Old home skirting and water accumulation under house
#1
07-10-14, 04:38 PM
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Old home skirting and water accumulation under house
Hello, My mother currently lives in a very old home with plywood skirting and no foundation underneath. She has trouble with rainwater and snow melt accumulating under the house which has to be pumped out often. I have been told new skirting, weeping tile and eaves-trough will work. The hole under the house is fairly deep 4-5 feet. Should the skirting be the same height or would filling in the hole help? Any suggestions would be appreciated, thanks.
#2
07-10-14, 05:32 PM
Welcome to the forums! When you get the chance, how 'bout posting a few pictures of the skirting and all problem areas. It would help us see what you are seeing and hopefully give you better advice. http://www.doityourself.com/forum/el...your-post.html
#3
07-11-14, 05:52 AM
Group Moderator
Long ago it was common in the south to build houses on piers so the wind could blow underneath for cooling. When people added indoor plumbing they would enclose the perimeter.
Certainly having gutters and downspouts direct water away from the house is the first step. The ground around the house should be graded to slope away. The trouble is without a proper masonry skirt wall you can't just add dirt next to the house so you have to cut down the ground away from the home.
Best is if you can pour concrete footers and build a masonry skirting wall around the house. It's the most durable and permanent but also the most expensive. Since it's a permanent structure with some strength it opens the option of adding dirt next to the house to get surface water flowing away. After that many of the skirting options are a bit hokey are are mainly useful only for keeping animals and the wind out.
Certainly having gutters and downspouts direct water away from the house is the first step. The ground around the house should be graded to slope away. The trouble is without a proper masonry skirt wall you can't just add dirt next to the house so you have to cut down the ground away from the home.
Best is if you can pour concrete footers and build a masonry skirting wall around the house. It's the most durable and permanent but also the most expensive. Since it's a permanent structure with some strength it opens the option of adding dirt next to the house to get surface water flowing away. After that many of the skirting options are a bit hokey are are mainly useful only for keeping animals and the wind out.
#4
07-11-14, 08:18 AM
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#5
07-11-14, 08:46 AM
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What is under the house? Water heater, furnace...? I'm wondering why a pit was dug underneath a house that is so low to the ground. It is just asking to fill with water.
#6
07-11-14, 08:54 AM
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The family that lived there before dug a hole and put a furnace under the house which then filled with water and ruined it. The furnace is still underneath but is unusable. There is a furnace on the main floor now.
