Wet corners in New Basement

7/30/2012 at 12:08:00 AM

Call your own basement contracter to look at the problematic situation. Could be case of the basement walls have an air pocket on the concrete footing, and was never sealed. Even without the grading there should not be water In the basement.

Make sure your sump pump is working. Could be a very expensive repair, and complaining about it to the builder won't solve the problem. If he won't get it fixed, then get some one to check it out,

Make sure you get a couple prices, Once you do, you get your lawyer to wright a letter to the builder giving him 7 days to fix the problem, or he will be held accountable for the additional costs for you to hire and repair the faulty workmanship, that has been pasted on to you.

If he still doesn't fix it , you will need to get the work done and sue the builder for the cost you are out,

And file a report with the BBB,.

7/30/2012 at 12:34:53 AM

Hello Benjamin:

Paulo's advice is one of the situations which could cause this, although, improper sealing of the concrete, and improper drain placement can cause this as well. The perimeter drains are not draining the excess water away from the foundation. I would suggest that the corners where it is leaking be excavated and sealant be reapplied and the drainage inspected for broken joints. Grading is very important as the water should flow from the home. As suggested, get someone qualified to give you another opinion, and then go from there. Only if your home is in a low area should you need a sump pump. It sounds like the elevations and proper preparation for drainage were not attended to thoroughly enough.

Your home should be covered under a new home warranty as well. Get ahold of them and get them to look into this, for you have paid for their insurance. In B.C. all new home builders must be registered and have warranty coverage on all new construction.

Good luck with your situation.

Chuck

7/30/2012 at 1:07:42 AM

If you house is still under warrentee, DO NOT CALL YOUR OWN CONTRACTOR. Because this is builder's responsibility. Be firm with the builder and talk to them with legal threats.

I am not 100% sure but I think that if your house is under warrentee and you try to fix a problem by yourself or hire a contractor, the warrentee voids because builder will put everything on you.

7/30/2012 at 8:54:36 AM

Did you have delta ms put on your foundation? This would relieve the hydrostatic pressure. Is the parging all the way down to grade, preferably below grade? Have they installed the downspouts are they kicking the water away from the foundation? If all this has been done should be no legitimate reason for water to be coming in. Even a case of needing window wells put in.

Sincerely

Chris Peacock

Peacock Homes

7/30/2012 at 12:42:07 PM

Good morning!

This is common but not normal. In a new house this should be neither. With proper grading the water should move away from the foundation. Possible issues could be the damp proofing is faulty, the perimeter drains are faulty or were damaged when the fill was put back and compacted, the perimeter drains were put too high in relation to the footings...just a few ideas that come to mind.

Where you need to be concerned with ingress in a basement is the growth of mould and damage to your belongings. My initial advice is to keep all items off the floor or out of the basement. If hydrostatic pressure is witnessed anywhere on the floor other than around the walls then the floor itself is suspect to water ingress and will rust metals shelving over time, decay wood shelves, and create mould under card board boxes. If you must store anything down there use plastic storage bins.

If you see mould, clean right away with a detergent (I don't advise using bleach). Wear nitrile gloves and an N95 mask or half-mask with P100 filters if you are sensitive to mould. Mould will grow on the dust, dirt and debris on the concrete and will come off. Any wood framing will need to dry and insulation becomes useless when wet as it reduces the R value.

Note that the above information is meant to help you find answers and, without a site visit and inspection, I am only speculating on possible causes. Consult with the builder or have a third-party or warranty provider.

Regards,

Geoff Shellard, CMI, CMRC, IAQ

Bio Solutions Inc.

7/30/2012 at 9:35:17 PM

Hi Benjamin,

I agree with the comments above.

It is always tough to give the right advice without seeing the problem. I would suggest that you talk to your builder, even if you already did and see if he is willing to investigate the issue. I wouldn't suggest to hire your own contractors to do the repairs, which could be costly depending on the scope of work, and it might void your warrantees with your builder.

I would talk to an building inspector if the builder refuses to adress this issue. He might be able to give you advice on how to proceed from here.

A complain with the BBB might help if he is a member. It might not bring anything if he is a large builder or has otherwise a good reputation. I assume that you did your home work before you hired him and checked some of his previous work and refferences.

Try to solve the issue peaceful before you contact lawyers.

I hope that helps.

Ronny

The Carpenter Edmonton Ltd.

9/23/2012 at 2:48:26 PM

Hi,

Now your saying why? because all bad Carpenters, Electricians and more makes the good guys looks bad, that's why clients hires more and more handyman to be less expensive but get stuck again in this problem, this ends up more expensive for the client and the good guy gets blame for the amount spent by the clients (To expensive) they all say, Get the good guy in first place you will see he is not expensive at the end.

Thanks for your time.

Gaby