Wet Basements

Hi Everyone

A lot of people in the neighborhood have been having problems with wet basements. This forwarded e-mail the Upper Sligo Civic Association has some interesting information and resources, especially http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/housingandclothing/components/7051-03.html

For those who care about the well being of Sligo Creek Park, this is a good web site: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/mc/services/dep/rainscapes/harvest.htm
With the wet year, a lot of homeowners in the community have been trying to push the rainwater off their property and on to the street/driveways as quickly as possible. This causes a lot of damage to Sligo Creek. This web site provides some alternatives.

Don't forget you can learn all about raingradens/stormwater this Monday afternoon from the Department of Environmental Protection at the corner of Luttrell and Ladd streets (across the creek). A raingarden will be built at the community park. Come watch or better yet help with this project.

Some hints from Kathy

One thing I've noticed on the new houses - unlike the old ones- is that the roof eaves are shallower (the old houses have eves that extend up to 1.5- 2 feet over the sideof the house. The overhangs help alot to keep rainwater from flowing down the side of the house from the roof.Make sure the soil grading within 5 feet of the house slopes away from the house at all points. A good gutter system - as wide as possible with wide downspouts, then taking the water about 10 ft. from the house to planted swales, retention areas or dry-wells can help alot as a second-line. Some good tips and information: http://www.waterproofing.org/tips.html and http://www.bbb.org/library/basewat.asp and http://www.extension.umn.edu/distribution/housingandclothing/components/7051-03.html.

Apparently most cases of basement flooding are not due to run-off and groundwater per se - they are due to poor and inappropriate construction and drainage allowed to pool along the walls instead of draining away from walls. For example my basement is at the lowest point of the stream valley in our neighborhood but we have had no water problems even though we drain all our water right onto our property - I think probably because any structural problems were corrected over the years. A house on the other side of the creek that sits up quite high was having problems- he has an outside uncovered stair well to the basement and uncovered wall wells- which funnel water right into the basement. Poorly fitting low windows can also be a problem as can cracks in the walls.

Rainscaping (infiltrating the water withthe help of plants) can also help alot. Some resources with links to more resources:

Should We Even Bother With Basements?

"A finished basement is really kind of ridiculous -- a complete folly," said Lisa Cherkasky, gazing at a drenched area rug, a muddy tile floor and a pile of furniture hastily pulled to safety from waters that seeped into the basement of her Arlington bungalow.

Cherkasky, a freelance writer and occasional Washington Post contributor, and her husband, George Telzrow, a high school history teacher, discovered the deluge after hearing suspiciously "squishy sounds" coming from down under. A veteran of multiple floods, she says, "We thought we'd escaped this time. We had two sump pumps, but they failed."

"In most cases, 90 percent of the time, inexpensive means of rerouting water will do the trick," says seasoned home inspector Charles Itte of Itte Associates in Silver Spring. "But the fact that someone has lived in a house for a number of years with no water problems does not guarantee there will never be one. When you finish spaces below grade, there's always the risk of moisture seeping in, especially after a year of record snow melt, spring and summer rains."

So a lot of exasperated homeowners are left to wonder: Does it make sense to finish a basement? Are we just pouring money into an inevitably muddy money pit? We asked that question of people who know water -- builders, architects, home inspectors, waterproofers, structural engineers and experts in restoration of water damage. Not surprisingly, we got a range of opinions.

Some say outright they don't believe in finished basements, period, that it's merely a matter of time and luck before underground spaces get wet. Others say if the house has never shown signs of seepage -- especially after a year like this -- there's no reason not to make full use of the space. "I'd finish it as nicely as a living room," says Matthew Feist, project manager for Landis Construction Group in the District.

And according to Remodeling magazine, finished basements often make financial sense. Remodeling's 2002 Cost vs. Value report found that payback for your investment in a $40,000 finished basement in the District is 119 percent -- one of the highest rates of return in the nation.

So homeowners considering putting money in a basement remodel have to figure their flood odds, and balance that against how much they need the space.

Start by determining if you live in a flood-prone area. If you've bought a house since 1982, you'll know if your house is in a flood plain because you were required to get government-backed flood insurance to qualify for a mortgage. If you're not sure, you can get answers through area offices of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the primary provider of the National Flood Insurance Program, as well as the agency's Web site, www.fema.gov.

You should also query neighbors. "If I were trying to decide whether to finish my basement, the first thing I'd do is find someone who's lived there a long time," says Patricia Moore, CEO of Aztec Construction in the District. "Neighbors talk about things like floods."

If you know the house has had water problems, can you tell where the water is coming from? "If it's groundwater seeping through walls or leaky window wells you can usually divert it," says Alexandria structural engineer Charles Downey of CHD Associates. If it's coming up through the floor, foundation or the joint where floor and wall meet, it's more troublesome; cracked foundations can be a source of leaks, especially in older houses.

Downey says sump pumps can help chronic flood problems. Only in extreme cases is "an interior pressure-relief system like a below-floor perimeter drain system required," adds Itte. According to the Washington Consumers' Checkbook, which had a cover story on basements in the Winter 2002 edition, the best thing to do first is consult a certified home inspector.

If you decide to take the finished-basement plunge, seek out building materials and furnishings that can stand up best to dampness and water.

To finish concrete block walls, drywall is the most popular option, less expensive than wood paneling and laminates. Patricia Moore of Aztec often chooses Green board for these spaces, a waterproof form of drywall recommended for bathrooms.

For studs behind the drywall, pressure-treated wood, resistant to termites when wet, or better still, stainless steel is more impervious to water damage than any wood. And Tom Kenney, director of engineering services for the research center of the National Association of Home Builders, suggests leaving a gap between studs and the outside wall to create another layer of protection. At his own home in Takoma Park, the studs are supported by the floor and ceiling -- minimizing nail holes in the masonry, a common entry point for water.

To seal small cracks, concrete sealants can help. Moore recommends the Drylok line of masonry waterproofing products (www.drylock.com), which includes a stuccolike finish that can be slathered on cinder block and painted.

There are lots of options for finished basement floors, but most of our pros advised against wood. "It only has to get really wet once and it's ruined," says Douglas Rixey of Rixey-Rixey Architects in Washington. Inexpensive commercial-grade carpeting is a better choice, he says. Several people advised using synthetic carpeting, which dries more readily than wool and is a third the price.

Another option is modular carpet squares like those recently introduced by Milliken (www.legato.com and www.tesserae.com) and Interfaceflor (www.interfaceflor.com). The nylon squares can be replaced without tearing up the whole rug, are quick drying and are designed with built-in, mildew-resistant padding.

Non-porous materials such as linoleum and vinyl tiles can stand up to water unless it's allowed to stand and gets trapped underneath, which can cause them to curl. Several people including Cherkasky had good luck with Armstrong's Imperial Texture, a heavy-duty commercial brand widely available at home improvement stores.

Ceramic tiles, standard for shower floors, are also durable. Also consider larger tiles which require less moisture-absorbing grout. Concrete floors, though not cozy, are the most impervious flooring of all, easy to swab down, especially if painted. They can also be stained and even acid etched to resemble high-end limestone. An NAHB Research Center Web site, www.toolbase.org,offers information on new building materials and technology, as well as online expertise and phone help.

A final tip whatever flooring you choose: Get a wet/dry vac for quick cleanup, and if you install a sump pump, get a battery backup in case the electricity goes out.

No matter how impervious your stuff is, you'll need a shop vac and plenty of bleach if sewage is involved -- a distinct possibility when rivers and streams overrun their banks and flood your basement in a storm, according to the Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification. The organization, which develops international disaster cleanup and restoration standards, maintains a list of tips and experts on its Web site, www.iicrc.org.Names of certified remodelers can be found through www.narimetrodc.org, a Web site for the National Association of the Remodeling Industry.