Basement Leak

[Jasper 2003]

Due to recent thunderstorm in our city this week, rain water leaked in the basement. I called in the builder to fix it but before they come to our house I would like to know some pointers on how is the best approach to fix it.

Before our closing date, there was a huge hole on the basement wall. It was like 3-4 inches deep by 1 foot wide. They patched it up but the patch was very obvious and rough (with small holes). These holes caused the leak.

I would appreciate it if someone can give me some ideas on how is the right way to fix this because I know the builder's contractor will do another lousy job.

Thanks in advance, Jasper

------- To reply: Please remove "spam" from my email address.

[Art]

The only right way is an outside perimeter drainage system which requires excavation, drainage pipe, gravel, special fabric to separate all of that from the dirt, and hydraulic cement for the patch itself. But water must be eliminated.

[Art]

Also good gutters and grading the property away from the house.

[PattiM]

I live in a low-lying area and my yard is quite wet. Thankfully, the previous owners installed a B-Dry system, and we've never had a problem. My basement was sealed and I have a perimeter drain/sump pump combo with a battery back-up. If I didn't have this system, I would have to move.

I highly recommend them. Check their website at

[Joseph Meehan]

97.4% of the time basement leaks are due to poor grading or some other problem causing ground water to get to the foundation.

About this hole. Did it go all the way through the wall? Do you have a block or poured foundation wall? Did they say what caused the hole in the first place?

The answer to question of how to fix it, depends on what the problem really is. While it would be wise to investigate problems caused by the hole, I would not rule out the most common problems and the hole only showed up because it was the weak point and if the grading and other work outside the wall was done right to start with, the hole would not have been a problem, it might not have even happened.

Additional question: How old is this home? Have you moved in? Is there still some warrantee on the home? How good has your relationship been with the builder (is this the same builder who built the home?)

[Ruthel N.]

This is a brand new house and still under warranty. The ground outside(grading?) is not finished yet and it might have contributed to the problem. I will talk to our builder this week about the story of previous hole. Your inputs are much appreciated. Thanks also to all who replied. Pardon my terminologies because I am new to this home building. Jasper

[Art]

In many areas you can pay to have city inspectors check fixes even after constuction is finished. You might consider doing so. Inspectors if they are honest and competent may pick up on a code violation they missed that they will make the builder fix.