Looking for information

Hi!

I’m new to the board and new to basement repair in general. I have a house (1930’s) with a full size, unfinished basement. There are some water problems but, after researching, I think that fixing the slope of the yard would correct those. The floor is level and smooth, as are the walls (except for one spot, where the old oil tank used to be, which has a rough area and a pretty deep pit). Anyway, we would like to finish this basement, but I have an issue/question that I can’t find any information on:

The house was built on top of/ around the foundation of an even older house. The old foundation is part of the foundation in use. However, it only goes ¾ of the way to the ‘ceiling’ of the basement. (Er, the real, in-use foundation is taller than the old foundation) This leaves two small and open ‘crawlspace’ areas that have a dirt floor. How should I handle this? Would adding block to enclose those sections work? Or should we poor a cement floor over them first?

Any help/ ideas, or places to look for help and ideas, would be welcome.

Thanks in advance!

Nettle

 

Welcome to the forum

I wouldn't completely close them in - you never know when you might need access to that area. Normally the dirt is covered with plastic. I would frame the area up and leave an access door. After fixing the exterior grade it might be a good idea to paint the inside of the foundation walls with dryloc or some other water sealing paint.

 

Thanks for the info, marksr! I kinda thought that was what it would take, but I wasn't sure. Just to keep bugging you- what kind of plastic should I use? and will the dirt leed to a 'musty' smell in a finished basement?

Thanks again!

Nettle