After 7+" Of Rain...

[djMot]

This is what I get after as much rain as we've gotten here in Wisconsin.  This is in the evening, and the last round of storms was very early in the morning, so it's had about 12 hours to dissipate some.  It was much more like a pond this morning than like the swamp it is now.  This is how I end up with seepage into the basements.  Damn the builder for not putting in a sump!

 

[little_old_man]

Sumps aren't that difficult to put in and by the looks of it the effort would be well worth the expense.

[Damage_inc-]

my normal 12 inch hop over creek on my property line turned into a 12 foot wide raging river this morning..it was crazy.,,my gutters overflowed.i went out to clear gutters and ended up making trenches to channel the water away from the house and down the hill...

Edited June 27, 2013 by Damage_inc-

[Labob]

build a big french drain aka a huge hole filled with clear cruch

[djMot]

build a big french drain aka a huge hole filled with clear cruch

 

Hmm.  You got me thinking with that one LaBob.  However, the main issue is that the area that's wet back there is an area that the county hydrogeological maps show as "partially anaerobic soil."  In other words, it's a known periodic swamp or pond.  The basements can seep even when there is no visible water in the back yard.  Today is an extreme case, but in others, the local water table might be several inches below the topsoil, but high enough to cause seepage into the basement. 

[djMot]

Sumps aren't that difficult to put in and by the looks of it the effort would be well worth the expense.

 

I was quoted somewhere around $16K to do both basements.  That's a pretty big expense.  And, although you can re-coop the money you put into a kitchen or bathroom remodel when you go to sell later on, you cannot get money back on a dry-basement project.  A dry basement is something that's assumed and doesn't otherwise enhance the value of a home like a contemporary remodel of any of the finished living space does.

 

Frequency of these kinds of events, or ones that end up with water seepage into the basements is roughly once every 2 to 3 years.  It's been twice already this year, but it's been 2 years since the last episode before that.

[little_old_man]

 

Sumps aren't that difficult to put in and by the looks of it the effort would be well worth the expense.

 

I was quoted somewhere around $16K to do both basements.  That's a pretty big expense.  And, although you can re-coop the money you put into a kitchen or bathroom remodel when you go to sell later on, you cannot get money back on a dry-basement project.  A dry basement is something that's assumed and doesn't otherwise enhance the value of a home like a contemporary remodel of any of the finished living space does.

 

Frequency of these kinds of events, or ones that end up with water seepage into the basements is roughly once every 2 to 3 years.  It's been twice already this year, but it's been 2 years since the last episode before that.

 

I was thinking more along the lines of do it yourself and less than $5k. A home inspector can easily spot signs of basement flooding from past years, and while a kitchen or bathroom remodel "might" increase the value of a home, signs of a flooding basement will certainly decrease the value, and probably by much more than $16k.

Edited June 27, 2013 by little_old_man

[Mule]

 

Sumps aren't that difficult to put in and by the looks of it the effort would be well worth the expense.

 

I was quoted somewhere around $16K to do both basements.  That's a pretty big expense.  And, although you can re-coop the money you put into a kitchen or bathroom remodel when you go to sell later on, you cannot get money back on a dry-basement project.  A dry basement is something that's assumed and doesn't otherwise enhance the value of a home like a contemporary remodel of any of the finished living space does.

 

Frequency of these kinds of events, or ones that end up with water seepage into the basements is roughly once every 2 to 3 years.  It's been twice already this year, but it's been 2 years since the last episode before that.

 

If you leave it the way it is if you sell the house you can add has periodic indoor pool? Maybe that would up the price?

[JohnnyDos]

This is what I get after as much rain as we've gotten here in Wisconsin.  This is in the evening, and the last round of storms was very early in the morning, so it's had about 12 hours to dissipate some.  It was much more like a pond this morning than like the swamp it is now.  This is how I end up with seepage into the basements.  Damn the builder for not putting in a sump!

 

 

You should put R2dee2 and his 2 buddies to work and help you solve the problem,instead of just having them stand there.LOL I know not funny for you dj,I'm just trying to put a little chuckle into you.But with 7" of rain in such a short time,that is a lot of water.

Edited June 27, 2013 by JohnnyDos

[Xalandra]

Looks wet..

[Bogleg]

Looks wet..

 

That's what she said...

[Labob]

Ah my french blood says woooooo wooo my friend you can also put a sump pump in a french drain hole. Dig the hole 4 or 5 feet sq by at least that deep fill it with gravel and add an 8 inch pipe with a cap on the bottom end in the middle of the french drain. Cut slots in the bottom of the pipe so water may flow into it. Now add a pump have it drain to the road or a place where water is best suited ie neighbor that bums you out yard. You can now adjust the water level around your house. All that for under a grand even less if you dig by hand.

[djMot]

 

Looks wet..

 

That's what she said...

 

No, you Idiot, that's what HE said.    Now stop it! 

[FRENCHI]

bon courrage a vous si j habitais a coté de chez vous je cerai venue vous filer un coup de main pour arranger ça

[djMot]

Ah my french blood says woooooo wooo my friend you can also put a sump pump in a french drain hole. Dig the hole 4 or 5 feet sq by at least that deep fill it with gravel and add an 8 inch pipe with a cap on the bottom end in the middle of the french drain. Cut slots in the bottom of the pipe so water may flow into it. Now add a pump have it drain to the road or a place where water is best suited ie neighbor that bums you out yard. You can now adjust the water level around your house. All that for under a grand even less if you dig by hand.

 

 

I have considered that, but always wondered about the exterior electrical requirements and building/electrical codes.  Also, as the picture hints at, there is a 6' utility easement across the back of the lot for buried utility lines.  The pond/marsh forms right where the utility lines run underground.  That said, I could find a place in the middle of the yard to install such a sump well.  By that reckoning, though, I could also jack-hammer out a couple of holes in my basements and just put in a sump well without the tile system.   The dry basement contractors don't want to do that because they claim that it's pointless to have a well without a tile system and it just won't work.  Personally, I think they just want the money that the whole job would bring in.

[djMot]

bon courrage a vous si j habitais a coté de chez vous je cerai venue vous filer un coup de main pour arranger ça

 

Merci, Frenchi - Dans plusieurs millions d'années, je suppose Wisconsin et la France se réuniront dans une zone de subduction sous la mer. Ensuite, nous pouvons travailler ensemble. Et d'ici là, nous aurons du pain sur pour nous!