All Forum Posts by: Eron A.

Quote from @Bob Stevens:

Quote from @Eron A.:

Bowing walls? Water seeping in............etc.

How the *** are folks creating houses with these issues?

I dont get it at all....

 Sorry what is the question?  How to waterproof? Is so the 1st thing to try is simply adding fill around the entire house pitching it away, 9 out of 10 times this solves the issue. If water cannot go straight down and is draining away from the house, well, problem solved. If this does not solve it, you dig around the entire house about 8 ft down, seal with " tar paper" backfill, and dry lock inside as well. Cost is about 12kish, in my market for a 1300- 1500 sq ft house. 

All the best  

Just mostly a rant. Seems that basement water/moisture issues are extremely prevalent. Doesnt make sense to me. And then you have the basement waterproofing companies jammed with business...and half of them not knowing what theyre doing. Seems that we wouldve come up with better home building solutions by now. But then again, maybe we have; im not a GC.

and please believe, i have scowered the net..and im basically a basement waterproofing pro. grading, gutters, drains, steel wall braces, wooden wall braces, carbon straps, etc...you name it, ive read about it. LOL.

Quote from @Bruce Woodruff:

First question that comes to mind is - why did you buy a house that has water issues?

And like @Nathan Gesner said, don't let the water in in the first place. Moisture intrusion is the worst enemy in housing....

didnt know until i started ripping the walls down. i was a bit inexperienced with detecting these issues. i mean...this house has been THE learning experience. i still would have got this house, however. i wouldve offered probably $25-35K less. got it in january, and even at $300K...i dont think it was a bad deal. it appraised at $360K, which was the redfin estimate. today redfin estimates it to be at around $463K. but who knows?

One more thing...this house was great. Even with the basement issues...if i pay $20K to have those fixed from the outside...i dont think i came off bad. and now that ive done some deeper analysis on the issue...i think ill be ok.

Quote from @Nathan Gesner:

Quote from @Eron A.:

I'm not a fan of letting water into the house and then pumping it out. 

1000% agree w/you on that! But thats what most of these basement waterproofing folks recommend :/.

But as I have done more and more research, Im learning that a LOT of these companies dont know what theyre doing. There are some waterproofing systems that just dont work.....for reasons such as:
- they dont have a pitch on the train
- water cant even get into the drain
- levels and locations of the drain

After all this freaking research...I think Im pretty confident that I know how to get this done the right way. I drilled 1 weephole in the area that water was flowing out of...and it seemed relatively dry inside. I stuck some paper inside and left it there for a day or 2. It was slightly damp.

Quote from @Nathan Gesner:

Quote from @Eron A.:

Bowing walls? Water seeping in............etc.

How the *** are folks creating houses with these issues?

I dont get it at all....

I think you're already there!

Is this a house you've already purchased? Want to purchase? Is this a common issue in the market?

Purchased. Basement waterproofing issues seem to be common place. I mean...how are these companies backed up for weeks? As far as the issues with the companies.....well...I think the waterproofing companies simply dont prove to the homeowner that they know what they are talking about. Ive seen many youtube videos where homeowners lost big bucks b/c drainage systems didnt work....be it interior..or exterior. Im a RE investor/agent so I am not in the business of wasting money like them...LOL.

My first post was originally a super long rant post, but I deleted like 95% of it.

Im not your typical homeowner. I research and analyze situations until I have a very good understanding of them...at least when I am spending $10 20K on the fix. Analyst at heart, I guess.

Ive had so many basement waterproofing companies come by and most recommend interior drainage systems. That would be a $10K bill, which is understandable b/c they have to pay multiple folks and still turn a profit. I never really understood how the interior drain was a good option, however. But finally after all my research and analysis, now I realize that the interior drain could be the best option, aside from excavating and doing the job on the outside. My research has also revealed that most of these waterproofing solutions dont work for various reasons(no proper tilt in drain system so water sits stagnant and becomes smelly, no drainage at all...b/c they simply drain to under the foundation, etc).

Now I know what to look for in a company, but I have a friend who builds houses and I might try to get him to help me do this myself...and maybe...just maybe...I could save $5000? I believe these are some pretty good instructions here for me to follow: https://www.familyhandyman.com... I have no affiliation with that site or anyone on it. Just a site I came across.

LMBAO...and when I say research...I mostly mean watching 100s of youtube videos and reading articles on google. :dead:

Bowing walls? Water seeping in............etc.

How the *** are folks creating houses with these issues?

I dont get it at all....

Buy with cash, probably. I mean, thats what Im going to do...........but 1 problem: AINT GOT THE CASH.

Quote from @Bruce Woodruff:

Quote from @Eron A.:

well, sounds like you need to lower the price or lure weekdayers in with some incentives.

What kind of incentives?

shoot, thats the hard part. look around at some other spots and see what theyre offering and for how much. you got to outdo the comp!

try doing something like.."BOOK THE WEEK FROM M-F for ONLY $400! FLAT!" i mean, who wouldnt want that? or is that too cheap?

many..many...mannnny people lie to themselves. also you got people that have this mindset of....keep a positive mind but ahhh....either way...a denier is a denier.

well, sounds like you need to lower the price or lure weekdayers in with some incentives.

thx for the reply!

1. so let me explain a lil more about #1. Foundation and basement companies are wanting to charge me $10K to do a interior drain; they all tell me the same thing pretty much...and give nearly the same quotes. sump pump on inside with a drain near the walls. but im hesitant. i dont like to blindly trust people. there is always a obviously conflict of interest when the person accessing what needs to be done is the one thats doing the work too.

this is why i was wanting to use a auger(like this: https://www.homedepot.com/p/re...) to drill a say...2-3 inch wide hole about 10 ft deep about 1-2ft from my outside basement walls....so when it rains i could see how the water is moving.

but! i will give a structural engineer a call and see what theyre talking about. that way there is no conflict of interest.

3. yeah ive done that. i got some things saved. i guess id need a INTERIOR FINISHER to look at those examples of what i like and make everything how i need it?

ill def get a structural engineer out here.