fixing laudry room wall

[TomR]

This is about how to fix the water problem on the outside of the house:

Depending on what the real water problem is, this could be a fairly big job. If you are lucky and the only real problem is water that is getting in through the window, then the fix may be much simpler as I described in other posts.

But, in general, the fix for a water problem is to get the outside water to run AWAY from the house.

There are various ways of doing that. One is, if it is possible, you may be able to remove dirt etc. to grade the ground so water runs away from your house and out through the side or back boundaries of your property. That would involve digging out and removing dirt and allowing the water to run to a lower area (such as the side driveway etc.

Also, it is possible that you would need to take up the bricks and the concrete slab that you built, then dig a deep trench down along the wall on the outside, the "parge" and seal the wall from the outside. That's a big job, and I have a hunch that other fixes that you could do will solve the problem and prevent having to remove the slab, dig, and parge, and seal on the outside. "Parge", by the wall, means putting a coating of mortar or cement on the outside of the wall (below the ground level) to help seal and waterproof the wall on the outside. After Parging, the wall can also be sealed with an asphalt-based waterproof coating that would be below the ground level, then fill the dirt back in.

[DerbyDad03]

One possible fix for the window is to remove the old frame, get down to good block and mortar in a 2? thick patio block to create a flat surface for a glass block window. The patio block (or 2?) may give you the height you need to keep the water out.

And guess what? You can get a dryer vent designed to fit in a glass block window. Here's just one example.

[leza wang]

Thanks a lot for all your help. I am going to do that now (remove dirt etc). Thanks once again really appreciate it.

[DerbyDad03]

c). Thanks once again really appreciate it.

Did you see my post about replacing the window with glass block? Just in ca se you didn't:

One possible fix for the window is to remove the old frame, get down to goo d block and mortar in a 2? thick patio block to create a flat surface for a glass block window. The patio block (or 2?) may give you the height you need to keep the water out.

And guess what? You can get a dryer vent designed to fit in a glass block w indow. Here's just one example.

[trader4]

Do the "ants" have wings? The video is blurry, can't see much. Termites have wings. There are also carpenter ants, which are large black ants, no wings. If you see tunneling into the wood, eating it away, then you definitely have some kind of wood insect that needs to be addressed. Left untreated, they can destroy the whole house.

+1. I would not use Drylock until the water problem is first fixed from the OUTSIDE. The way that slab outside runs right up to the window, Drylock isn't going to solve anything.

Agree. With the bottom of the window being defined as the lowest portion of the window and whatever it's framed into, before the concrete starts.

+1 and no Drylock until the water problem is fixed.

I doubt that will work. As long as water can pool up outside, it will find a way in.

Doubt that will work either. The solution is proper grading, perhaps a window well.

+1

Could be just common ants. They will nest in wood cavities, but they don't eat the wood. If there is evidence of tunneling, wood gone, then it could be termites or carpenter ants. Anytime you have wood in contact with water, you're inviting them in. That's why with proper construction, you don't have wood in contact with soil, except in certain circumstances using pressure treated lumber.

[trader4]

lease see video below)

One co ntractor came and said that area in the wall is not isolated and it is not drywall but somewhere in the middle of that wall, drywall starts from middl e until the window. he said that area (from the middle to the button) need to be removed to install new drywall. I am thinking about quick and more co st effect solution. I thought of buying a drywall and cut it to cover that area and that will provide a support to existing wall. I will be very simil ar to what i did in the following video but the board will be bigger (highe r) so it will meet with another dry wall and then screw them. is that good idea? Went to Home depot and found they have the following 1) dry wall 2)tile backer (dens shield) 3) ce ment board 4) cgc gypsum board 5) fiberock panel Which board should I use i n this case Thanks a lot.

edge of the window, not the bottom on the inside.

f the upper part of the window, that way the vent sould be 10 - 15" above t he outside ground level. I would use a screened vent to keep critters out. I don't think there were termite tunnels behid the sheetrock/drywall that was removed, the termites would have been going up to get at wood not down to the concrete floor. I would use a wire brush to scrub on the inside wal l behind where the drywall was removed before painting with a drylock style paint, to give the paint a good clean dust and debris-free surface to grab on to.

You don't solve water problems by first resorting to Drylock. From the video, there is a serious problem OUTSIDE and no amount of Drylock is going to fix that.

[Norminn]

I could not see the "tunnels" you referred to, but black ants in tunnels are usually Carpenter ants. They tunnel into damp/rotten wood and sometimes into old termite tunnels. With the water-damaged wood and drywall beneath the window, I would be surprised NOT to find Carpenter ants. Have you had the house inspected by termite company or other pest control contractor? If not, you should and it should be done yearly. Also, look online for information about avoiding termite infestations, and try to find info specific to your locale. Different species of termites are predominant in different areas of the country and in different conditions.

Stores like Lowes and Home Depot have good "how to" books for homeowners that are good for beginners....if you are familiar with how things are done to build or repair home, you will be better able to spot problems before they become big ones.

As for termites, if there are areas like your basement window, you can check around the window to spot signs of termites....little lines of blistered-appearing paint on surface of drywall, wings shed on sills of windows, tap on wood around window to see if areas sound more hollow than the areas that are not damaged. On outside of foundation, subterranean termites build "mud tubes" to reach from soil to wood...they do not crawl in areas open to the sunlight. Soil should not be closer than 6 to 8 inches below the wood sills of the exterior walls. Keep trees and shrubs trimmed so they do not contact roof or wood parts of the house.

[Tony Hwang]

Hi, Fix the cause, not the symptom. I am a strong believer of do it first time right and forget long time. Start with water drainage around house perimeter. Is the yard graded right? Does the down spouts discharge water right? Is there any weeping tile around basement foundation?

No neighbors to give a hand or some useful advice? No help from local HD store staff? Our neighborhood HD store has many retired trades people with good knowledge and experience. No. 1 rated in the country for good service and customer satisfaction. To get a good answer, one has to ask a good question. LOL.

I never lived in a pre-owned house. Always had one built for my family.

5 times over the years. I know every thing about my house with a set of blue prints I keep. When I sell the house the blue prints and history of any "good to know" documented maintenance record is turned over to new owner.

[TomR]

Trader4,

I've noticed that we generally seem to be thinking along the same lines on this whole project -- except that I keep referring to building some kind of barrier in front of the window and you talk more instead about building a window well.

Then it dawned on me that we may be talking about a similar approach but using different terms. I was thinking that by "window well" you meant to dig out around the front of the window and create a window well. But maybe what you meant was to create a metal, plastic, or masonry/stone window well wall around the window (without digging down below the existing grade level); then maybe adding a clear plastic window well cover on top of that to let light in but keep the rain out of the window well; and, then build up the ground level around the new window well so the ground can be graded to allow the water to run off away from the house.

I think that would work.

[trader4]

When you install a window well below grade, you're not relying on caulking or anything else to seal it and keep the water out. You have a well that is either deep enough with the soil having enough percolation to accomadate the water that goes in, or you could have it tied into the weeping tile system at the footers. I saw Holmes up in CA doing one like that, ie tied to the footer drainage. Either way, the water comes into the well and drains away. To try to keep the water out by caulking around any kind of barrier is just a temporary fix, at best.

Other than that, I agree we have similar ideas on how it should be fixed.

[TomR]

My thinking is that not much water is really getting into her basement, but most, if not all, of the water that is getting in is just running across the bottom sill of the window because it is at ground level. In one of the OP's photos or videos, it looks like the cement slab that she built is relatively flat and does not build up any large puddles. So, my hunch is that if she can keep the water away from the window, and maybe caulk or seal the seam along the outside foundation wall where the slab meets it, her water problem might be solved.

That's why I think a low-cost barrier in front of the window (like the semi-circular plastic window well wall) and a window well cover may be the only fix she needs.

On the inside, there doesn't appear to be much evidence that water is coming in through the lower parts of the wall -- just overflow from the window. But, that's why I suggested that she leave the wall bare until after a couple a rain storms and watch to see where the water is coming in.

I do know what you mean by the Holmes-show-style window well solutions, but I'm not sure that the OP's situation would require that.