skip to main content

Home Repair DIY Exterior

What should I do here to protect wall / floor against rain?

last year

Hello, I'm trying to figure out how I can protect this dirt / floor area from rain. I've highlighted in red.

My Main Problem

When it rains water seems to pool in this specific spot from the rain (not from the water draining to this area from other places). I'm worried because there is raised foundation below the building here and wondering if the water slowly drains into the raised foundation area.

Question

Is there something I can / should add to the side of the house to help prevent rain from getting here?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (9)

PRO
User
last year
Your big issue is that all of that soil should slope away from your home for a minimum of 10’. With your neighbor’s lot being higher, and closer than 10’, there is a tremendous amount of runoff being funneled towards your home. With the services there, the lot is going to need to be regraded by hand, to a ditch that separates the two properties. Care will need to be taken that the ditch carries water away from your home without eroding the neighbor’s property. You need an on site paid expert.
3onthetree
last year
Nothing can be installed, covered, roofed, or done to the house to prevent rain from causing pooling there, because water moves sideways within and on top of the soil. But you can, and must, dig out the soil to slope water away from the house. An exaggerated sketch:

There is an additional remediation after this that could be done if this proves insufficient if you have an excessive amount of water coming into your yard, but I won't discuss that as the resloping of the grade is first to understand and don't want to distract from that.
Related Discussions
Can I and should I do this and what do I check first?
Q
Comments (12)
I had that exact pink and brown tile in my last house. I must have tried 10 different decorating schemes in there; the pink is hard to coordinate with. I ended up replacing the vanity and used plain white 4x4 tile on it. That looked okay, and might look okay over your shower surround. A little awkward, but okay. I could also envision just using some sheet formica up there, well caulked; if you want to do something cool, get "boomerang" or some other 50s-inspired pattern and play up the kitsch factor. I discovered that it was going to be a big challenge to replace the bath/shower fixtures (mine were brass, very corroded - ick!). It sounded like I would have to rip out tile to get to the valve and plumbing inner workings, as you can't just pop on new handles and tub spouts very easily. But you can replace the shower head relatively easily. As far as figuring out whether it's structurally sound, I guess I'd go into the crawl space and try to inspect the floor under the tub and toilet. Poke at the wood with a screw driver and see what happens. If you replace your toilet, you'll have a chance to see if any horrors lie underneath - in mine, the subfloor was not in great shape (thanks to a previous owner who liked carpet in her bathrooms :) If you don't see rot, I would guess your bathroom will last a long time. I've read in the New York Times that tile from the 50s was made really strong. (I'm attaching a fun link you've probably already visited, but just in case...) Here is a link that might be useful: Pink Bathrooms
...See More
How do I Prep/Insulate Stud Walls For Moisture Protections (exter
Q
Comments (5)
Hello, I'm back ready to finalize what I am going to do with the exterior wall insulation of my south facing bathroom wall in Iowa. Central Iowa is zone 5 on the map above that Hollysprings posted. On another thread Worthy had a link to the building science site and I found another paper written that addresses vapor barriers. I linked it below. I will have a shower and washer/dryer in this room. I will have a 170cfm Fantech exhaust fan in the room with remote fan in the attic and 2 vents, one at the shower and the other at the W/D stack. EXTERIOR WALL DESCRIPTION: 2x4 stud wall that faces the south. There is one window in this wall. I will have drywall and latex paint on the interior finished wall. The material that is on the exterior side of the studs is 1x8 T&G boards from the 20's when the house was built. Out side of the boards is an old siding of pressed composite material that is from the 70's. It looks like the original narrow wood siding was removed at that time. The last exterior layer was put on by Sears (over the 70's era siding) within the last 10 years. It is a vinyl siding with a 3/4 pink extruded polystyrene insulation under the vinyl. The polystyrene material is by Owens Corning and says "Weatherb...Exterior Protecti..." (I only have a small section of material to read). I have been planning on using Roxul batt insulation. This requires a poly 6 mil vapor barrier sheet put on the inside surface of this wall. Then the stabled areas get covered with "Tuck Tape". Of course I can't find Tuck Tape in the US. QUESTIONS: 1) Will it be appropriate to put this vapor barrier on the interior surface of my studs with all the sheathing materials that are on the outside studs? Or will I be creating a vapor sandwich, causing damage to the studs? 2) Will Tyvek Tape substitue for Tuck Tape? 3) If not Tyvek Tape, what does substitute for Tuck Tape? Here is a link that might be useful: BSD-106: Understanding Vapor Barriers
...See More
what should I do here?
Q
Comments (11)
Surely there must be a wall color that could fool the eye and pull the shower color and sink counter color together? Problem is, I am quite bad at understanding and applying color theory . . . I know for sure it is not a high contrast color though . . . Perhaps a print wallpaper with both colors to tie them together? Or are you only wanting paint? This is a case where I might at least consider wallpaper. Your art is cute but high contrast. Perhaps another piece with more varied colors? I have found that the best cure for color clashing is to blur both colors by adding similar ones. I had a pepto bismol wall color I hated and toned it down by adding dusty rose, brown, tan, maroon, red, mustard, yellow and beige accents with a calico quilt and rag rug and lots of greenery. The key to downplaying the yellow is not to pick a contrasting color but to pick other colors close to it but leaning more towards the tile, like tans and browns. And some natural feature that has a whole mix across the "brown/tan/gold" spectrum. This photo is not a great example, but it shows how each feature does not have to match if you have enough going on. The fireplace is a cool tan/grey but everything else is yellowish, and yet it doesn't stand out as anachronistic because you have a broad spectrum of tans and the picture serves as a bridge. You could do the same thing in your bathroom but in reverse with colors that match the shower tile and bridge patterns/art. Or bite bullet and get all new countertops, depends on your budget and time tolerance.
...See More
What the F should I do here
Q
Comments (1)
Well....first we need to know more. We need a fully-measured layout of the space under consideration, a sketch of the entire floor, and the answers to a few questions. See the Featured Answer in the "New to Kitchens? Read Me First!" thread. Here's an excerpt, but see the thread for additional information. Please post a fully-measured layout of the space under consideration and a sketch of the entire floor. By "fully-measured", we mean a layout with the widths of each wall/window/door/doorway and the distances between each wall/window/door/doorway labeled. See a sample below. If something cannot be moved or changed, label it precisely on your layout (see post in sample) and tell us why it cannot be moved/changed -- we may have some ideas for you. The sketch of the entire floor lets us see how the Kitchen relates to the rest of the home. It doesn't have to be to-scale, but it should accurately show how the rooms relate to each other and should include all interior & exterior doors. In addition, it will help us see how traffic flows in, around, and through the Kitchen. Label the front entry and family entry. The family entry is usually a garage or side entry, but it might not be. It's helpful to know which door you use to bring in groceries. In your case, also show us the where the arched opening is as that will constrain the Kitchen space -- unless you're taking it down. I had a similar in my old Kitchen and I removed it...it opened up the space tremendously!
...See More
Sigrid
last year
Put in a french drain. To figure out where water is seeping, check during and after a downpour.
3onthetree
last year
Ruh roh, cat's outta da bag! It's only a matter of time til someone says "French Drain" when it comes to storm water management.

Unfortunately, french drains are not the-end-all-be-all. Realize that storm french drains are installed 12"-24" below the top of grade, so water must first soak into the soil before you can cart it away. The adjacent area would need be saturated before the water moves horizontally to the underground pipe. And proper discharge is if you have an area that is lower than the pipe depth. The main intent of them is to alleviate the saturated soil around them, but wouldn't you want to direct water before it has a chance of puddling against the house? They do not address grade that is sloped improperly, which you will be fighting against no matter what solution you choose.

So regardless of whether you do a french drain, gravel trench, swale, ditch, sump pump pit, or even plastic poly ground cover, the grade needs to slope away from the house. Period. And often, that is all you need to solve a problem.
Sigrid
last year
A drain doesn't need to be deep. It just has to be lower than the grade. Getting the grade to slope away from the house in that space isn't possible. Normally, drains are deep to allow grass to grow over them. That's not an issue here.
3onthetree
last year
last modified: last year
@Sigrid I spent extra time with the drawing and explaining a french drain because it was apparent the OP is unaware of any of this. This is advice from a professional given for free, I do not just pick up key words from Youtube that many on this forum like to toss around without understanding what they're talking about.
PRO
Joseph Corlett, LLC
last year
Is the fence on the lot line? If so, I'd eliminate the ramp dumping water toward your property and tell the neighbor to figure it out when his fence fell down.
PRO
User
last year

Related Stories

TILE A Finishing Touch for Your Tile Walls and Floors

By Becky Harris

See how tile-edging trim adds graphic style to five bathrooms and kitchens

REMODELING GUIDES Design Dilemma: How Do I Modernize My Cedar Walls?

8 Ways to Give Wood Walls a More Contemporary Look

GARDENING GUIDES Protect a Precious Resource With a Rain Garden

By Bruce Parker

Promote pure water and a beautiful landscape with a garden design that makes the most of the rain

BATHROOM DESIGN Which Flooring Should I Choose for My Bathroom?

By Sarah Alcroft

Read this expert advice on 12 popular options to help you decide which bathroom flooring is right for you

KITCHEN DESIGN Single-Wall Galley Kitchens Catch the 'I'

By Lisa Frederick

I-shape kitchen layouts take a streamlined, flexible approach and can be easy on the wallet too

REMODELING GUIDES 11 Reasons to Love Wall-to-Wall Carpeting Again

By Judith Taylor Designs

Is it time to kick the hard stuff? Your feet, wallet and downstairs neighbors may be nodding

HOUSEKEEPING It’s Time to Clean Your Gutters — Here’s How

By Bonnie McCarthy

Follow these steps to care for your gutters so they can continue to protect your house

PETS Love Pets? Here’s What to Look for in a House

By Laura Gaskill

Make sure Buddy and Bella will have the safe and comfortable spaces they need

KITCHEN CABINETS Choosing New Cabinets? Here’s What to Know Before You Shop

By Ventana Construction LLC

Get the scoop on kitchen and bathroom cabinet materials and construction methods to understand your options

LANDSCAPE DESIGN Garden Walls: Dry-Stacked Stone Walls Keep Their Place in the Garden

By Olander Garden Design

See an ancient building technique that’s held stone walls together without mortar for centuries

Sponsored

More Discussions

gap fill in prefinished hardwood flooring

7

help!!! need ideas!

17

Exterior Makeover Help Needed

12

Self leveling basement problem

10

Questions about water meters/leak detectors

4