In the middle of the night one early spring my other brother sat up in bed readying to get up and go to the bathroom he swung his feet around and his socks went soggy. I know that sensation well for the times I had to fetch something for my parents down there and was the first to discover standing water on my way to the light switch. Isn't that a gross feeling? Standing water in living spaces is not cool.
Need Immediate Help for a Wet Basement? Clean-up + insurance billing. Call Me. Andy Higgins 612 232 6658.
There are many factors that combine to allow water to flow through your foundation and into your basement. For my parents, their exterior drain tile freezes every winter and doesn't thaw in time to be clear for the first significant melting. My dad has now developed a system to ensure that water flows that involves grass clippings and a pipe with duck tape over one end - if you can guess how those two are involved I'll give you $50.
Water is like an aimless 20 year old, it follows the path of least resistance. As the earth around foundation walls reach saturation point the water looks for easier paths. Water in your basement is the final destination on the path of least resistance. True also for the 20 year old in your basement.
Three things to do for a water proof system. Keep water away form the earth around your foundation so it can't reach saturation point. Do this by: A) Sloping your landscaping away from your house forcing the water to shed away. B) Putting platic down underneath landscape rock, mulch, etc to keep water from seeping to the water near your house. C) Be sure gutters are pushing all of the water from the roof away from the house. This is a lot of water for the earth around the perimeter of your house to absorb.
Secondly, move water away from your foundation with drain tile. Drain tile is that path of least resistance because it is constantly draining it doesn't get saturated so all that water looking for an easy path finds it there. This is easy to add when building a new house as all the earth would be excavated away to form the foundation. It is much more difficult to do after the house is built but in some instances can still make sense.
Thirdly is adding interior drain tile with a sump pump. This is like bringing a tank to a gun fight. All other parts of the system could be lacking but interior drain tile will compensate for all other failures. It is the last and most effective line of defense.
Recently we finished the basement on a house we purchased and were unfamiliar of its water-basement relationship. We decided the surest option was to add drain tile with a sump pump. Later when working on the basement windows we noticed that all of the earth on one side of the house was sand. We thought we wasted our money on the drain tile as sand offers excellent drainage. Then when we worked on the other side of the house and discovered the earth was all hard clay, good for riverbeds, not for drainage. No matter what the earth is like around your house drain tile will catch and pump all water before it gets into your living space.
We do gutters, landscaping, interior and exterior drain tile. We look at the entire system of your house and will work with you to reach a conclusion that makes the most sense with your situation and values.
By the way, the best way to get rid of a 20 year old is to starve them out. Good Luck.
Andy Higgins
We recently added a pantry for a couple in Excelsior. Our original bid came in at more than they had budgeted for so we talked about ways to save them money. They felt comfortable painting and staining themselves as well as purchasing and installing the trim - though I feel like I might get a call back for that trim part. They were able to save themselves nearly a third of the project total by doing those things themselves, or making their kids do it. (See another example)
