Poor drainage any Recourse?

Massachusetts


I hired a builder to build our house and haven't had an issue until last week when the heavy rains brought up the water table and my foundation began to leak. My neighbor and I had to cut a hole in the floor to relieve pressure and install a makeshift sump pump system. My wife and I have it moderately under control but have decided to cut the carpets out of the finished side since they've been wet for days, etc..

Now, we are faced with a minimum or replacing carpets and drainage work. There is probably going to have to be some exterior drainage and a permanent interior drainage system. all of this could have been avoided had the builder installed drainage along the foundation. At the time it might have cost me a small portion compared to what this will cost after the fact. I assumed he was doing things right, which is why I hired him. He has a good reputation and is also a part time building inspector. I know there was no drainage installed along the foundation since I took pictures when the work was being done.

Sorry to hear about this. A basement leaking has got to be one of the most unpleasent things. "Good reputation" seems to be to be used to describe many builders who really shouldn't enjoy the label. No truly good builder would skip the steps necessary to keep the basement dry. Do not recarpet until this is resolved completely or you will just have to rip it up again.

Document your house's defects very well, because without pictures, expert inspections and reports, and proof you notified the builder in writing, you will not have much chance to hold him accountable, assuming it isn't too late already.

It's sad, but a lot of new homes nowdays have so many shortcuts and mistakes they will probably end up junky rentals, or being torn down, long before they should be. This guy is an inspector, too? Scary.

Good luck.

Well, MA requires a one year warranty so I'm not sure what recourse, if any, there is. Overall the house is excellent, this was our only issue (unfortunately, a big one). I think the builder and his site work guy didn't think perimeter drains were necessary because the water table is usually 9 feet below the basement floor. However, 25" of rain in a month in a half can prove otherwise. Worst case scenario planning should have been in order when it comes to drainage though.

Catman said:

Massachusetts


I hired a builder to build our house and haven't had an issue until last week when the heavy rains brought up the water table and my foundation began to leak. My neighbor and I had to cut a hole in the floor to relieve pressure and install a makeshift sump pump system. My wife and I have it moderately under control but have decided to cut the carpets out of the finished side since they've been wet for days, etc..

Now, we are faced with a minimum or replacing carpets and drainage work. There is probably going to have to be some exterior drainage and a permanent interior drainage system. all of this could have been avoided had the builder installed drainage along the foundation. At the time it might have cost me a small portion compared to what this will cost after the fact. I assumed he was doing things right, which is why I hired him. He has a good reputation and is also a part time building inspector. I know there was no drainage installed along the foundation since I took pictures when the work was being done.

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Why did you not say something when you noticed it?

Because I didn't know it was an issue at the time. Only now, after some research did I realize things should have been differently.

Catman said:

Well, MA requires a one year warranty so I'm not sure what recourse, if any, there is.

Was the builder notified of your problem, in writing within a year, or as otherwise required by your written warranty?

Overall the house is excellent, this was our only issue (unfortunately, a big one). I think the builder and his site work guy didn't think perimeter drains were necessary because the water table is usually 9 feet below the basement floor. However, 25" of rain in a month in a half can prove otherwise. Worst case scenario planning should have been in order when it comes to drainage though.

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Engineers design site and/or development drainage plans in accordance with 25 year rainfall averages, not the worst case senario.

OP get a structural engineer to evaluate the problem and help you come up with a solution. I will guarantee that you do not understand the drainage issue. For example, are you asserting that a french drain should have been placed around the home? Do you gutters discharge at least 5ft from your house? Was the building pad sloped sufficiently away from the home to allow water to run off?

Of the drainage issues I bring up here, only one- the building pad is addressed in many, if not most, building codes.

Talk with a local attorney because if this stuff happened outside of your warranty and/or if it was not reported as required in your warranty, recovery will be difficult.

question

Did the contractor seal the block or formed concrete walls of the foundation and insulate over them?If he didn't you might be able to go back on him.I used to be a contractor in Virginia and if this the case it shouldn't have passed inspection.I'm not sure of laws in your state.Another thing you might look into is a dry-lok liquid that hardens after it dries or have someone parge the inside of your foundation.Also was there a 1-year warranty on your home?

I'll try and answer those questions. The builder was not notified within a year because the problem just occurred and was outside the year warranty. I did not put on gutters because the builder recommended against them due to ice damns and the fact that I have plenty of drainage/runoff area around the house. The foundation was sealed. It was not insulated. I've never seen many insulated around here so I guess it's not required. The walls are 10". Thanks for the input. Here are some pics for reference.

Pic 1

Pic 2

Pic 3

Pic 4

basements in the water table always leak

How can they not?, even boats leak

Catman said:

Massachusetts


I hired a builder to build our house and haven't had an issue until last week when the heavy rains brought up the water table and my foundation began to leak.

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you built your house in a lake (thats what the water table is) and you wonder why it leaks?

If you wanted a boat why didnt you build a boat?

Catman said:

I'll try and answer those questions. The builder was not notified within a year because the problem just occurred and was outside the year warranty. I did not put on gutters because the builder recommended against them due to ice damns and the fact that I have plenty of drainage/runoff area around the house. The foundation was sealed. It was not insulated. I've never seen many insulated around here so I guess it's not required. The walls are 10". Thanks for the input. Here are some pics for reference.

Pic 1

Pic 2

Pic 3

Pic 4

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Totally unrelated:
Can I come visit and bring my PW???
Your front lawn is perfect!

John Se said:

If you wanted a boat why didnt you build a boat?[/B]

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'Cause he ain't Noah???

panzertanker said:

Totally unrelated:
Can I come visit and bring my PW???
Your front lawn is perfect!

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That's why I took the pic. The rain did have some positive result.

John Se, was that supposed to be a helpful post or an ignorant jab? Either way, the house was not built in the water table. The normal water table is far below the floor. We've gotten 25" of rain in 6 weeks. People that have never had basement leaks got them this year. My whole point of this thread was to ascertain if the builder could have foreseen a problem, whether he should have done more and whether he is any way responsible.

Catman said:

That's why I took the pic. The rain did have some positive result.

We've gotten 25" of rain in 6 weeks. People that have never had basement leaks got them this year. My whole point of this thread was to ascertain if the builder could have foreseen a problem, whether he should have done more and whether he is any way responsible.

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sorry your so sensitive, this is FREE Advice, I think you answered you own question, If everybodies basements are seeping water then it seems you are not unique, maybe you could sue GOD for sending so much water!!!

Is it reasonable to believe that your issue is a builder defect or a acute problem caused by mega rain? Its just amazing to me the complaints about leaking basements from areas with 100 inches of water, seems like you are fighting a losing battle with mother nature.

by the way your foundation looks good. Would you have paid extra to do extra waterproofing for 100 year floods? Why not jut build your house above grade unless you like cold dark musty places bat-man!! try and have a sense of humor

John Se said:

sorry your so sensitive, this is FREE Advice, I think you answered you own question, If everybodies basements are seeping water then it seems you are not unique, maybe you could sue GOD for sending so much water!!!

Is it reasonable to believe that your issue is a builder defect or a acute problem caused by mega rain? Its just amazing to me the complaints about leaking basements from areas with 100 inches of water, seems like you are fighting a losing battle with mother nature.

by the way your foundation looks good. Would you have paid extra to do extra waterproofing for 100 year floods? Why not jut build your house above grade unless you like cold dark musty places bat-man!! try and have a sense of humor

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Try using a smiley to convey your sense of humor (or lack thereof). The internet doesn't often lend itself to pun interpretation without visual assistance. Seeing how this is an advice forum and not a slap happy teen sausagefest I figured I'd get some appropriate and mature responses. Your post was quite sarcastic, unhelpful and I don't see what was so funny about it anyhow, free or not.