We bought a 1700 farmhouse with a field stone basement. We don't store anything in the basement but we do have electric, our furnace, and a dehumidifier down there that we worry about getting wet - not to mention our fear of mold issues!

Well, much to our dismay, we found that our basement can fill with up to 3 feet of water during major rainstorms! We have spent the past couple of years researching options to alleviate the water and are mystified as to what to do.

We fear doing drainage around the foundation as a 300 year old stone foundation doesn't seem likely to withstand the digging pressure.

We know we have a grading issue (the front yard slopes towards the house) and hope that regrading would solve some of the problems.

But, what else? Do we try to put in drains or swales 10 feet away from the foundation, to help catch additional runoff? Or, do we grade and then deal with any lingering problems from the inside?

Any similiar experiences out there?

Any insight would be appreciated!