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Iowa | Do the cheapest stuff first.
1) How are your eve spouts? Are they kept clean? Are your downspouts large enough? Are your downspout extensions long enough? Have you stood out in a heavy rain and watched the eve spouts work? I hear all the time that the eve spouts are fine, but if I can convince the client to go out in a heavy downpour and watch, they nearly always see deficiencies. I bet fully a third of wet basements can be fixed with proper eve spouting. Use commercial downspouts--they can handle a lot more water.
2) How is the grade close to the house? Has the backfill settled? Can you install taller window wells and ramp up more dirt against the foundation? Is any landscaping trapping water close to the house?
3) How is the overall grade a bit further out? Can you cut a swale to divert any water that runs up by your house so that no run-off gets close to it?
4) Do you have a sidewalk, steps, or concrete patio trapping water or diverting water to the foundation? I see these problems a lot as well.
I would address all these things before I started trenching , etc. That may be necessary, but I wouldn't jump to do it. I'd say less than 10% of wet basements need it. | |
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Remodel basements?
