Basement flooding- water seeping through party wall
#1
06-10-09, 04:27 PM
Join Date: Jun 2009
Location: Washington DC
Posts: 1
Upvotes: 0
Received 0 Upvotes
on
0 Posts
Basement flooding- water seeping through party wall
Our rowhouse has a basement that was 'dug in' to give it additional height. We had a structural engineer get drawings and my GC followed his specs to give an additional 6 inches to the floor to ceiling height. The heavy rains recently have given way to water seeping into the basement. We tried sealing the back walls (from outside and inside), since we saw some concrete spaces. We have now noticed that the water may be coming in through the party wall shared with our neighbor (row house). Since the neighbor's house is vacant (and almost abandoned), we cannot make it in there to see if their basement is flooded. We have thought about using a product like Ames block and wall. Would this be the right way to approach this issue?
#2
06-10-09, 04:46 PM
Member
I think it is almost impossible to stop water from the inside. You need to get in contact with the Association or owner (bank or person) of the other property (next door) and have them fix the problem on their side. Bring up mold issues and possible damages to your property when you talk to whomever. Maybe the city can do something to help you. Call and ask.
#3
06-15-09, 10:37 AM
A family in Eau Claire, WI was busted a while back for filling their rental house basement with several feet of water so they could raise Carp. I hope they didn't move to DC.
#4
06-15-09, 11:11 AM
As Ben stated, mold could be your bigger concern. Left unattended, it could total your building, not to mention what it could do to your health. In conjunction is the problem that typical insurance coverage may not apply, if they have any, and yours may not apply as they may see it as a liability issue between you and the other side.
I have encountered one home that was totaled before anyone took responsibility. Estimates on remediation exceeded the value of the property
.
Good luck
Bud
I have encountered one home that was totaled before anyone took responsibility. Estimates on remediation exceeded the value of the property
.Good luck
Bud
#5
06-15-09, 10:49 PM
Hi 
...
I live in Montgomery County. In April of this year, I started building a new 3-bedroom ranch on a crawl space.
I insulated the crawl space walls and bonds with Polyurethane spray foam 3 inches thick.
The heating ducts run through the crawl space and are not insulated.
I have an open heat vent in the crawl space area.
...I live in Montgomery County. In April of this year, I started building a new 3-bedroom ranch on a crawl space.
I insulated the crawl space walls and bonds with Polyurethane spray foam 3 inches thick.
The heating ducts run through the crawl space and are not insulated.
I have an open heat vent in the crawl space area.
