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5 STEPS to a DRY BASEMENT or CRAWL SPACE |
My Experience with Wet Basements
My Own Homes
My early childhood was lived in a house with a slab foundation. I didn't relate to basement water problems until later, in our second family home. It was quad-level built in the 1960s. We experienced minor seepage several years after moving in that was caused by an underground downspout drain pipe.
Through the years I have owned several homes, all older. My experience with those houses varied from no seepage of any kind to minor seepage that was easily corrected by exterior maintenance. I've owned homes built on slabs, crawl spaces and basements and have always tried to keep water away from the foundation, not always in a timely manner I must admit.
Crawl Space Experience
A crawl space is nothing more than a short version of a basement, not habitable. Some crawl s[aces are actually too low to crawl through. The house I've owned for many years has a small basement and the rest is crawl space. I know there has been dampness in the crawl space without going down to see. The musty smell tells me. Just having an earthen floor of course can create a musty small but when water enters the equation the smell is unmistakable. Fortunately my crawl space floor is at grade level so there is never standing water, or the capacity for it because the soil is sand. As a consultant I have seen the full gamut of crawl space conditions, in some cases terribly unhealthy living environments including rotting floor joists.
Consultant & Educator
The first home inspection I performed was in 1985. The home inspection protocol was loose in the early years of that profession. Each home inspector had a different approach to performing his or her service. While performing my very first home inspection I got a lesson from a seasoned Realtor. I was well aware that there was water getting into the basement but it was the Realtor who pointed out the malfunctioning downspout at the corresponding area outside the basement. It was a lesson I never forgot and it inspired me to look for causes, not merely report conditions.
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