Water In The Basement?

[Kristopher Kelly]

Hello BP Fam,

I am tired of looking at houses here in Delaware and not doing any research on fixing/replacing (if possible) a foundational issue with a home. I have seen multiple houses now that have water in the basement. The water is not from a water heater or other appliance. Does anyone have an idea at what cost range or ideas of where this water could be coming from? Sorry for such an open question like this I am sure there are a million answers. The homes are incredibly old. 1870-1900. They are priced about 80-60k under what they are worth. Is this enough of a range for the repairs needed? Do you usually stay away from foundational issues? 

Any help is greatly appreciated!

-Kristopher Kelly 

[Nathan Gesner]

Most foundation issues are cheaper to repair than people assume.

I don't know the source of water. It could be the ground slopes towards the foundation, allowing water to pool up against the foundation and then seep in. Maybe you have a high water table? Maybe there's a leaking pipe?

I believe you can seal an entire basement for $5,000 - $10,000. This involves digging up the entire foundation, repairing cracks and damage, and then coating the entire thing with a sealant. But what if the water is just coming in through one crack in one wall? You can seal that yourself for under $300. It just depends on where the water is coming from and how bad the damage is.

You need to hire someone to investigate these homes and determine if that's the problem/solution. There's no way we could assess this for you over a forum.