Contemplating having interior drain tiles replaced to sump pump. About 40 feet total. Water in basement with slightly moldy (otherwise sound) walls. This is quite an expensive project and have gotten a few quotes.
Anybody have experiences with this? Any tips/advice would be appreciated.
Huh?
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Anybody have experiences with this? Any tips/advice would be appreciated.
Are the tiles collapsed? My retired father replaced the tiles around the perimeter of his basement. He rented an electric jackhammer , broke up the areas he wanted and then added plastic tiles to the sump. About a two month project on weekends.
I did this once on a basement that had no sump pump and would at times get a foot of water in the basement. I busted the floor by hand to put in the sump pit. After that, I rented a concrete saw and cut the concrete (2 cuts about one foot apart). Then I broke up those strips with a sledge hammer, put in plastic drain pipe, gravel, and mised my own cement. That was over 20 years ago, and there have never been any flooding since. If I did it again, I would use a jack hammer, and these days I have my own cement mixer. But even 20 years ago, it would have cost a fortune to have a company do the job. It cost me a couple hundred instead, (not including the sump pump) but it's work.
Mark
I'm certain that you saved a fortune. Hiring basement waterproofers is very expensive because: 1) It is very labor intensive. 2) Many waterproofing companies use the "shotgun" approach - addressing every conceivable fix in the assumption that they are going to hit the source of the problem that way. 3) It is a high profit enterprise which capitalizes on homeowner fears and ignorance.
There are 2 great ways to save: 1) Spend a long weekend doing the work yourself and pay just the cost of materials. 2) Hire moonlighters. Watch for a neighbor who is getting his basement waterproofed and approach the crew when the bosses aren't around. The crew will often do a great job on a Sunday afternoon for half the cost.
Gideon
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I did this once on a basement that had no sump pump and would at times get a foot of water in the basement. I busted the floor by hand to put in the sump pit. After that, I rented a concrete saw and cut the concrete (2 cuts about one foot apart). Then I broke up those strips with a sledge hammer, put in plastic drain pipe, gravel, and mised my own cement. That was over 20 years ago, and there have never been any flooding since. If I did it again, I would use a jack hammer, and these days I have my own cement mixer. But even 20 years ago, it would have cost a fortune to have a company do the job. It cost me a couple hundred instead, (not including the sump pump) but it's work.
Mark
Thanks for info. I'd love to do this myself but this is one of the only home-improvement tasks that is out of my reach, time-wise and skill-wise.
Orig clay tiles are collapsed/crushed so water builds up against my foundation on one wall. This causes a small pool of water to seep up through floor/wall joint for days after a normal spring rain.
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