AboutJim Hise Expertise I am the owner of EXPERT BASEMENT REPAIR in Cleveland, Ohio. I can identify the reasons for movement or cracking in home foundations, basements and walls. I am familiar with most waterproofing and water control methods. I am familiar with and have installed Ramjack, Dixie MacLean, and A.B.Chance™ helical and push pier systems, including tiebacks, steel beams, and rod and grout repair and also several carbon fiber stabilization products. I am currently certified to train Fortress carbon fiber installation and perform carbon repair in the greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio region. I have been involved with all aspects slope stabilization for over 10 years. Please remember to tell me what city you live in to help me answer your question up front!
Experience 17 years of structural foundation fault identification and most repair and stabilization methods. I introduced Fortress carbon fiber to this region of Ohio. I have always been on site and involved in order to monitor each project I am responsible for.
Publications Waterproofing magazine issue #2
Education/Credentials Associates degree...and the school of hard knocks! Formerly certified by A.B.Chance company from 1993-2005. I have a construction and home improvement background for almost 35 years. I bought, restored and resold distressed property. I worked with 4 different foundation repair companies and am familiar with most methods. I also worked for a waterproofing company for several years. I teach ongoing education classes for home inspectors, adult education and Realtors in foundation fault identification and repair.
Past/Present Clients Hundreds of residential, commercial and some industrial.
Question Jim,
We have recently purchased (and have been remodeling) a house built in the 1960's. It has a full basement with one side below grade, one side partially below grade as the hill diminishes, and two sides fully above grade - one due to a retaining wall, one is the the back of the house and the hill drops off.
We have a french style drain around the front of the house - our downspouts drain into it - we have gutter guards on all the gutters.
One inside corner of our gutters pours water onto the dirt into an inside corner connecting the front porch to the house. It's like an "L." In this location we have a puddle when it rains, the soil is graded toward the foundation, and, not surprisingly, we get water seeping into our laundry room just below. It's the only wet place in our basement - the rest of which is finished and lovely.
I am relatively confident that our water is from this puddle and we need to grade the ground away from the house. I see that in reading your posts and other internet articles.
My question(finally, I know):
How does one "grade"? Soil type? Angle? Slope? Where do you find all of this information? The "puddling corner" in question is surrounded on one side by a brick wall (the base of the porch), on another side by a brick wall (the side of our house - with a cinder block walls inside), on a third side by open ground covered in rocks - this is near the beginning of the french drain, and the fourth side is slate patio & sidewalk into asphalt driveway. The ground outside the "puddle" slopes toward the patio/sidewalk/asphalt. There is a slight rise before you get to the slope with the french drain... I am concerned that if I divert the water toward the patio/sidewalk/drive, it will end up alongside the full front of the house, leaking into the storm shelter and garage - where currently we are dry.
Any suggestions?
We also have black furry mold now growing on the wall behind the washer, but I don't want to tackle that problem until I solve the water problem. We have old, peeling dry-lok paint on the walls, and they have been painted over with latex paint before we purchased the house - so that is it's own set of problems!
Any advice you can offer would be great!
Thanks.
Answer Julie,
Very simply...you need to correct the top level of soil to make the water run away from the foundation. Period. The angle isn't critical. The soil type is mute. Water has to flow away from the house, not towards it.
If you need to...install a french drain here also and find a way...any way to get it into a storm drain line. You may need to do a little tunneling!
Best wishes, jim
