Groundwater entry to the crawl space and basement
Why should you concern yourself with groundwater that enters your crawl space or basement? Good question, and one that I am asked often. The answer bears repeating again. French drains, specifically hand excavated french drains, prevent groundwater from entering your basement or crawl space. Look for their installation in all homes that you intend to purchase.
Groundwater in the crawl space creates dry rot in foundation footing posts and beams and sinks foundation spot footings. It undermines the structural integrity of your home causing floors to buckle, doors to jam and other problems. Groundwater in the basement can ruin carpeting, framed wood walls that hold sheet rock, and other items of furniture and floor coverings in your finished basement. Groundwater also creates moisture that causes mold and dry rot to foul your breathing and create bad air and unhealthy environments for children and parents alike.
Another powerful reason to prevent groundwater from entering your crawl space or basement is that when you get around to selling the home, you will find out that a pest-dry-rot and structural inspection will identify your drainage or dry rot problem and prevent you from selling the home prior to resolving those issues with the new buyers, and probably with the lending institution that intends to fund their loan as well.
Most earnest money agreements have a clause in them that specifies that the real estate transaction is “subject to purchaser and property qualifying for acceptable financing”. When you have already purchased another home and as the seller, count on the sale to close in a timely fashion, you can toss the time table for closing in the waste basket if these circumstances confront you.
Pest dry-rot and structural inspectors almost never make it out to the property prior to the last week or two of the closing period. Therefore you get the bad word at the last minute. This creates fear and loathing within the sellers and prospective buyers. In addition, drainage contractors that are in great demand are not likely to be able to run out within a few days to help you propose a way to solve the problem. This also creates anger and frustration in sellers, buyers, agents, title companies and lenders.
After the dust clears and the proposal for groundwater drainage work and perhaps structural repairs is obtained, the sellers will likely be unwilling to do the work that is advised, and that which the buyers really need. This has been my experience.
Do not pay any attention to what the pest dry-rot and structural inspector writes as his opinion of what needs to be done to solve the drainage problems. He is just filing up space on the report and almost never understands which came first, “the chicken or the egg”. I receive dozens of reports each year that indicate to me that the reason those inspectors defer the analysis of the groundwater drainage problem to professional drainage contractors is that they really do not have a knowledge base that is strong enough to have even made an initial statement as to what is necessary to solve the problem. They always start talking about doing french drains in the crawlspace while never understanding that if the groundwater is not collected on the outside of the foundation first in hand excavated french drains, there will always be groundwater in the crawlspace.
Pest dry rot and structural inspectors should just keep quiet, and say “contact a drainage contractor” rather than professing a partial knowledge of the situation. This does nothing more than to open the doors for people to profess that a sump pump is all that is needed or interior crawl space french drains are the first things needed for example.
Sellers begin to think there is an easy way to skirt the need for french drains and the collection of the water on the outside of the crawl space or basement. This is a great frustration for all of us professional drainage contractors that know the difference. As a result, sellers will weasel and wiggle around trying to convince everyone that a cheaper proposal for work is adequate, further causing the buyers anguish and serious conversations about the necessity to actually conclude the purchase of that particular home.
The buyers may already have significant money invested in the purchase process as well, but that never stops common sense in its’ tracks if the buyers feel that good will and prudence is not present with respect to the purchase of that particular home.
If you are a seller, do yourself a favor and prevent those groundwater drainage problems caused by lack of observation and even greater lack of attention with respect to solving the problems that groundwater creates. If you are a buyer, watch out for the tell tale signs of sellers who are penny wise and pound foolish.
Look for the presence of hand excavated french drains with the rock exposed on the surface. Ask questions about the presence of french drains at your first meeting. Make sure the sellers understand this is important to you. There is a huge inventory of homes for sale out there, and it is a buyers market. Don’t compromise your families health and mental well being for any reason. Look for the existence of hand excavated french drains on every home you intend to buy.