buying a home - basement issue

17 years ago

hello y'all, i'm going to be buying a house in the near future. we're actually prepared to make an offer.

we plan on having an inspection done once/if our offer is accepted, but i was hoping for some input on this basement situation beforehand.

both times we've looked at this house it was after a recent rain, so the basement was particularly wet. i'm not too sure how it is normally (damp or not).

the most recent visit however, i looked more thoroughly and found a streaming leak in one corner, and most of the other corners were actively leaking as well. but in that one corner it is like a waterfall :(

the ground outside the house at this location does slope towards the house a bit and i'm sure adding some dirt to get the slope away from the house would help.

i'm just wondering if a leak this bad should be steered away from all together before an inspection is even done, or just wait and see what we find out.

any suggestions/input would be greatly appreciated. we're actually going to be starting some paperwork this evening so i suppose info asap would be nice :) thank ya's!

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Comments (7)

actuary97
17 years ago
As someone who has owned several basement leaking houses

They are no end of trouble, Very difficult and expenseive to fix and difficult to sell.

However if you are married and your wife assist on buying the house, you have no choice. shoot her then run.

Hope this helps
western_pa_luann
17 years ago
An indoor waterfall would make me run in the opposite direction!

DH and I had earnest money on a house many moons ago. We heard there were underground springs in the area, and we had an 'out' in the paperwork regarding water in the house.
That weekend, there were storms. We were planning to go to the house anyways - there was an open house that could not be cancelled and we just wanted to walk through 'our house'.

Good thing we did.

The basement was WET, not damp. An eight foor crack developed in the foundation.

First thing Monday morning, we got our money back.

We LOVED that house - location and floor plan. But it was not worth the future and certain hassle.....
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My best advice: don't do it. You are lucky to know about this before you sign... We bought a house which was an estate sale (no info, no warranty). During big thunderstorms, water gets in where the wall meet the floor. We had gutters installed, regraded, installed a sump pump... about once or twice every summer, water gets in... the neighbor (who has the house attached to ours; it is a semi-detached house) had an expensive french drain job done, but still gets water. This is not a problem with a simple and cheap fix, believe me. A clear crack would be a much easier thing to fix. We are now looking into inside drains, but the opinions are very mixed on the possible chances of succes (after many thousands of dollars...). Our basement is not suitable for any permanent livable space. We store things down there, but everything has to be on some sort of shelve at least a couple of inches from the floor... This is a constant source of aggravation for us. Everytime it rains, I am afraid water will get in the basement. I would have never bought the house if I had known. It will also be a big issue at resale. My 2 cents, Lyne
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There are three kinds of basements. Those that are leaking, those that have had leaks and those that will have leaks at some point in their lifetime. In my experience over dozens of homes now, all basements fit into one of those three categories...often all three actually. The important thing is to have a good foundation inspection performed but a structural engineer and, if there have been repairs made already, to ensure that the work was warrantied and transferable over to new owners (most are if done by reputable firms). The only thing you really have to concern yourself with are significant foundation issues. Those are costly and time consuming. Vertical cracks that have allowed some seepage but have since been epoxy-injected are considered "repaired" in most states and not always required to be listed on the sellers disclosure. And in most cases, if done properly, that solves that particular seepage issue. But others can (and often will) develop in later years. I tend to look at current seepage as a negotiation point. I carry a UV pocket light with me (available at pet stores...useful in finding pet stains on carpet) and shine it around in the basement. Seepage leaves efflorescence that isn't easily removed and shines quite bright under UV. Its a bigger deal if its behind a wall in a finished basement (and you'll see it as stains on the carpet along the baseboards in that case). But if its unfinished, repairs are easy....usually costs about $200-$400 per 8 linear feet of crack.
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It's an issue. It doesn't mean that it's insurmountable, but it's an issue. This is very common with homes built with concrete block foundations. Your problem is on the outside wall. Chances are there is no drain tile system installed at the base of the foundation. If there is one, it may be blocked by sediment and unable to drain properly. That means digging around the perimeter of the house and installing a drain tile system. It's messy and expensive, but it can be installed or repaired. The interior wall can be painted with an anti-leak substance, but it only works of pinpoint types of leaks. It's not a solution to the bigger issues. The second issue to look at is the guttering system of the house. Do the gutters work? Are they dumping away from the foundation? They may be inadequate for the roof. You may need more downspouts or the current ones rehung to slope properly. The downspout may need to be extended away from the foundation. This is not difficult to fix, but it costs money. Even if they are dumping into the corner, the foundation will still need attention. Last, what is the slope of the land in relation to the house? Does the land slope away from the foundation? Is storm water being run towards the house? This problem is almost impossible to fix, is very expensive and I'd walk away from the house. Do your trust that sump pump to run when you need it to run? How old is the pump? How often does it run? Do you have an alarm on it? Does the house lose power frequently? Do you have a generator? Answer all of those questions to your satisfaction and you will know if the house is worth pursuing. Good luck.
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worthy
17 years ago
"we're actually going to be starting some paperwork this evening"

Commitment papers for the nearest state facility for the insane, right?
jasper_60103
17 years ago
youngbuck,
it sounds like it could be some serious issues going on there. I would runaway, but I guess only you can say if this a showstopper for you.
I think most folks would prefer a clean and dry basement.

At the very least, the water issues should be addressed or compensated for. You may want to have one of those basement waterproofing contractors give you a assessment (and $$) of the situation.

Just curious, how old is the home? what kind of foundation is this?

Goodluck.
-jasper
rjoh878646
17 years ago
If you want to buy this house get a quote from a reputable local basement waterproofing contractor, and have the amount knocked off the price of the house. But I think your nuts for wanting to buy it. A leaking basement can mean there are other serious problems with the foundation and drainage system around the outside of the house.

If I were you I WOULD RUN AWAY FROM THIS PLACE FAST!
iamnodiy
17 years ago
I would buy a house that had a roof leak before I purchased one with a basement leak. If the house is built on property with a high water table you will also have water coming up from the floor. Also think about this, if the leaks could have been easily fixed why wouldn't the owner have had it repaired before the house went on the market?
cuddlepoo
17 years ago
We had some leaks in the basement when we moved in. DH dug out the cracks a little bit, patched them with the appropriate material from the hardware store. No leaks for years now in rainy Washington state. If it cost of $30 to fix I'd be suprised. There was an area in back that sloped towards the leaky are. I dug it out and changed the drainage situation in one day by myself. Cost $0. I love the basement and when we no longer have one I'll be sad. We didn't have a 'waterfall', but certainly developed puddles that are long gone.

buying a home - basement issue

Comments (7)

actuary97

western_pa_luann

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