crawlspace encapsulation

[chris]

Hi, I am hoping to get some advise on the different types of crawlspace waterproofing (encapsulation). Our house is old (1939) and sits on a granite stone foundation, has a finished basement with a partial dirt crawlspace. The house sits below street level so we have always had a problem with water seepage but lately it is worse. Our basement is not inhabitable right now because of the damp, musty smell (mold, bugs, etc). I have heard of "vapor barriers" and concrete pouring but don't know which of these is best. There are only two companies that I know of in the Atlanta area: AquaGuard Basement Systems and A Better Crawlspace. These are both expensive options. Does anyone have an opinion, idea to help me decide? Thank you, Chris

[tbasc]

You might investigate dealing with the water before it reaches the basement / crawl space. Look at surface drainage patterns: Water from street. from roof should be directed away from house. Planting can make a big difference. ( I once took up sod next to house and water came into basement.) A french drain around foundation might help, depending on what level water is entering basement. TB

[carolyn]

I have just sold an inherited house that was basically in a seasonal swamp. The basement, once upon a time was gravel, but over the years the rocks sunk below the clay/dirt, resulting in mud. The only solution we had was to first of all minimize the water getting to the basement. That meant digging out the foundations and replacing the french drains. Building back up with properly draining rock matter and getting a 1 inch per foot slope away from the house. Next was to break up the small amount of concrete floor in the basement, put in drainage in the basement, around the perimeter and through the middle of the large areas all draining to a sump. Then cover the whole thing with 6" of crushed rock (1-1 1/2" fine) for drainage and then concrete over that. Yeah, I am skipping the vapour barrier and the insulation for a Norther climate.

The end product would have been a dry basement, however since there was already rot happening in the joists, not to mention numerous problems - we sold it as-is as quickly as we could.

Carolyn