"AJScott" wrote in message
...
In article ,
(David) wrote:

Hello Everyone,
My wife and I just bought a 1927 home about five months ago. There
home has a 1000 sq. foot basement which is unfinished and only has
concrete walls. In a perfect world, we wanted to create a utility room
and a second living space in the basement - there is alreay an
existing garage in the basement as well. The problem is that we have
some minor water issues.
About a month ago, we had a record rainfall, and the basement flooded,
but was less than one inch. We're in teh pacific northwest, so rain is
no stranger to the area. The main problem seemed to be a hydrostatic
leak (water bubbling through the foundation at floor level next to an
outside wall (through a crack)). As with most old homes with basement
garages, the sloped driveway funnels water under the garage door and
into the basement (driveway has concrete walls on both sides). There
is an original small trench just inside the garage door leading to an
old drain, and the entire basement has an open trench about 2 inches
deep surrounding the entire basement. These all appear to be original
solutions, but the drain in the garage has been clogged and the clay
pipe appears to be crushed slightly below the foundation and no longer
drains.
I was considering either jackhammering the concrete at the bottom of
the driveway and installing a french drain with a grate outside the
garage door. I was also conidering putting a sump pump inside where
the existing drain is.
Eventually, I wanted to finish and sheetrock the entire basement (now
just exposed concrete), but have to deal with the water problem first,
if I possibly can. Also I will have to do most of the work myself.
Any suggestions?
Thanks!
David

Our 1000sft basement had chronic hydrostatic water seepage problems, and
we wanted to transform it into living area. Once we dealt with remedying
the seepage, we laid down DriCore panels from Menard's as the subfloor.
They're snap-together panels made of chipboard 3/4" thick attached to a
raised plastic "waffle" about 1/4" high. They run about $1.85 a square;
not cheap, but well worth it.) Not only does this keep any future
seepage from ruining the laminate flooring we're putting down, but
having it raised 3/4" off the cement foundation floor makes for a warmer
floor. You might consider doing the same when it comes time to finish
your own space.

AJS

A great idea - prevent any possible damage to flooring materials you might
lay.

Following the same idea, we made our own raised subfloor with a grid of
steel framing materials and plywood. We don't have seepage, just dampness
and freezing coldness. We first dry-lok'd the poured walls and floor, using
a patch product on the seam between the two, then painted all the ply with
mildew resistant plaint, both sides and edges. We put pink rigid foam
insulation down in between the steel framing. It's toasty and dry.

The next year, Menard's began stocking the DriCore panels. Oh well, they
were probably too much money anyway, it's a big room.

-Oldylocks