Bought a new home and before closing had it inspected. Well The
biggest problem that came was Water in The crawl space. The builder
has platic material all laid in the crawl space but on the corner of
the house one could see atleast 6-7 inches of standing water . How
will the water go away ?

Secondly the inspector took a 2 foot iron stick and could easily
penentrate it in the ground. It was easy because the ground was so
soft with water ? Was it surface water ..I am very doubtful ..can it
be ground Water ..maybe ?

So with all the water there and watery conditions ..And due to lack of
rain ..i am sure that when it rains it wil lbe a big problem as marshy
conditions will create mold, etc in crawl space and then eventually
bad air in the house

the inspector told me that French drains or sump pumps are good short
term solution ?

I am reall ylooking for long term solution and since i have not done
my closing on the house what can I say to the builder to have it fixed
and then do the closing . What are really long term solutions that
will work ?

Is there any kind of law in NC that houses cannot be sold with water
in crawl space or something like that ?

Thsk in advacne for your help

"sanjiv" wrote in message
oups.com...
Bought a new home and before closing had it inspected. Well The
biggest problem that came was Water in The crawl space. The builder
has platic material all laid in the crawl space but on the corner of
the house one could see atleast 6-7 inches of standing water . How
will the water go away ?

Secondly the inspector took a 2 foot iron stick and could easily
penentrate it in the ground. It was easy because the ground was so
soft with water ? Was it surface water ..I am very doubtful ..can it
be ground Water ..maybe ?

So with all the water there and watery conditions ..And due to lack of
rain ..i am sure that when it rains it wil lbe a big problem as marshy
conditions will create mold, etc in crawl space and then eventually
bad air in the house

the inspector told me that French drains or sump pumps are good short
term solution ?

I am reall ylooking for long term solution and since i have not done
my closing on the house what can I say to the builder to have it fixed
and then do the closing . What are really long term solutions that
will work ?

Is there any kind of law in NC that houses cannot be sold with water
in crawl space or something like that ?

Thsk in advacne for your help


I'd run away. 6 or 7 inches of water is bad mojo. Maybe not for the house,
but imagine all the snakes, mosquitos, rats, and other slimy vermin that
would romp and play down in that crawlspace. Imagine what it would be like
the next time a hurricane slammed through the area?

On Feb 23, 11:14 pm, "Eigenvector" wrote:
brevity snip

I'd run away. 6 or 7 inches of water is bad mojo. Maybe not for the house,
but imagine all the snakes, mosquitos, rats, and other slimy vermin that
would romp and play down in that crawlspace. Imagine what it would be like
the next time a hurricane slammed through the area?

Seconded. Not to mention mold.

That's a -serious- water problem, and would be expensive to fix.
-----

- gpsman

You need to have someone look at the problem. Is it underground water
coming up? Don't buy the house in that case. But if it is poor grading
that can be fixed. Call your town's building inspection department and tell
them about the problem. I don't think the house can get a Certificate of
Occupancy with that problem.

How to fix it. If you are near Raleigh, I used Regional Waterproofing once
on a crawl space house and they did a good job. Over 10 years ago but they
are still around. Call them up and see what they think. But if it is an
underground stream, find another house.

Ideally you want an outside french drain that uses gravity and an inside
french drain with a sump pump. I would call that a permanent solution if
done correctly.



"gpsman" wrote in message
ups.com...
On Feb 23, 11:14 pm, "Eigenvector" wrote:
brevity snip

I'd run away. 6 or 7 inches of water is bad mojo. Maybe not for the
house,
but imagine all the snakes, mosquitos, rats, and other slimy vermin that
would romp and play down in that crawlspace. Imagine what it would be
like
the next time a hurricane slammed through the area?

Seconded. Not to mention mold.

That's a -serious- water problem, and would be expensive to fix.
-----

- gpsman

On Feb 24, 1:04 am, "Art" wrote:
You need to have someone look at the problem. Is it underground water
coming up? Don't buy the house in that case. But if it is poor grading
that can be fixed. Call your town's building inspection department and tell
them about the problem. I don't think the house can get a Certificate of
Occupancy with that problem.

How to fix it. If you are near Raleigh, I used Regional Waterproofing once
on a crawl space house and they did a good job. Over 10 years ago but they
are still around. Call them up and see what they think. But if it is an
underground stream, find another house.

Ideally you want an outside french drain that uses gravity and an inside
french drain with a sump pump. I would call that a permanent solution if
done correctly.

"gpsman" wrote in message

ups.com...

On Feb 23, 11:14 pm, "Eigenvector" wrote:
brevity snip

I'd run away. 6 or 7 inches of water is bad mojo. Maybe not for the
house,
but imagine all the snakes, mosquitos, rats, and other slimy vermin that
would romp and play down in that crawlspace. Imagine what it would be
like
the next time a hurricane slammed through the area?

Seconded. Not to mention mold.

That's a -serious- water problem, and would be expensive to fix.
-----

- gpsman

i would not want the seller to do the repair on this one. if you still
want the house it has a substantial defect which may or may not be
cured by money. in a form of a discounted price. the standing water
would be a violation here in buffalo ny.

On Feb 23, 10:51 pm, "sanjiv" wrote:
Bought a new home and before closing had it inspected. Well The
biggest problem that came was Water in The crawl space. The builder
has platic material all laid in the crawl space but on the corner of
the house one could see atleast 6-7 inches of standing water . How
will the water go away ?

Secondly the inspector took a 2 foot iron stick and could easily
penentrate it in the ground. It was easy because the ground was so
soft with water ? Was it surface water ..I am very doubtful ..can it
be ground Water ..maybe ?

So with all the water there and watery conditions ..And due to lack of
rain ..i am sure that when it rains it wil lbe a big problem as marshy
conditions will create mold, etc in crawl space and then eventually
bad air in the house

the inspector told me that French drains or sump pumps are good short
term solution ?

I am reall ylooking for long term solution and since i have not done
my closing on the house what can I say to the builder to have it fixed
and then do the closing . What are really long term solutions that
will work ?

Is there any kind of law in NC that houses cannot be sold with water
in crawl space or something like that ?

Thsk in advacne for your help

see:
http://www.buildingscience.com/bsc/r...ns/default.htm

On Feb 24, 1:04 am, "Art" wrote:
You need to have someone look at the problem. Is it underground water
coming up? Don't buy the house in that case. But if it is poor grading
that can be fixed. Call your town's building inspection department and tell
them about the problem. I don't think the house can get a Certificate of
Occupancy with that problem.

How to fix it. If you are near Raleigh, I used Regional Waterproofing once
on a crawl space house and they did a good job. Over 10 years ago but they
are still around. Call them up and see what they think. But if it is an
underground stream, find another house.

Ideally you want an outside french drain that uses gravity and an inside
french drain with a sump pump. I would call that a permanent solution if
done correctly.

"gpsman" wrote in message

ups.com...

On Feb 23, 11:14 pm, "Eigenvector" wrote:
brevity snip

I'd run away. 6 or 7 inches of water is bad mojo. Maybe not for the
house,
but imagine all the snakes, mosquitos, rats, and other slimy vermin that
would romp and play down in that crawlspace. Imagine what it would be
like
the next time a hurricane slammed through the area?

Seconded. Not to mention mold.

That's a -serious- water problem, and would be expensive to fix.
-----

- gpsman

How can i know if it is underground water or surface water.
The home inspector took a 2 ft iron rod and penentrated in the ground
with no problems as the ground was very soft .
The front corner of the house had water in crawl space

On Feb 24, 8:44�am, "sanjiv" wrote:
On Feb 24, 1:04 am, "Art" wrote:





You need to have someone look at the problem. *Is it underground water
coming up? *Don't buy the house in that case. *But if it is poor grading
that can be fixed. *Call your town's building inspection department and tell
them about the problem. * I don't think the house *can get a Certificate of
Occupancy with that problem.

How to fix it. *If you are near Raleigh, I used Regional Waterproofing once
on a crawl space house and they did a good job. *Over 10 years ago but they
are still around. *Call them up and see what they think. *But if it is an
underground stream, find another house.

Ideally you want an outside french drain that uses gravity and an inside
french drain with a sump pump. *I would call that a permanent solution if
done correctly.

"gpsman" wrote in message

oups.com...

On Feb 23, 11:14 pm, "Eigenvector" wrote:
brevity snip

I'd run away. *6 or 7 inches of water is bad mojo. *Maybe not for the
house,
but imagine all the snakes, mosquitos, rats, and other slimy vermin that
would romp and play down in that crawlspace. *Imagine what it would be
like
the next time a hurricane slammed through the area?

Seconded. *Not to mention mold.

That's a -serious- water problem, and would be expensive to fix.
-----

- gpsman

How can i know if it is underground water or surface water.
The home inspector took a 2 ft iron rod and penentrated in the ground
with no problems as the ground was very soft .
The front corner of the house had water in crawl space- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

whats the grading around the home? top of hill or low spot in valley

If you have a decent downhill grade to install a french drain running
to daylight, and not going to flood area your sending water you have a
solution.

sup pumps require indfrastructure, to run during power failures, back
up generators etc.

I would shop for a different home if the home is in a low area....

water can and does destroy homes.

snakes, mold, mildew, moisture and odors in home.

to say nothing of future resale value!

That's a good site to check as well as these:
http://www.advancedenergy.org/buildi.../crawl_spaces/
Besure to check over their NC Residential Building Code section -- that's
very relevant to you -- as well as the technical reports. Obviously the
home you're looking at is not up to code.

http://www.advancedenergy.org/buildi...0Reference.pdf





" see:
http://www.buildingscience.com/bsc/r...ns/default.htm

On Feb 24, 5:14 pm, "Jay Stootzmann"
wrote:
That's a good site to check as well as these:http://www.advancedenergy.org/buildi.../crawl_spaces/
Besure to check over their NC Residential Building Code section -- that's
very relevant to you -- as well as the technical reports. Obviously the
home you're looking at is not up to code.

http://www.advancedenergy.org/buildi...ry/crawl_space...

" see:

http://www.buildingscience.com/bsc/r...ns/default.htm


Jay ..Thks for the info ..it is really eye openeing
can companies like http://www.healthyenvironments.com/ verify for the
problems in crawl space and whether they have used the right code or
Not ?

I already had the building inspected by Home inpector but i guess they
give a general idea and that is what i got ?

Who can confirm whether the building or crawl space is not upto code.
Is it companies like healthyenvironments or Is there a city county
office( Mecklenburg) or is the information only available to county
once the closing has been done ?

If I were you, I would not go to closing until the water problem is
resolved. If you tell your mortgage company about this problem, or the
closing attorney, the closing attorney by law, must hold the
contractor responsible for resolving a problem like this.

Sanjiv, it is really important for you to answer the question about
where your house is located. Is the ground around the ouside of your
house higher and sloping away from the house? NC code says there must
be 6" of slope for 10 feet away from the house so that rain water
drains away from the house.

I have a hard time believing this is ground water, ie, water coming up
from the ground. It hasn't rained here in Trenton, near New Bern but
once in the last 3 or 4 weeks. Probably the same for you so the ground
should be dry.

Check this: turn off all the water valves in your house and then go
watch the water meter out at the curb or whereever it is. Does the
water meter turn still? Measure with a watch, how many gallons over
time? If your water line is running under the concrete footer or under
your house and then up into the wall, the water line could be leaking.
I had this problem with my new home but fortunately, the water leak
was outside the crawl space wall.

I live in an area that is very low except the spot my house is on,
which is about 2 feet above the surrounding low areas. It's about 80
feet from my crawl space to a low area in my back yard that stays damp
and has standing water after a rain. My crawl space is dry as a bone.

If you can sink an iron rod 2 feet in the ground, there is a water
line busted or your house is sitting in a low spot and the contractor
did not build up the area like they should have. The inspector should
not pass final inspection on your house if the soill is not sloping
away from the house, the inspector is your last line of defense.

Please answer as to whether the house is in a low spot, was the soil
built up before they started construction? I've seen this all too
often in North Carolina. I have neighbors with manufactured homes
sitting on flat land which holds a lot of water when it rains. The
contractor did not slope dirt away from the house, of course they
couldn't because they didn't bring in fill dirt and raise the area the
house would be on, which is a must, and the inspector passed these
homes. They don't have plastic on the ground in the crawl space
either. When it rains real heavy for days, their crawl spaces are full
of water. I can't believe how people get ripped off by shoddy
contractors and inspectors that don't do their jobs.

Take a post hole digger or shovel out to your new house. Go outside
the crawl space wall near the area on the inside that has standing
water. Dig a hole 2 feet deep, is there water in the hole? How deep
did you go before water appeared. Next go 10 feet away from the house
and dig another hole, is there water in that hole too? If the hole 10
feet from the house has no water and the soil has sand in it, then
chances are you don't have a groundwater problem because in sandy
soil, the water level will be about the same everywhere you dig,
within limits.

The ground around the house is sloping away from the house on both the
sides. In front it slopes more than the back .
The house is approx 3 foot from ground.

I am going to let the builder person know during the Walkthru ..but I
am sure that they will come up n say that it will be fixed before or
after closing and that house has 10 years of structural warranty .
I will let the mortage company also know even though it is thru the
builder.
I have notified the Mecklenburg County Neighborhood Development Code
Enforcement department and will call them tomorrow as what can be
done
I know once I am in the house i will be chasing the builder.

Sanjiv, when you go to closing, you should be going to an attorney for
closing. Let he attorney know that you agree to close but that you
want a legally binding document that states that the contractor will
remedy the water situation in your crawl space within a certain period
of time.

I've thought about your problem some more, there is a possibility that
when the plumber was installing pipes and checking things out that
there was a leak in the crawl space until they fixed it. I had that
happen in my crawl space. It takes a long time for the water to go
away. If the plastic was already on the floor of the crawl space, and
a water leak occurred, the water would run to the lowest spot. Does
the plastick go up the side wall such that the water won't drain
underneath into the ground very fast?

Your best bet is to also dig the hole yourself as I stated above. If
you dig right outside the house where the water is on the inside and
you don't hit water for 2 feet and the soil is not completely
saturated, then I'll bet it was a plumbing leak that caused the
water.

If your crawl space walls are cinder block, you have cinder block
sitting on a concrete footer that is continuous around the perimeter
of the house. This means that from the surface of the ground down at
least 2 feet, water cannot get out of the crawl space by going
sideways because the cinder block and the concrete footer stop it from
happening.

Good luck.

I am going there tomorrow with a Crawl space specialist and if he
comes with issues then will not go for closing

The home inspector has stated in the report

FOUNDATIONS (Report signs of abnormal or harmful water penetration
into the building or signs of abnormal or harmful condensation on
building components.)
Repair or Replace

Visible signs of water intrusion in crawlspace along front of home are
present from damp/muddy conditions, standing water at footings located
(right of main entry), and from standing water at lower left corner.
Water intrusion can lead to more costly repairs and increase damage if
not corrected. Also, verify from builder the foundation drain extends
to daylight. Recommend builder evaluate and provide the necessary
corrective action (See Pictures)

As you said before the home inspector is last line of defense

I will be taking the purchase agreement to a Real estate lawyer to
study in more details

Thks everybody for all the help