wet basement

9 years ago

We have an extra little room that was built (we think) where the original entry to the basement was, and it houses the well. The problem is that in the spring thaw, water drips through the ceiling of this little room (and then into the basement). We've had people out, but no one really knows what to do with it. Normally it has 4-6 inches of soil and grass on it, but we just dug it out to see the condition (picture attached).

I'm thinking of coating it with the rubberized asphalt coating, and then trying to grade the topsoil away from the house, lay a layer of landscaping plastic, and then mulch. Is the asphalt coating a problem since the room houses the well? I'm thinking since it doesn't actually come in contact with the water, it's not a problem (kind of like if our driveway was asphalt).

I'd love any other advice or opinions on my plan! Thanks!

Here is a link that might be useful: well room

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Comments (6)

worthy
9 years ago
Treat the concrete like the roof it is.

This post was edited by worthy on Sun, Sep 7, 14 at 14:41
lazy_gardens
9 years ago
Grade the whole yard so it slopes AWAY from the foundation, and away from that concrete slab.
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edlincoln
9 years ago
Build a little gazebo or shed over it, with a shingled roof and storm drains.

Put a French Drain around it.

Put a drain in the basement where this room meets the house, and use a sump pump to pump the water away.
cookingofjoy
Original Author
9 years ago
Thanks for all of the recommendations!
lazygardens and edlincoln -that's a good point about grading and the french drain. I didn't mention, but we are also having landscapers out to grade, create a swale in the back around this little room and down the hill to the north, and some other grading on the other side of the house. Generally it's graded ok, in each of the estimates, the landscapers have mentioned that grading looks generally ok. My picture's kind of at the wrong angle, too. It seems odd that we get any water because there's a gulley to the north, though the house isn't quite at the peak of the hill.

worthy - thanks for the link on the EPDM, I'd never heard of it before. Do you happen to know if the EPDM I find online as a pond liner would work? It's not a huge space, so I don't need such a large roll. All the smaller sizes seem to be labeled for ponds.
worthy
9 years ago
Do you happen to know if the EPDM I find online as a pond liner would work?

Perhaps. But I would go to a roofing supply store to be sure. They might have smaller pieces that would suit you.

As others have mentioned, grading will help. As it is, the roof is now a pond bottom four to six inches lower than the surrounding soil . Whoever built that should have treated it as a basement and supplied drainage and waterproofed the walls.
cookingofjoy
Original Author
9 years ago
I wish they would have waterproofed it! The previous owners also poured a basement floor (which is nice), but they didn't lay down any drain tile or put in a sump (not as nice). Oh, well, I'm sure the next owners will comment on some of our decisions, too....