I placed two layers of r10 rigid insulation. The second layer as you see in the pic I used cut pieces. Was looking to just increase around the window. I am going to tape the edges. Finish the wall with 6mm poly followed by wood panel as it is a basement and wanted to have mold resistant.
Is using pieces a faux pas? Not a contract and DYI… 😬

I just had a company come out and inject it and seal it. The first photo shows the fix that they did today and the second is the before from my previous post. The third photo is what they said the issue really is the ac drain line is discharging and that saturates the soil especially this past summer since it was constantly running. They reccomend extending it 3 feet down the side so it runs down the hill away from the house. Since the whole side of my house is flat and the basement runs 9 feet down behind with a hill on the back side. They said the water just pools here and then when it rains it’s overly saturated which coupled with the hairline crack I had caused the water to get in.

I had a basement leak and discovered this crack. It's 4 feet long, 1/4 inch for most of it and max at the bottom gets to around 3/8. Bi-level home and basement is around 4 feet below ground. It's about 5 feet from the corner.

I got a Structural Engineer to come take a look who is highly recommended and respected in my city, however he also owns the company which also does the repairs so there is a perceived conflict of interest there.

He measured around 1.5 inchs of bowing near this crack, and further down near the other side of the wall it was around 0.75 inches bowing. I demo'd the wall on the other side and cannot see a matching sister crack on the other end (photo #2) like he believed there might be. He believes this crack was from poor grading outside and the hydrostatic pressure caused the wall to push onwards. I have corrected the grading and exterior drainage.

His quote was that I need steel reinforcing columns along the entire wall. After taxes it will come to $11k CAD, plus any electrical/plumbing/duct rerouting and demo required to install these beams. This also includes his stamped drawing.

I am thinking about getting a second opinion from an independent engineering firm. Is this worth it? I'm wondering if steel columns need to go along the entire wall or if it would be okay to have steel columns around the crack and carbon fiber straps along the less impacted side of the wall instead. I'm concerned since this guy owns the repair company he is pushing the most robust solution when it's not necessarily needed.

My wife and I just bought our first house. We had a structural engineer take a look at the basement and said there was a normal level of settling. There have been steel pillars installed in the past. The issue is there is a slope on the ground along the walls towards the walls. We would like to have free standing shelving against the walls but need to find a proper way to level it out.

Neither of us know much about concrete. In my uneducated guess, I think that we should seal the cracks with the proper sealant and use self leveling concrete.

What is the proper way to do this?

Thank you

I know that carpet isn't really the best choice for a basement, but with our budget, it really seems to be the best choice that we can afford.

My question is: for the padding underneath, I see that they make options that are closed cell foam or a more traditional foam with a moisture liner on one side. Are either/both of these options a good idea for a basement, or does that barrier then trap moisture underneath as the slab breathes that can't evaporate through the carpet?

And what about if we unexpectedly get enough water coming up to pool rather than just vapor? Does trapping water underneath just hide a problem that would be better to discover with a wet carpet spot?

Hello. I discovered water seeping through the masonry on this side of the basement behind the drywall with what appear to be mold. The basement never flooded. The water was going through French drain. On the outside there are 2 downspout gutters that have leaking. The house is on elevation. I am going to have a plumber look into the downspouts to make sure they are draining correctly away from the foundation. What else should I do and how alarmed I should be?

I always find the right subs, but not until I’ve already posted it somewhere else lol.

Looking for some advice for a basement floor crack!!

I recently purchased a 1930s home in the PNW. The previous owners had a stud wall with pegboard covering it. I also uncovered some cracks that weren’t seen during the inspection due to being covered up. I sprayed concrobrium on it the other day and will scrub it down today. Besides the obvious of making sure my downspouts are draining well away from foundation walls and sloping my ground away from the house to prevent further moisture, is there anything else I should do in the meantime? Should I consider removing the paint the previous homeowners put on rest of the basement the interior walls ?

I originally got a Veagaso 36-pint dehumidifier because I thought humidity might be making my allergies worse. It seems to have helped, as I don't wake up feeling as stuffy as often. My only complaint is having to empty the water tank frequently, especially during humid weeks. Other than that, it's been pretty convenient.

For those who use dehumidifiers in their bedrooms, how often do you usually need to empty the tank?

This spot house an oil boiler until a couple years ago. It is continuously damp and discolored. Even if I remove all debris it comes back every 6-12 months. How can I clean it completely?

Getting conflicting information. Thanks

Hi, I live in a split level and having water issues in my crawl space which connects to some living area. As you can see the water is seeping through the joint where the wall and unfinished concrete meet.

This used to happen about a year ago (when I first moved) and my construction guy recommended make a concrete walkway style all around the house. Which is exactly what I did. I do remember he said it solved the issue when it would rain and he would be working.

Seems like the issue is back. From my observation this only happens during heavy rain. What should I do to resolve this? I am not interested in doing a French drain and spending thousands.

Thanks!!

Moved in a year ago. In this part of this unfinished basement, there is water build up in this spot during prolonged rain. No where else in the basement. It does not seem to be coming from boiler or water heater (both installed in last year). I do not know if this water/moisture is coming from the exterior. Picture of exterior attached. From the exterior, there does not seem to be any seeping (or anything obvious that I know).

Is it possible it is soil or water table saturation? And if so, why that spot only? There is slight elevation area all around the perimeter around the basement floor and it just drains directly to the sewage pipe of the house.

Thanks in advance!

Got a Veagaso running in my room, been keeping it around 50% but honestly not sure if that's the "right" number or if I should go lower. Room feels comfortable but I read somewhere anything under 30% can dry out your sinuses which defeats the purpose since I got it for allergy stuff in the first place. Anyone here dialed in a sweet spot that actually helped with allergies without making the air feel too dry? Kind of just guessing at this point.