The New "Home Improvement" Thread

1. Don’t hire friends unless it’s me. Why? Because I show up and do what’s expected no matter the customer. Yes, I spilled paint on Pete’s flagstone, but lets face it ... who fuckin cares about him?

2. Don’t ask contractors for a discount. Use them or don’t based on recos or your feel for them when you meet them. If a contractor gives you a discount because you asked, that means he was ripping you off in his original proposal. Could be a few bucks, could be more, point is, don’t put a guy on the spot because he may not treat your project like he’s supposed too.

3. Get 2 or 3 quotes top. If 1 is substantially lower, throw it in the garbage next to Pete’s flagstone.

I hear you loud and clear, Mike and agree. I was also in the predicament of needing it done 'right now' because even though I began asking several contractors for estimates 3-4 months ago, suddenly everyone became too busy with new projects to even come look. One really good company came by (another referral from family) and he talked about some of his guys willing to work Saturday night and Sundays...but he never even gave me an estimate. Finally his wife called me and apologized that they are so swamped that she cannot even get estimates out and that the soonest they could get here would be December. So, yeah, I was in a desperate spot. The last thing I wanted was a line of people waiting to get in and having to look at that step all f'ed up.

Here's a link to the Realtor photos: https://www.abdelhometour.com/videotours/9-gala-drive

All of the driveway block and paver work, all of the retaining walls and the deck design and all of the tree/bush plantings were designed and done by me with rented equipment and 1 helper at times. I really like doing that stuff.

I hear you loud and clear, Mike and agree. I was also in the predicament of needing it done 'right now' because even though I began asking several contractors for estimates 3-4 months ago, suddenly everyone became too busy with new projects to even come look. One really good company came by (another referral from family) and he talked about some of his guys willing to work Saturday night and Sundays...but he never even gave me an estimate. Finally his wife called me and apologized that they are so swamped that she cannot even get estimates out and that the soonest they could get here would be December. So, yeah, I was in a desperate spot. The last thing I wanted was a line of people waiting to get in and having to look at that step all f'ed up.

 

Here's a link to the Realtor photos: https://www.abdelhometour.com/videotours/9-gala-drive

She ain’t lyin. I’m into August and have 6 estimates I have to write up by Saturday and 3 more to go look at Monday and Tuesday.

Solutions for a basement wet wall?

Backside of the house, unfinished part of the basement, we have a basement “wet wall”. A day or 2 after bad rains, you can start to see the concrete block walls getting wet.

We thought it was an issue with the gutter not draining properly, but that was replaced/fixed with the new roof a few months back.

Problem still occurs.

That area in the back of the house is a patio that tends to ‘hold’ water. It doesn’t seem to be draining towards the house, but we’re thinking that late probably what is happening.

It’s right below a gutter. It’s not the basement window, as it shows up below that. Slightly to the side is the back deck and we have no issues there, it seems just the one spot.

I guess we can pull up the large patio bricks along the house, but I don’t need more landscaping. I’m not an outdoor guy and we already have way too much shit.

Last house I did a French drainage system on one part, but it doesn’t seem like that’s going to help enough. Any other suggestions?

The walls haven’t been water proofed in some time, but I feel like that’s a band aid. We are doing that later this summer, but more needs to be done.

Just from my layman's point of view, and probably not what you want to hear, but the foundation should be dug up, and a membrane installed on the outside.

There's franchises like "Basement Boss" that do that stuff.

Run a de-humidifier down there, maybe it's just condensation or something simple, but at least it's not finished.

Solutions for a basement wet wall?

 

Backside of the house, unfinished part of the basement, we have a basement “wet wall”. A day or 2 after bad rains, you can start to see the concrete block walls getting wet.

 

We thought it was an issue with the gutter not draining properly, but that was replaced/fixed with the new roof a few months back.

 

Problem still occurs.

 

That area in the back of the house is a patio that tends to ‘hold’ water. It doesn’t seem to be draining towards the house, but we’re thinking that late probably what is happening.

 

It’s right below a gutter. It’s not the basement window, as it shows up below that. Slightly to the side is the back deck and we have no issues there, it seems just the one spot.

 

I guess we can pull up the large patio bricks along the house, but I don’t need more landscaping. I’m not an outdoor guy and we already have way too much shit.

 

Last house I did a French drainage system on one part, but it doesn’t seem like that’s going to help enough. Any other suggestions?

 

 

The walls haven’t been water proofed in some time, but I feel like that’s a band aid. We are doing that later this summer, but more needs to be done.

not our basement - as it's not bad right now, but this is similar, although this seems wider, and ours doesnt go all the way to the floor.

not our basement - as it's not bad right now, but this is similar, although this seems wider, and ours doesnt go all the way to the floor.

 

How is the grading in that area? We had a similar issue, not an nearly as bad as that pic but once our landscaper regraded, the problem disappeared.

This is the outside where it's happening. (This is from before we moved in)

That's a classic Weber. Very nice.

Just talking to my guy, he says you can do it from either the inside or outside. Inside seems more complicated to me. Outside is more or less what I said. I'm not sure what your frost line is like, but if it's wet and you get a cold winter, could start pushing it in.

That's a classic Weber. Very nice.

 

Just talking to my guy, he says you can do it from either the inside or outside. Inside seems more complicated to me. Outside is more or less what I said. I'm not sure what your frost line is like, but if it's wet and you get a cold winter, could start pushing it in.

Grill is hooked up to the gas line. I dont grill so that things still sitting there. lol.

I have no idea what a frost line is.

If you get a cold winter, here anyways, the ground will freeze down to three feet. If that happens the dampness in your wall could freeze, and start putting pressure on things.

It may not be an issue where you are.

This is the outside where it's happening. (This is from before we moved in)

 

 

That wall is under those steps? You might needs to take the steps down and see what's behind there. It should be water-proofed, then to Vodka's point, that stone path should be pulled dup and make sure it's graded away from house.

You also mentioned gutters, where do they empty out to? Check the downspouts and get it away from your house.

My last house we had a situation that started like this and got pretty bad. After hard rain, the walls started seeping. We did the gutters, increased the grading, nothing seemed to work. Cinderblock eventually cracked enough in spots that an area beneath our fireplace which housed the cleanout ended up filling with water and then leaking out of the cleanout door (about a foot above the floor, so a lot of water got in) and flooded the entire basement.

Like your situation, it was isolated to the one side of the house. We got a French drain/sump pump put in just along that one wall, and then they drilled holes at the base of the cleanout so water didn't build up there. It ultimately wasn't that expensive. A few grand if memory serves. They also said they could connect the French drains around the rest of the house at a later time if the problem spread.

That might still be in the mitigation vs proper fix that others are talking about. This all happened a year or so before we knew we were going to move, so we didn't want to spend the kind of money needed to properly water proof that side.

That wall is under those steps? You might needs to take the steps down and see what's behind there. It should be water-proofed, then to Vodka's point, that stone path should be pulled dup and make sure it's graded away from house.

 

You also mentioned gutters, where do they empty out to? Check the downspouts and get it away from your house.

The picture is taken from on the deck. The issue is directly across from the grill. No steps. That’s an old pile of wood. There is a small basement window, but that’s not the leak.

The gutters run down the left side and downspout is on the side of the garage - no basement under neath

The picture is taken from on the deck. The issue is directly across from the grill. No steps. That’s an old pile of wood. There is a small basement window, but that’s not the leak.

 

The gutters run down the left side and downspout is on the side of the garage - no basement under neath

Gotcha, is the walkway pitched away from the house?

Also, I've had some folks around here who are having basements re-finished tell me that contractors are saying we're getting so much rain that water table is rising and houses in our area weren't built to withstand this much rain on the yearly basis. Take it for what it's worth.

Gotcha, is the walkway pitched away from the house?

 

Also, I've had some folks around here who are having basements re-finished tell me that contractors are saying we're getting so much rain that water table is rising and houses in our area weren't built to withstand this much rain on the yearly basis. Take it for what it's worth.

No pitch - or very little. There is a small, 8" area between the house and the bricks, with a slight layer of small rocks. Not sure if this was their attempt to fix the issue... I was thinking about more rocks, and sand to try to slow down, disperse, but I dont know what I'm doing, obviously.