QUOTE (manojsingh @ Jun 2 2009, 12:13 AM) Dear Renovation Experts,
I purchased a house in Hamilton and there is sepage in the basement (its not very much but certainly some dampness is there). I want to finish the basement what should I do or where to start to rectify this. Thanks in advance for your valuable guidance.
usually checking the drain pipes is the first place to start, make sure you extend the water flow away from the home, this alone is huge! Also make sure the eves troughs are clear from debris. A blocked eves trough could cause water to spill over & drain to the foundation
Also check if the neighbor`s have their roof draining on your foundation. I had this happen when I discovered that the neighbor had extended the drain pipe from the eves trough & had it pointed directly so the water was draining down my foundation.
I would say that the other posts R right, you definitely need to determine where the water is coming from, the idea is to drain all water away from the foundation.
It helps to be @ the property when it`s raining if at all possible, because its easy to see where you are having draining issues.
good luck!
oh, you probably already know, to dry the basement you will want to rent a "blower" (i don`t know the exact term) to dry the water up... the guys that insurance people hire to fix water damage use them & the guys @ home depot & other rental places rent them for cheap
I purchased a house in Hamilton and there is sepage in the basement (its not very much but certainly some dampness is there). I want to finish the basement what should I do or where to start to rectify this. Thanks in advance for your valuable guidance.
usually checking the drain pipes is the first place to start, make sure you extend the water flow away from the home, this alone is huge! Also make sure the eves troughs are clear from debris. A blocked eves trough could cause water to spill over & drain to the foundation
Also check if the neighbor`s have their roof draining on your foundation. I had this happen when I discovered that the neighbor had extended the drain pipe from the eves trough & had it pointed directly so the water was draining down my foundation.
I would say that the other posts R right, you definitely need to determine where the water is coming from, the idea is to drain all water away from the foundation.
It helps to be @ the property when it`s raining if at all possible, because its easy to see where you are having draining issues.
good luck!
oh, you probably already know, to dry the basement you will want to rent a "blower" (i don`t know the exact term) to dry the water up... the guys that insurance people hire to fix water damage use them & the guys @ home depot & other rental places rent them for cheap
QUOTE (manojsingh @ Jun 2 2009, 12:13 AM) Dear Renovation Experts,
I purchased a house in Hamilton and there is sepage in the basement (its not very much but certainly some dampness is there). I want to finish the basement what should I do or where to start to rectify this. Thanks in advance for your valuable guidance.
if you are looking for our basement waterproofing contractor, I would recommend Pioneer Waterproofing. They are based in Hamilton. http://pioneerwaterproofing.ca/
I purchased a house in Hamilton and there is sepage in the basement (its not very much but certainly some dampness is there). I want to finish the basement what should I do or where to start to rectify this. Thanks in advance for your valuable guidance.
if you are looking for our basement waterproofing contractor, I would recommend Pioneer Waterproofing. They are based in Hamilton. http://pioneerwaterproofing.ca/
QUOTE (manojsingh @ Jun 2 2009, 12:13 AM) Dear Renovation Experts,
I purchased a house in Hamilton and there is sepage in the basement (its not very much but certainly some dampness is there). I want to finish the basement what should I do or where to start to rectify this. Thanks in advance for your valuable guidance.
I usually check to see what my home inspection report, done as part of my property due diligence, has said regarding the property.
If it was done by a qualified inspector, you should have a nice property evaluation so you shouldn`t have a guessing game on where to start. If you were not aware of potential for basement dampness, I would be hauling my home inspector back in for another visit to identify the circumstances that have changed since his inspection and now. A good, committed inspector will come back at a nominal cost or even free of charge.
I purchased a house in Hamilton and there is sepage in the basement (its not very much but certainly some dampness is there). I want to finish the basement what should I do or where to start to rectify this. Thanks in advance for your valuable guidance.
I usually check to see what my home inspection report, done as part of my property due diligence, has said regarding the property.
If it was done by a qualified inspector, you should have a nice property evaluation so you shouldn`t have a guessing game on where to start. If you were not aware of potential for basement dampness, I would be hauling my home inspector back in for another visit to identify the circumstances that have changed since his inspection and now. A good, committed inspector will come back at a nominal cost or even free of charge.
QUOTE (MikeMilovick @ Jun 4 2009, 07:58 PM) I usually check to see what my home inspection report, done as part of my property due diligence, has said regarding the property.
If it was done by a qualified inspector, you should have a nice property evaluation so you shouldn`t have a guessing game on where to start. If you were not aware of potential for basement dampness, I would be hauling my home inspector back in for another visit to identify the circumstances that have changed since his inspection and now. A good, committed inspector will come back at a nominal cost or even free of charge.
I agree with Mike. Call the company that did your property inspection. Something like that should have been caught unless of course something has changed since the property inspection. If this was an oversight on the part of the property inspector then they are responsible for it. A reputable inspection company carries an insurance policy that covers oversights. Every company I`ve dealt with has always provided me with the insurance policy information up front even before doing the inspection.
Read through your sales agreement very carefully. Was there any legal wording in the agreement which requires the seller to disclose sepage/flooding issues? Talk to your realtor if you used one to find out your rights in your province. If this was a problem that the sellers just sold to you there is a certain amount of time, depending on the Province you live in, to go after the seller to cover the cost of the repairs. Good luck
If it was done by a qualified inspector, you should have a nice property evaluation so you shouldn`t have a guessing game on where to start. If you were not aware of potential for basement dampness, I would be hauling my home inspector back in for another visit to identify the circumstances that have changed since his inspection and now. A good, committed inspector will come back at a nominal cost or even free of charge.
I agree with Mike. Call the company that did your property inspection. Something like that should have been caught unless of course something has changed since the property inspection. If this was an oversight on the part of the property inspector then they are responsible for it. A reputable inspection company carries an insurance policy that covers oversights. Every company I`ve dealt with has always provided me with the insurance policy information up front even before doing the inspection.
Read through your sales agreement very carefully. Was there any legal wording in the agreement which requires the seller to disclose sepage/flooding issues? Talk to your realtor if you used one to find out your rights in your province. If this was a problem that the sellers just sold to you there is a certain amount of time, depending on the Province you live in, to go after the seller to cover the cost of the repairs. Good luck
QUOTE (manojsingh @ Jun 2 2009, 12:13 AM) Dear Renovation Experts,
I purchased a house in Hamilton and there is sepage in the basement (its not very much but certainly some dampness is there). I want to finish the basement what should I do or where to start to rectify this. Thanks in advance for your valuable guidance.
Hi Manoj,
I agree with the above posts with the only caveat being, How much seepage? If you are simply talking about dampness, ie. no lying water, then the problem is likely just a poor grade outside to move water away from the house. I wouldn`t call in my building inspector for this issue without first improving the grade from the house and checking eavestrough to see if that helps. Save the building inspector for when you really need them to come back.
If you are talking about actual lying water then trace it back to see where it is coming from. Foundation cracks, overflow drain, malfunctioning sump pumps, water heater, plumbing, etc. are all possible causes for this and a quick search should put you in the right direction of whom to call first.
Our recent rainstorm last night and another scheduled for Thursday will also give you an indication of whether the problem is from outside or inside. If the amount of dampness increases over the next few days look for cracks in the foundation, improve the grade, clean the eavestroughs, and go from there.
Hope this helps.
Regards...Randy D.
I purchased a house in Hamilton and there is sepage in the basement (its not very much but certainly some dampness is there). I want to finish the basement what should I do or where to start to rectify this. Thanks in advance for your valuable guidance.
Hi Manoj,
I agree with the above posts with the only caveat being, How much seepage? If you are simply talking about dampness, ie. no lying water, then the problem is likely just a poor grade outside to move water away from the house. I wouldn`t call in my building inspector for this issue without first improving the grade from the house and checking eavestrough to see if that helps. Save the building inspector for when you really need them to come back.
If you are talking about actual lying water then trace it back to see where it is coming from. Foundation cracks, overflow drain, malfunctioning sump pumps, water heater, plumbing, etc. are all possible causes for this and a quick search should put you in the right direction of whom to call first.
Our recent rainstorm last night and another scheduled for Thursday will also give you an indication of whether the problem is from outside or inside. If the amount of dampness increases over the next few days look for cracks in the foundation, improve the grade, clean the eavestroughs, and go from there.
Hope this helps.
Regards...Randy D.