wrote:
I just bought a new house that was built on fill dirt that sat for
maybe 6 months prior to building. The builder built 8 houses on this
filled in area, 4 ranchers and 4 split levels with a full basement.

My neighbors that own the ranchers constantly have water in their crawl
space. Even weeks after it rains the mud in the grawl space is soft
and they seem to think it's coming from under the foundation.

My house has a basement, but I have recently noticed cracks in my
basement:
http://utseay.smugmug.com/gallery/683511/1/29640121

Could this be because the water is coming up under my foundation? What
is the best way to find out? Someone suggested to me to drill a hole
through the concrete slab and see if water comes through during a good
rain. Does this sound like a good idea?

If water is getting underneath my foundation - what possible problems
could I have? Is the best way to fix it by install a sump pump?


A lot would depend on soil type, slope of the lot and surrounding land,
rainfall, drainage from downspouts, water table, etc. Your city or
county may have websites with info about soil and water tables. Have
sanitary and/or storm sewers? Live near lake? On a hill? Desert? There
are drainage problems a homeowner can correct without major effort, like
correcting slope away from foundation, extending downspout drainage, but
you have to understand the cause before you can think about correcting
it. Ask some questions anonymously of your local building code folks;
they should be able to offer some constructive input. Don't drill any
holes through your slab. You might also examine the builder's permits
and inspections to see if there were corrections he should have made but
did not.