water in basement
We also are without sump or French drain. We have mostly managed our water in basement issues by doing whatever we can to keep water away from the foundation of the house. This means mainly having long extenders on the ends of our downspouts, and keeping water from pooling or puddling in spots right up against the foundation wall. We also don't have any illusions about our basement functioning as "living space." We keep things up off the floor as much as possible, and anything we put down there is with the knowledge that it might get wet someday. Our basement flooring consists of interlocking foam rubber tiles that if necessary can be pulled up and dried off and put back down after the floor dries out.
That said -- I hear good things about Gregory Waterproofing. If I were seriously considering a basement waterproofing project, or just wanted to consult with someone to see what our options were, that's who I'd call.
+1 for Gregory Waterproofing. They installed french drains around a little more than half of our basement (both the finished and the unfinished part) & a sump pump. Worked quickly and CLEANLY -- digging french drains kicks up a lot of dust, muck, etc.
Make sure that the leaders are clear and draining away from the house and that the dirt surrounding the house is also graded away from the house.
And make sure the gutters themselves are clear of leaves/twigs/bird nests....If the water can't flow through the gutters to the leaders, it will spill over the side of the gutter and down the sides of your house, pooling where the wall meets the ground. This can contribute to water in your basement as well.
Apologies if this is something basic and you've already checked it out.
Steve said:
Make sure that the leaders are clear and draining away from the house ...
Yes, this is very important and goes hand in hand with regular gutter cleaning. We recently got a puddle in one of our basement trouble spots after a heavy rain. I was upset because the leader and extenders near that spot looked to be properly connected. But my husband discovered that the first extender, closer to the bottom of the leader, was clogged with leaves (probably as a result of a recent gutter cleaning) and the rain water was backing up and leaking out close to the house.
Chiming in here with a question. Our new house has old carpeting in half of the basement that smells, and is likely filled with mold. We don't have any water in the basement (we also run a dehumidifier). We would like to remove the carpeting. In an ideal world, we would cement the floor. (The back half of our basement has a cement floor, but underneath the carpeted part is the old, rocky0 floor). However, cost is an issue at this time, so I am wondering, short of putting in new carpeting which we won't do, if there is a cheaper flooring alternative? (The foam tiles got my attention).
We are having some water in our basement. It is a fairly new problem and it is not too much but enough to make a corner of of rug wet. I don't have a sump pump or french drain so this is all new to us. I am not even sure who we would call to look at this, does anyone have any suggestions or tips?