Home Improvement question(s)

snuzzy

New Member
We have decided to finish our basement. Our house is @15 years old, we have lived here 8 years. When we move in there was some moisture in the basement, attributed to the previous owners neglect of the gutters, etc. Our first step is to "waterproof" the basement (other than a musty smell after heavy rain, we haven't had any trouble). We have pulled everything away from the walls and purchased a heavy paint that is supposed to keep moisture, etc, out. Along the base of the wall, there is a gap in the concrete floor, it doesn't seal to the cinder block. My husband wanted to pour concrete in to seal it up but then became concerned that it might cause the concrete floor to buckle. Is the "seam" there for a purpose? :confused: Can it be sealed by concrete, caulk...? Does this indicate a structural problem? (Our walls and ceilings are pretty much the same as when we moved in, there are no cracks in the ceiling or walls, etc.) We would appreciate hearing from anyone who has seen this before, advice, recommendations for contractors who might help us...We would also like to improve our roof/gutter system to keep a dry basement. This is a major job, even though we are doing some work ourselves, we have a loan and are planning to hire professionals for the "tough" work, so we really don't want to dry wall/finish the basement and then find out we still have a moisture/water problem. TIA for any help/advice you can give.
 

General Lee

Well-Known Member
What style house is it? (split level, single story w/ full inground basement. etc)

How wide is the crack along the wall, and does it follow the entire length of the wall?

They do sell a concrete/block sealant you should use before covering the wall with drywall.
 

snuzzy

New Member
We have a ranch and the basement is partially exposed, eastern and northern sides have window(s) and a door. I think what I am calling "paint" is the sealant. The crack goes all along the walls and depending on where you look, it is anywhere from 1/2 inch-1 in. Some of the concrete chips away when we "poke" at it.
 

Vince

......
Sounds like you need to have field drains installed underground, around the outside of the foundation, to keep the water from building up around it. Just like field drains for a septic system. Big job, but worth it to keep the water from building up.
 

snuzzy

New Member
Any cost estimate/recommendations for who could do the job, sounds like this one is beyond us! TIA (again)
 

General Lee

Well-Known Member
Can you post a pic of the cracks? I'd like to see exactly whats going on before yielding advice. At 15yrs old your house should have had French drains installed when it was built. All they are is 4 or 5inch corregated plastic pipe covered in pea gravel all around the foundation of the house. All depends if the builder installed them. They should have I believe its *code* in order to pass the foundation inspection stage.
 

MMDad

Lem Putt
There are a lot of books available in the library that explain this stuff. For a beginner, I recommend the Reader's Digest "New Complete Do-it-yourself Manual." It will help you understand what you are dealing with, and once you figure out what needs to be done, you can either look for more info or talk intellegently to a contractor.
 

Suz

33 yrs & we r still n luv
snuzzy said:
We have decided to finish our basement. Our house is @15 years old, we have lived here 8 years. When we move in there was some moisture in the basement, attributed to the previous owners neglect of the gutters, etc. Our first step is to "waterproof" the basement (other than a musty smell after heavy rain, we haven't had any trouble). We have pulled everything away from the walls and purchased a heavy paint that is supposed to keep moisture, etc, out. Along the base of the wall, there is a gap in the concrete floor, it doesn't seal to the cinder block. My husband wanted to pour concrete in to seal it up but then became concerned that it might cause the concrete floor to buckle. Is the "seam" there for a purpose? :confused: Can it be sealed by concrete, caulk...? Does this indicate a structural problem? (Our walls and ceilings are pretty much the same as when we moved in, there are no cracks in the ceiling or walls, etc.) We would appreciate hearing from anyone who has seen this before, advice, recommendations for contractors who might help us...We would also like to improve our roof/gutter system to keep a dry basement. This is a major job, even though we are doing some work ourselves, we have a loan and are planning to hire professionals for the "tough" work, so we really don't want to dry wall/finish the basement and then find out we still have a moisture/water problem. TIA for any help/advice you can give.
WOW!! In my humble female opion you have a major problem at hand that the previous owners had to know about! Did they disclose it or did you have a homeowners inspection done? If so they should have found it. You do have options to look at here (maybe)....

Sounds like drainage is definitely the problem..........and I would definitely hire a professional to fix the problem.

In regards to the musty smell. Our first home here was a split foyer. Unless the wood stove was going, we ran a dehumidifier to fix the problem. Want to buy one? :lol: Hell you can have it! We have a ranch now, no basement. (I need the space.)
 

snuzzy

New Member
General Lee said:
Can you post a pic of the cracks? I'd like to see exactly whats going on before yielding advice. At 15yrs old your house should have had French drains installed when it was built. All they are is 4 or 5inch corregated plastic pipe covered in pea gravel all around the foundation of the house. All depends if the builder installed them. They should have I believe its *code* in order to pass the foundation inspection stage.
I do not have a working digital camera at this time to post pictures, sorry!
 

snuzzy

New Member
MMDad said:
There are a lot of books available in the library that explain this stuff. For a beginner, I recommend the Reader's Digest "New Complete Do-it-yourself Manual." It will help you understand what you are dealing with, and once you figure out what needs to be done, you can either look for more info or talk intellegently to a contractor.
Thank you! I like to sound intelligent, sometimes hard for me when discussing "constuction".
 

snuzzy

New Member
Suz' said:
WOW!! In my humble female opion you have a major problem at hand that the previous owners had to know about! Did they disclose it or did you have a homeowners inspection done? If so they should have found it. You do have options to look at here (maybe)....

Sounds like drainage is definitely the problem..........and I would definitely hire a professional to fix the problem.

In regards to the musty smell. Our first home here was a split foyer. Unless the wood stove was going, we ran a dehumidifier to fix the problem. Want to buy one? :lol: Hell you can have it! We have a ranch now, no basement. (I need the space.)

Yes, we had a home inspection done, he only said that the "little" amount of moisture could be handled by taking care of the gutters. Nothing was disclosed by the previous owners about a problem with the basement/foundation or the floor. Sounds like it's time to call a professional. Any recommendations?
 

General Lee

Well-Known Member
Your cracks may be a problem, and they may not be. Its possible that the soil under the footing(foundation) has eroded away causing the foundation to shift basically and caused the block wall in your basement to seperate from the concrete floor. This is probably not the case as you would most likely have other structural problems. If this is the case then its a bad thing.

Or when the concrete floor cured or as the dirt beneath settled it seperated from along the wall, however you said the cracks are anywhere from 1/2 inch to 1 inch which seems to wide to be caused by the concrete curing. Concrete floors don't really seal against the block wall. It will be poured up tight against the block but if there is a *cause* it doesn't take much to pull away from the wall.

I would call a Home improvement professional, and get a second or third opinion.
 

snuzzy

New Member
General Lee said:
Your cracks may be a problem, and they may not be. Its possible that the soil under the footing(foundation) has eroded away causing the foundation to shift basically and caused the block wall in your basement to seperate from the concrete floor. This is probably not the case as you would most likely have other structural problems. If this is the case then its a bad thing.

Or when the concrete floor cured or as the dirt beneath settled it seperated from along the wall, however you said the cracks are anywhere from 1/2 inch to 1 inch which seems to wide to be caused by the concrete curing. Concrete floors don't really seal against the block wall. It will be poured up tight against the block but if there is a *cause* it doesn't take much to pull away from the wall.

I would call a Home improvement professional, and get a second or third opinion.

Thank you for all the times you've checked back to this thread, I appreciate your time, I just wish I had pictures to show. I do want to call in a professional (or two, or three) any recommendations?
 

willie

Well-Known Member
If you live in Calvert and the house is 15 yrs. old then you do have drain tile installed. Be sure the soil slopes away from your foundation, flexible caulk where the floor has separated from the wall and your good to go. The nasty smell after some of the rains we have had would be normal for a basement ¾ underground unless the air is continually circulating.
 
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