I'm in Minneapolis, in a house built in 1886, fully renovated a few years ago. The basement is finished. This has been an extremely wet winter, with lots of snow and ice that is now melting.
Some guests pointed out a damp patch of carpet in the basement. When I pulled it up, it looks like water is leaking in through an exterior wall. I can't see more without taking off the drywall.
The basement has leaked only once previously, but that was due to a blocked sewer clean-out pipe, and that is not the cause this time.
The house is surrounded an all sides by sidewalk. It is graded/angled to allow for drainage. The house has gutters, but they are completely blocked with ice. I suspect that the leak is related to the build-up of ice on the sidewalk.
I am deciding between these options:
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Pay a contractor to come in and investigate. Because there is sidewalk on the exterior, I expect any repairs will be very expensive.
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Just fix the damage, and in the future try to be more diligent about keeping the sidewalk clear of ice.
What are your thoughts?
Best Answer
I would get the ice away from the walls by a yard or so to try and minimize the incoming.
Drying out the damage is next - perhaps a dehumidifier...
Could you consider a drastic (and expensive probably) solution - by excavating down each outside wall and putting a treatment to seal the wall, also uses a plastic membrane (the one we had to use has "hats or thimbles" molded into it to make it 1/2" thick to allow the water to drain.
You could also consider adding a layer of insulation to the wall at the same time if appropriate...