A couple house questions... any experts?

[srv656s]

So we looked at the house today, and it looked pretty good. The lights were up and working, things still moving along well. But we did notice something that bothered me a little bit.

In the basement, there was some water in a few spots, and also I saw a long thin crack on the floor of the basement in the concrete. We'd noticed something like it in the neighbor's concrete when they poured their foundation, and I wonder if it's a big deal. The water did not seem to be coming from the crack, but the presence of them both made me worry.

Shawn

[alfajim]

I would be very concerned about the water, the crack if no zip strips or other methods to let the floor crack somewhere in a controlled way were installed can happen on a large area as the concrete cures.

[srv656s]

To be clear, it wasn't like water all over the floor, it was a few puddles in a few spots.

At deepest 1/4".

Shawn

[ksuguy]

Do you have power and a sump pump in there yet? With all the melt off from the ice storm, that would cause water to accumulate.

My power was off for 5 days here in wichita and my pump couldn't pump the water out. It didn't overflow, but it came damn close.

[Themrmitch]

Water in the basement isn't any thing to ignore...BUT look for EXCESSIVE water and squeegee marks.
ALSO...it can be written into the contract that seller assures basement does NOT leak.

If they refuse...move on.

[maikey]

Depends on where you're at, been raining like a bitch in Pa lately, a wet basement is not unusual. It isn't a crisis, but can be an inconvienence, If I wanted the house, I would negotiate the price down for the cost of repairs. Get estimates from a home inspector, or a reputable contractor, then fix it yourself. You will save thousands if you are handy enough to do it on your own. Use your savings to buy yourself some toys!!!

[alfajim]

If I remember correctly you are having this house built, I would bring it to the contractors attention and make sure if it is not remedied make you lender aware of it before the final payoff.

[TheRifleman]

If the house is under roof, there shouldn't be water in a basement period if the sump pump is hooked up.

Is it possible the builder sprayed water there to clean the floor of mud or something?

[srv656s]

There was some dirt down in the basement, and some puddles of water. I'm going to talk to the builder about it ASAP.

Thanks

Shawn

[Fistula]

So we looked at the house today, and it looked pretty good. The lights were up and working, things still moving along well. But we did notice something that bothered me a little bit.

In the basement, there was some water in a few spots, and also I saw a long thin crack on the floor of the basement in the concrete. We'd noticed something like it in the neighbor's concrete when they poured their foundation, and I wonder if it's a big deal. The water did not seem to be coming from the crack, but the presence of them both made me worry.

Shawn

Be afraid. Be very afraid.

Happiness is a dry basement.

I had the same problem. When I bought my home I thought that 'little bit' of water was from a leaky pipe. The sellers fixed the pipe but that was not the problem. The downspouts leaked really bad, and they drained to the wrong side of the house. The ground would become saturated and basement would leak.

The solution was to change the gutters so they were properly sealed and drained to the other side of the house where drainage was better.

In my first year in the house we had a major wet spell and my basement completely flooded while I was away in the field. My was was in a total panic. Not fun.

Visit the house again during a good rain. Look in and around the house. You will find all of the leaks. Look at the ground conditions around the house and look for erosion, water pooling, and the general drainage conditions.

[Goodman]

The cracked concrete is probably nothing to worry about. It's not unusual to see fine cracks in large wide pours. If it grows or more cracks start appearing post a pic. Quick.

Water? Has there been any plumbing work in that area recently? I've seen klutzy plumbers cause pretty big spills even during late finish stages. Such spills shouldn't happen, but are not unusual. Since your house is fully 'dried in' at this point you should (as mentioned above) definitely track down the source.

[blobman]

yeah checkit when its raining heavily ,tell the builder to get it cleaned up so you can see its not an issue,and talk to whoever poured the mud (concrete) and ask what drainage isssues they did etc.........when talking to your builder be cool and just tell him you want everything to be good and he should take caere of you

[willard P]

The water is of more concern than the crack. Where in the basement did you discover the puddles. Where they near an outside wall, under some plumbing, around the crack? You need to discover the source of the puddles.

Bring this issue to your contractors attention asap and demand he get it fixed,hold his feet to the fire. This guy is working for you and your going to have to pay for the results of his and his subcontractors wormanship long after he's moved on.

Are you going to have basement finished out? Water even in small amounts will ruin drywall and carpets. When it comes time for the final walkthru and water in the basement is still an issue do not sign off on the house. Make sure the loan officer is aware of the problem.

This is not the time to be friends/buddies with your contracter.

[tdome]

My home inspector buddy says a few "small" cracks in a basement floor are normal. He defines "small" as too narrow to fit a pencil lead.

[Colt .45 1911]

how old is the house?

if it's newer than 3 years and there are cracks in the concrete. reason is because they didn't get their Grade right and didn't wacky pack and soak the base rock to make it settle for atleast 1 week BEFORE pouring any mud. plus they might have gone cheap and used mesh instead of rebar,(I see that ALOT in driveways less than 5 years old that failed) and who knows how thick it is too it should be NO less than 4" thick for the slab plus check for dumby joints.

[ksuguy]

It's still under construction.

how old is the house?

[raxar]

funny you should mention water in the basement, when I was laboring for my dad we were putting brick on the front of some crappy little houses, we had finished most of the front and started to wash the one section. this required running a hose up from the basement. here's the good part, we had a spray gun on the hose, and for some reason the guy who was washing it wasin't useing the hose at the time, but it was left on. then when he was washing again he all of the sudden lost pressure, so he came over to ask if we turned it off, we hadn't, so my dad goes down in the basement, the hose had ruptured, and since the hose was hooked up to the main water line, which didn't have the pressure regulator on yet, a pretty good amount of water sprayed out, just enough for it to be dripping off the ceiling (first floor floor) for about 5 minutes.

[ZEKE/PA]

As others have stated in this thread, I would definitely find the source of this water.
Check other homes in the vicinity to see if the basements are dry.
You may need a sump pump installation.
In my expirence, water related problems are the biggest pain in the ass you will have as a home owner .
Either you are trying to get it in to your house(well, plumbing, etc.) or your are trying to keep it out( roofing, spouting, basement, septic etc.).
I sincerely hope that the solution to your problem is a simple one but I would highly recommend taking care of it now so it dosen't haunt you down the road.
Respectfully, Zeke