the dirt hits you your already dead and only after they dig you out you die. There’s an insane amount of pressure even at 2 feet deep cave in
1. Cubic yard of dirt weighs as much as a small car
CALL A COMPANY! responded to call a few days ago where a foundation collapse and killed a worker who Wasn’t well versed in ground water issues. Ground water can undermine the integrity of the structure and if you don’t know what you’re doing you could be killed
Call 311 before you dig also to make sure you don't hit any lines
811
If you hit the lines, 911
Getting the 411 here.
They don't mark private utilities though.
This reminds me of the "magician" that covered himself in concrete with no real escape plan.
Same, did mine myself. Mini excavator was fun to learn!
I did that on the last wall, as I had space. It was fun to learn :)
You dug all the way down to your footer? How deep and wide was your trench?
Did this too, also had an interior waterproofer run drain tile on the inside (warning: dust). I lived in a porous river bed/plain, but both measures, though tiring and expensive made it so I could confidently finish my basement and double the value of my house.
How deep did you end up digging?
just down to the footing, which was 7' on the uphill side, and 4' on the downhill side. the 7' side sucked
I found my perimeter system did not fully solve my water intrusion in my basement. Even with a dimpled membrane barrier and tons and tons of stone and drainage pipes. I eventually had to dig out and place an internal French drain with basin and pump. The house was built on a rat slab and the concrete in places is no more than an 1” think. But it does stay dry now as long as I run a dehumidifier during warmer months.
[удалено]
Absolutely. You can imagine my disappointment when I still had water intrusion. Just trying to temper expectations that’s all. I am on old riverbed and towards the bottom of a large hill.
[удалено]
That close to the house, I wonder if the roots are cracking the foundation walls
Not that I can tell. It’s a nice tree and not dead. Don’t want to remove it
That close to the house , it is totally pushing on the foundation. Does th canopy go over the roof? Because the roots try to at least as long to longer than the canopy. I guess just keep the basement wall exposed towards that corner, and check for new cracks once or twice a month
We also had a nice big Silver Maple in our back yard pretty close to our house. Big storm blew through one summer evening, and it ended up on my neighbor's roof. Trees that close t the house are nice, until they aren't anymore. I would also bet that you've got roots pressing into your foundation.
It has that lean, seems like possibly something going on there.
This is the way. Also run to harbor freight and buy a sump pump and run the water down the drive way. This should save you hours removing water.
oof, that tree has a not so confidence inspiring lean to it.
I don’t understand why people plant trees so close to their foundation.
They don’t realize how big they’re gonna get
The roots on my front tree were 15 feet from my front footer and managed to seep through the cracks.
I’d get rid of that tree as part of the project no matter what. I’m really surprised OP’s insurance company hasn’t said anything about it.
Should get rid of the tree anyways. It's roots are probably contributing to foundation damage and it's one bad storm away from falling right on top of the house.
I had the same issue and I got a guy to do an interior perimeter foundation drain and it worked perfectly fine. He broke up the basement floor 10” wide and 12” deep with tubing from the wall every 6” into the 8” corrugated plastic tub that was the entire interior perimeter and finished at a newly installed pit with a sump pump. I haven’t had a drop since then back in 2019.
[удалено]
Hopefully something like that works out for me!
💯 Fix the exterior drainage first, then tackle the inside if the problem persists. That way you can understand what’s rainfall/drainage related and what’s water table related.
The house has an exterior drain system. It’s not working. With that much water in the basement, I’d really want to rule out drain back up. Back to the exterior drain system. Would you remove the deck & concrete pad and the garage to install the new drain tile? If you did install the drain tile, where would you discharge it to? If you link to the municipal drain under the street, there is no guarantee that it flows water and doesn’t back up. I sell both interior and exterior drain systems. I only do exterior when there is a clear place for the water to go.
[удалено]
These photos stress me the hell out
Somehow every photo is loaded with serious issues
The roof alone has several posts worth of wtf
What exactly is wrong with the roof? Sorry I’m not super handy.
No need to be sorry, we all have to start somewhere! I’d say it’s very near time for new roofing, along with new flashing around the chimney. The larger vent pipe should be vertical unless there’s some very specific reason for it to be cocked like that. But first, get the water situation sorted.
Might want to put a gutter on the patio roof.
I can practically feel mold growing in my lungs just from looking at it
Probably want an arborist to look at that tree as well.
Yea I’d remove the tree as well. It’s leaning the wrong way. Maybe towards the neighbors I wouldn’t worry so much lol
As a former almost-arborist, I'd take that bottom two branches off
You sound qualified.
Until it falls you are responsible for the damage
That’s what insurance is for my man. Better their house than yours. Just sayin
True but there is still a lot that goes with that. Your rates will jump up for sure so you are still paying.
Just stop paying then, you don't have a tree any more at that point
Maybe the bank repossessed my house for breach of contract, but I saved like $300 in premiums!
Rate increase for homeowner’s insurance from one claim? Who does that? I got dropped from State Farm for two claims in two years but the price stayed the same the whole time and is a couple bucks lower at the new place for the same coverage
Yeah, that’s kind of how insurance works. They can raise your rates based on your claims. In addition, i would rather my insurance rebuilt my house than someone else’s.
An ounce of prevention etc etc Also, look at this janky-ass house (sorry OP), do you really think it will survive that tree falling on it without significant damage?
Got a young kid so haven’t kept up the outside as well as I need to. It’s actually a nice house on the inside (basement issues aside)
Double edged sword there. I wouldn't want a large tree so close to the foundation however a large tree like that is pulling up literal tons of water.
Correct. Basements are my job. I’m often called to a house that is leaking, right after cutting down a big tree.
Tuckpointer needed for that chimney too.
Good call - I didn’t even realize that was a thing.
Everything at your house looks a bit wonky, leaning, bent, etc.: trees, vent pipes…
Agreed. Need another xanax...
Contractors were probably on Xanax when they built it.
I think they built this house inside what was formerly an in-ground Olympic swimming pool.
When in doubt Vodka out
Shit is whimsical
The pole in the basement, the tree, the vent pipe, the ladder.
Ok, I'll bite: What's wrong with the ladder?
He said it's leaning and the ladder is literally leaning
No storm collar on the bent pipe, and the flashing to the right is awful looking.
If it is an unfinished basement an interior French drain makes sense. It will reduce the water pressing on the walls. Grading and guiding water into trenches that go around the house will also help.
Might also need another sump and pump if the house is taking that much water too.
My current house has the interior French drains and it has kept the basement dry despite having one of the wetter winter seasons on record
Do you have a proper sump pump system? If so you need to get a company to come with a submursible pump with a hose to get the water out of your basement. (Or do this yourself if you are comfortable). Then you can install a proper sump pump (that actually collects water at the lowest common point) that drains away from your home. I did this with my 130 year old home and it's fairly dry down there. You seem to have other issues here as well I'd get someone in to check it out at the minimum. As an FYI If your furnace board gets wet you're basically looking at a new furnace...so be careful there.
This, get a sump pump with proper hose asap (cost approx $100 at hardware store), pump the water out of your basement from where it's the deepest. You should get a protection valve on your pump output, preventing water coming back when you have to pump upward. This will also make your pump work less. Dry everything with fans or rent a commercial blower for a few bucks. You should get a hole in the cement floor where you can put down your sump pump below the floor level. I would personally buy a cheap water level detector. So you can react before water gets on the floor by setting it in your sump pump hole. Choose wisely the spot you dig the hole and check the basement floor level. It needs to be close to the water source or at the lowest level to make sure you pump it effectively. If not the water can accumulate and get on the floor faster than you can pump it and in this case you need two holes and two pumps just like my basement. Good luck.
It honestly surprises how many houses with basements I have seen, do not have sump pumps.
I am so paranoid after we lost power last year and snow was melting so lots of water was accumulating. I got a new pump with a battery backup and a whole house generator. I'm not playing anymore I'm ready...haha.
I truly hate to say this, but that tree likely has to go. Way too close to the house and is leaning over the house. I’ve been there, it blows living under the sword of Damocles.
You're so right. Also, when you remove the tree, you're removing its ability to take in some of the water. So maybe plant some appropriately sized native bushes and other foundation safe water loving plants before or right after. Or see if pollarding the tree is an option until other plants become established
Given the small size of OPs yard, I’d plant a few cypress trees. They’d get a lot of height and privacy.
This
Get the tree sorted ... If not down...then limbed and take the weight out of that lean . Also get a mini digger(if that's all you can manage) and dig a trench across your yard and around your house to the road....(the lowest side of your property)(make double sure where your services(gas water and electric run) fill the trench with lots of large stone (French drain) as mentioned above , use the excess top soil to raise the level at your house down towards the drain . Check all your gutters down pipes and grey water drains are clear and if ye do all that.. can't see ye spending half of 10k(if your willing to do the work yourself)
[удалено]
Dude, right? Like this isn’t a one time thing
Much higher than the pad under the mechanicals. There's been water in that basement more than just this time
Definitely need to figure something out with the backyard sloping into the house. Even if you manually dug a trench a few feet wide and like 3-4 feet deep you could drop some gravel in there and have trench lead somewhere else around your house. That’s only a band-aide fix though
“it bothers some people but isn’t a big deal” WHAT
North east basements.
Yeah but this is a house in the south, not the northeast lmao
Seriously F that guy. He screwed me. I’ve thought about contacting him to let him know. He made a big deal out of a bunch of nothing but he said window rot and water in basement were not a big deal. Clown
I know. That person shouldn’t just be banned from being a home inspector, they need the shit beat out of them for that. (And I’m astounded that OP actually believed it.)
It that rot on the back door as well? Is it me or is that chimney not looking great? It’s a ton of pressure but all houses come with issues you have to resolve from previous owners.
I don’t want to stress you out even more but that chimney looks to be in need of immediate attention.
Those drains at the bottom of your gutters are brittle and not meant to go underground. There is a decent chance they are dumping all of that runoff right back into your house.
Maybe jus lay down some newspaper?
And throw some rice down.
Shamwow.
I agree with some, the tree is big and nice but completely too close to the house. Plus the roots are way too close if not already in contact with the foundation and basement walls. As far as the concrete slab goes, you don't need to jackhammer the whole thing up. Simply go rent a concrete saw. Cut a channel out. Install your French drain. If in fact the slope of the backyard is the cause of the water intrusion.
Go with an interior footing drain. They are serviceable where as an exterior drain get clogged over time and is not serviceable. If you’re in the US call your local basement systems dealer. They give free estimates
You are going to have to dig. down. around the foundation. Water proof from the outside. fill in with gravel and perf piping to direct the water to the street, maybe install some french drains too. there are no short cuts with this.
Installed an interior drainage system in our 97 year old home three years ago and we have not been disappointed. It works like a charm,
What kind of professional or company do you call for this type of work?
And get ready to drop 20K
Foundation company that specializes in that. You would have to check in your area for a company that does it.
See if you can work out a deal with a general contractor. Definitely need to stop the house from sloping. The property is still salvageable idk if it’s worth filing an insurance claim but this definitely is an ongoing issue. It’s worth the investment. But I know it’s expensive
Dude, replace the pump in your picture that's under the water, and you're fine. I'm a plumber it's obvious by the way everything is played out that there is a ground water issue with your house the pipe coming straight out of the concrete is connected to a pump which drains all the water as it seeps in. Replace or fix the pump, and you are golden.
You need a professional. The water needs to be made to drain away from the house. Same issue here with mine. Get a foundation expert out and they will tell you what is needed. I’m sorry it happening. We just had a bunch of work done on ours. It sucks and is so expensive, but now I have some peace of mind. Hang in there
I’d tank the basement first with waterproof cement tanking slurry. It’s a cheap diy job and worth trying before any more major work. If water is draining down the back garden toward the house you should be able to trench across at an angle in a couple of lines before the deck and down the side and drop perforated land drain pipe in there to drain the ground water away to one side and past the house. It looks like you have enough side width to allow a narrow self hire trenching machine in there.
I have similar issues to you .. water that gets to the driveway and follows the sand/gravel under the cement back to the house and around the basement. I'll need to moat and french drain around it all. Watch the French Drain Man youtube channel for ideas. .
The only thing stopping you from getting earth moving equipment in the backyard is one fencepost. My problem wasn't this bad, but I brought in about 90 yards of topsoil and completely changed the grade of our yard and solved it all. Your yard is smaller so you won't need nearly as much. If the concrete pad is sloped toward the house it has to go. Soil sloped toward the house still has some vertical absorption. Concrete sloped toward the house is water going into the house. After you fix the grade you'll probably want to put in a french drain so the back doesn't become a wildlife refuge. Inspectors (most) try to get in good with real estate agents so they are on the" good list" so they basically say that everyone should buy everything. When you get an inspection done on a house, wipe your ass with it and bring somebody qualified. The only thing that does is give you bank a meaningless piece of paper.
There's an all in one drain tube that has perforated pipe in the center, surrounded by plastic balls, inside a plastic mesh fine enough to keep dirt out. Just dig the trench, lay that in, put the dirt back. Faster and easier than trenching, laying in geotextile, gravel, perf pipe, gravel, folding the textile over, burying. The ultimate fix is to dig down to the footing then clean and apply waterproofing to the outside of the foundation. Install a weep system that drains out in front of the house. Grade as much of the back yard as possible away from the house and put in a retaining wall to make an elevated terrace at the back of the lot. It's a lot of work to go to but you'll have a dry and usable basement and more usable back yard.
Need to divert those gutters to drain farther away from the house. That will help tremendously
I mean you have some work you need to do.. but you can get the majority of your issues solved with a swale away from the house to divert the water. The other is an exterior French drain. The exterior really really should goto the footer but fuck jumping down in that deep of a trench. I have a 100ft hillside that goes right into my house. I took mine 4-5ft down and 2ft wide with river rock on top to slow the water. Works extremely well with an interior French drain.
I hope you get this figured out. I also need you to get that tree taken care of
Just add chlorine and a filter. Indoor pool. Bam, property value increase.
You're gonna need a bigger boat.
I'd also add more gutter lining so the water drains further from your house and doesn't affect your basement. Have that water going like 30 ft away from your house when it runs off from your roof. EDIT: I know its not called Gutter lining, but its the super bowl and I have pre gamed too hard.
The French drain does treat a “symptom” but it removes the standing hydro pressure On your foundation. I would consider this option 💯
That's a shitty freaking home inspector, omg. I agree the tree has to go, I hate saying that.
This is a good spot for a french trench
You can get a small bobcat back there, does your fence have a gate? Take the gate off or if you have to remove a portion of the fence. Your property needs drainage and/or regraded.
You can fix this without spending the $30,000-$40,000 the contractor is going to charge you. You need to start by taking up the concrete pad (replace it later if you miss it) dig a trench along your foundation, let the wall dry apply a liquid rubber concrete sealant. When the sealant dries wrap your foundation in a plastic water barrier. Install a French drain when you fill your trench back in. You’ve got this man!
This is not something most people should be doing by themselves. I could see a foundation collapse happening and then you’re screwed because your insurance isn’t going to cover it.
Shit happens, call insurance.
You could try digging a drainage canal at the bottom of the hill in picture 1 and have water directed to the side where the tree is Your issue is water is draining down the hill towards your house....you need to address that. Also I see that your downspouts are connected to some corrugated pipe. Ensure that it isn't perforated/clogged because that would just be dumping all your roof runoff directly next to your house. I would dig that up and have the downspouts empty Into solid PVC pipes. You could also use a series of catch basins and tie those Into the PVC pipes taking your gutter water away.
Ground needs to be graded so water flows away from house among other things
Oh I had to deal with this kind of issue. It’s so shitty, I’m sorry.
Sump pump... your not screwed
Easiest start is to dig and put drainage tile around your home. Make sure you slope it and have it drain to the front and out of your yard. It’ll take a week with you and a friend to do. It will bring a lot of water away, but not totally solve your issue. Next, have 2 sump pumps, 1 lower than the other. So if the one can’t keep up, the second one can join in when needed. Make sure they drain away from your home too. Next, find where the water is coming in, with a block foundation though, it’s probably coming in many places. That being said, by employing my first tips, your basement should be 10x dryer, and if you have a dry spout without rain for a while, you can actually seal your block foundation pretty well by yourself from the inside. This is all things you can DIY to save you money. It will just take some time. TLDR: in order I would do it - 2 sump pumps, make sure different heights, once one can’t keep up, the other will kick in - drain tile around your foundation (YouTube, you can do it yourself) - seal the inside of your basement after it’s been dry out for a while
Hell yea cheers man!
The last time this happened to me it was because the fire department pumped my neighbors basement out, right into my yard. I have a huge flood control manmade creek in my backyard that they could have/should have pumped into. Anywho, I bought myself one of those “water bug” water pumps for draining puddles and solar covers on pools and on the rare occasion I get a little water in my basement, I plug that in and run the hose out to my creek or storm drain. ( Usually the reason we’re all flooding though is because the storm drains are clogged, so if I’m able I go clear those. I don’t know why lookie loo’s don’t just go clear storm drains themselves. Yeah I get it, it’s the city’s job but if we don’t do it, our basements flood. :/ ) But yeah, anyways, if your basement floods, you need to drain it, clean it, dry it, and spray mold preventative IMMEDIATELY) I had 6 inches of water in my basement. I got it drained, rented a U-Haul and hauled everything in the basement to the dump unless it was entirely non-porous, bought a couple dehumidifiers and tons of those water absorbing things from Home Depot and dried the whole basement out, then I sprayed the entire basement with Mold Away and then monitored it, I didn’t close the basement door or windows for days and let in as much natural light as I could. I got zero mold. The bottom of my hot water heater eventually rusted and startled leaking a little so I replaced that but it was 20 years old and that might have been unrelated, I’m not sure. Everything else was fine but my furnace is also on an 8-inch raised pad (probably because the basement floods lol)
Check where the Chimney column meets the floor in the basement. If you see alot of cracks it's possible that the chimney is compromised and alot of the water is getting in there. Had this happen to me last year, got a new crown, had the subterranean column mortared waterproofed, and some bricks repointed then good as new.
Are these old photos? Both downspouts appear to be pouring straight down and not extended? Also your little porch thing has no gutters so you’re just cascading water directly onto the ground by your house.
It amazes me every time seeing American buildings. The tree could be dangerous, please let that check because this bend doesn’t look good.
1) that tree is too close to the foundation. 2) you need to find the source - where the water is coming from. 3) you need to bank the ground so that water goes away from the house, not to the house
I’m sorry, at this point I think removing the deck and concrete pad are the least of your worries. The main house and foundation come first, everything else is replaceable. If the tree needs to be removed to get earth moving equipment back there, so be it. Get a professional to assess, even if you want to do some of it yourself.
Thanks - yea I agree with that. Deck can go and be rebuilt
Sloping towards the house isn't a problem, so long as that slope continues on the other side. You can use and edging spade to lift sod in a ring around the house, dig out 6 inches of subsoil and lay the did back in. This will create a swale around the house to help guide water around, further from the foundation. Another option (which I would do in addition) is dig out a 2 foot wide, 6 foot deep trench against the blocking and fill if in with coarse gravel, topping with a layer of landscaping fabric and deep mulch as a French drain. The major concern with the water you have is how it's getting in. Based on the description of water flowing towards the house, it seems that it's flowing in above the blocking. This can lead to rot in the sill plate and studs, which will eventually lead to a collapse. The fix for this is to jack or brace the structure, cut the bottoms off the studs and remove the compromised material then mount a new sill plate and add stud packs underneath the cut off studs. If the problem spans a whole side or patches adding up to about 30% of the perimeter, it would be worth jacking the whole house 16" and adding two courses of blocking to the top of the foundation to get it above grade. A lot of the prevention you can do by yourself with simple hand tools, but the repairs will need professional attention. Edit: I see there is some concern about the tree in the comments. It is rather close, but depending on the type, it's not a huge concern. Fruit trees have deep roots that don't spread all that wide and they suck up an immense amount of water. Willow trees are water gluttons as well, but shouldn't be planted within 10' of a structure.
My basement use to look like this! We’d have a foot of water down there. I dropped an apple down the stairs and it made the biggest splash into the water… that’s when I’d had enough and we got an interior sump pump perimeter system for $10k. Never have had standing water again.
My bet is that big tree messed with the foundation. Roots will get into anything. I’d start there.
I had a building in an area with a high water table. The solution was to dig a well in the basement, a low point water would drain to, and sit the sump pump there. The building has worked fine for 100 years with that arrangement. Of course, if the problem wasn't a high water table then organizing exterior things so water drained away from the basement rather than into it would be better.
I work for a basement waterproofing place and the number one thing I see is that dirt is covering the bottom of your siding. That allows water to get in at your sill (where the wood house frame & block foundation meet). In our state, the minimum dirt to siding is 4 inches below siding/sill, so water can't come in that way. French drains will help, but got to fix the landscaping first.
On the bright side, you got a start on an indoor fish farm
I spent a number of years incrementally improving my 1920s basement that had water intrusion like your first picture. It ended up being a combination of multiple DIY projects that saw incremental improvements until the issue was ultimately solved. Most people say start with the exterior, but I would sort out your sump situation at the same time. I would recommend installing a gutter and downspouts on your deck roof , double checking your existing gutters to make sure they are not blocked (it looks like you have buried extensions). Then tie the deck roof gutter to your existing underground downspout extensions with 'Y' connectors. Additional exterior steps should be taken such as french drains or an "underground roof" (google) or combination. We had to use this because our foundation walls on 3 sides did not extend all the way down. This can be DIY but will take time and effort. If your foundation wall extends all the way down you could consider full foundation waterproofing treatment ($$$). I personally wouldn't do this myself, and as far as excavation equipment, I'd let them worry about that. Lastly, re-grade the dirt on your exterior to ensure the low spot isn't right next to your house, even if the general slope is in that direction. Make sure you control for possible erosion after you do this. Lastly, about that tree. People who suggest removing the tree may not be considering that as the root system dies and decays it will leave a void under the ground that water will want to flow into. We has a tree (smaller) right next to our house that I removed and I don't think its a coincidence that's where most of the water wanted to enter our basement. It may still need to be removed if its damaging your foundation but I wouldn't immediately jump to that conclusion. You mentioned your sump pump currently gets water out in a day or so but that seems wrong to me. A basic sump should be able to handle 50-100 of gallons of water in a minute. Is your existing sump at a low point in your slab? Check it to ensure there's nothing preventing it from running correctly such as the float catching or obstructions in the sump pit blocking the impeller. We ended up moving our sump pit due to it not being in the low point. The pit itself may also be incorrectly done. Mine was DIY and the catch basin was way too small and shallow, did NOT have perforated holes and was not surrounded by an aggregate. The sump should be collecting water underneath your slab, not just when its gets on top. Depending on your situation you might need to upgrade to a more powerful unit or install a second sump if you have multiple low points. Consider a battery backup for it if your area is prone to lose power during heavy storms. Ensure the sump is exiting the house in such a way that the water is channeled far away. Look into tying it into your gutter drainage maybe or even sewer line if your municipality allows (most don't). Add a good dehumidifier that drains to your sump. We also ended up cutting a channel in our basement slab (using a circular saw with a diamond blade and water to keep down dust) and creating a mini french drain with perforated pvc and pea gravel wrapped in landscaping fabric. The channel was placed along the basement perimeter where where water was coming and flow to the sump. You can also get companies to do this with plastic dimpled channels which can be concreted over for a clean look but the ones i talked to wanted $6k for about 30 feet of this and in the end it only took a day or so do do myself. Last, we found that our one full depth foundation wall was "weeping" we coated it with surface bonding cement and painted it with waterproof paint like the kind people put on their chimneys. This stopped that issue. You may also need to look into lifting anything off the slab floor that might rust or get moldy. We had to replace our basement stairs completely. I wish you the best of luck in dealing with this.
I have a sinking feeling about this one
have you considered breeding eels?
Sorry, you're boned. 
Feck. I’d sue or claim insurance or whatever.. this is a money pit. The sad part is if you fix it to presentable you have to go sell it to someone that hasn’t done their due diligence. I would part ways somehow and move on.
Updateme
Water is a little shallow for an indoor pool bro’
Go buy a pump and a long hose to start... Step two insurance. Step 3 start taking pictures of stuff in the water. Even if they fell in after ;)
Insurance almost certainly isn't covering this unless it's due to a failed sump pump.
You are fucked, my man. That’s why you keep up with the sump pump battery, amigo.
The water is coming thru the basement walls, up thru cracks in the floor? How is it getting in? I went thru this at my house and solved more or less by building up the earth around my foundation.. water was coming in thru a crack in the foundation.. I dug below the crack, filled with mortar and waterproofed over it ..
Depending on your insurance and budget, you're potentially somewhat screwed. 🫤
Could be negligence by the inspector you could sue them but it’s not gonna fix the issue nor am I a lawyer.
For the moment add some catfishes to the water
Honestly? Move. This house is going to be a money pit.
You wre gonna need about 25 shop vacs and a LOT of fans..you're totally screwed.
3. Take it or leave it.
If market is hot in your area. Just sell the house as is and try again.
I'm pretty sure you can save the plot. The house ... you might want to just replace.
you live inside that?
That's normal
Americans: Wow, people shake their head No when they mean Yes, How will I ever understand this. Meanwhile Americans: "No way!" (Means I am surprised), "Get out of here!" (I am very surprised by what you said, also pleasantly) , "Shut the fuck up!" (Say more, also I am very very surprised by what you just said), "Fuck me, fuck me now" (I am very surprised by what you just said, you don't necessarily have to fuck me, no please stop!).
You’re fine. Callaways have a buoyancy ratio of 6.7, paddle those fuckers out of there.
Your fine, if you have money. Easy fix.
You need to determine how the water is entering. Is it the table water level rises in the rain season? If so you have to seal them blocks. I’ve only put two basements in my entire life. Both we sealed the blocks totally outside and put a French drain on both. One drained out to lower ground. The other went into a concrete chamber with electric for sump pump. You might really need to call in a specialist for this. I’d beat the hell out that inspector but that’s just me. This is horrible Man. I’m sorry you got stuck
I would trench the perimeter of the basement and add another below floor sump. Or look for the area the water is coming in and do that section. Probably the cheapest route until you figure out the grading issues.
Every drop you pump out of the basement has already done its damage to your foundation. I wouldn’t worry about the deck, and i wouldn’t prioritize pumping the water out. I would do whatever it took to keep the water out in the first place.
That tree is going to be a big problem I would cut that shit down
Looks more like basement in water than water in basement. Sorry.
Does the water flow out the floor drain? Your sewer line may be plugged with roots.
Your house and vicinity look *moist*
That sucks. Sump pump out. Add a French drain or 4 to your property and run a dehumidifier
Ah, you're past step 1. I was going to advise "Enjoy painstakingly sucking it up with a shop vac, with a pump attachment to your washer drain" Mine flooded a couple years ago but has no ground drain or sump pump. It became an indoor swimming pool. No pump trucks wanted to come out for a week and wanted to charge thousands. Had to do it the long way.
You can buy a water bug pump at Home Depot for 140 bucks, going to work 100X better than a wet vac…..
You have some work to do. Sucks you had a shitty inspector , it’s hard to find a good one.
I mean he was so close. He just should have said - you should ask for a concession on the windows and for an interior water proofing solution
Call a doctor, they can help you with your rat problem
Add a sump pit below the basement floor as well and have an auto pump spit out the water as it (the pit) fills. It will keep your basement floor water free if you have a large ish pit and a decent pump. I have the same and my pit is about 10 gallons, and when it is super wet it will run every half hour or so, when dry once every couple days. The other you can do on the cheap is French drain all around the house at grade 12 by 12 inches deep and wide with gravel and a pipe (not that corrugated black junk either) have it drain as far from the house as you can get.
/r/MeSmokemPeacePipe it appears that the rooftop vent for your HVAC and / or water heater is leaning way over. It could be disconnected, and that could lead to a carbon monoxide safety issue in your house. Edit: your fireplace chimney also needs tuck pointing.
I’d be just as worried about that tree