Concrete work???

[Ms.Lady Y]

My basement floods every time it rains and with this last rain I got about 3 feet of water, my sump pump couldn't keep up with the rain that's how bad the basement wall is.
Can you guys give me an idea of what it should cost to have part of my basement wall replaced, the area is about 8x8 that the water is coming in.
I think the blocks are to deteriorated to re-concreted and just need to be replaced.
Which would mean jacking the house up, tearing out the old and than putting in new.
Any ideas on price, I don't want to get ripped off while looking for a contractor.

[ILuvNips]

I had a new block wall basement put in a house a few years ago and it was $20k. Estimates ranged alot from around 12-40k. Just didnt trust the lowballers.

[Guest040816-1]

In my experience with water in basements, a lot if not most of it can be prevented by moving the water away from the foundation. This means getting really good gutters and downspouts, making sure they are clean so that the water doesn't just pour over top of them, and building up the dirt around your foundation, so there is a natural slope away from the foundation. It may not stop it all, but you already have a sump pump, so, it should be able to keep up. Case in point, I was vacuuming water in my basement that night and the next morning, but it was only because my gutters were plugged with debris from the trees that i hadn't cleared out. You might look at that as a solution prior to spending 10 or 20 k on new block walls.

They also make a concrete "plug" and paint that can help seal the walls a bit. You'll have to get them really clean for it to get them to adhere. That might hold a lot of it back too. Again, cheap compared to new walls.

[I like rice]

I'd look at the gutters like suggested above and I'd talk with Thrasher basement systems. If its just a water and foundation type issue they might be able to fix things for a few thousand dollars. I think my BIL just had one wall about that size done and it was around $1800.

[MuffDiver1975]

Thrasher does great work and they have free estimates.

[Unique_Carpenter]

Y,

All foundations have small cracks and some leak to some extent or another.
The primary issue, as others have mentioned, is the water source, and what's going on with the ground just out side of the house.
Without even seeing it, I suspect that water is pooling on that side of the house and not draining away.
I've seen gutters (extended well away from the house), and or French drains (or water drainage pipes) work fine.
A bit of dirt work remodeling the slope of the yard is somewhat required as well.
But yes, get some bids from various contractors and during that process I'd be surprised if a few of the outfits didn't all mention what they think the primary issue is. So when you start getting the same story, well then there's clarity for you to make a good decision.

[Ms.Lady Y]

I got bubbles in my concrete floor coming up. Think it may be coming in from there too. Its just a mess, I can see in the concrete where they put new concrete so I'm thinking its my sewer line for my sump pump, not the main sewer.

[farmstud60]

That was quite a rain storm Lincoln got, so poor drainage, or even a spring could have opened up that hasn't before. Really hard to get a handle on it from just words on a page. Even pictures won't help much. I talked to Thrasher basement before, and they seem to be honest about the problems and their quotes are free. It would be the best place to start IMHO.

[Unique_Carpenter]

Bubbles coming up, gets back to very heavy water saturation of the ground.
So I'm back to getting rid of the water. Btw, how close is the nearest creek?
But yes there could also be damage to deal with.

Farmstud has a point about folks talking about it without seeing it.
Yes start getting bids. At the least you'll get an answer.

Also get the cost of a larger sump pump.
And, on the outflow pipe for the sump pump, there should be a one way flow valve so that water pushed up and out, doesn't flow back down the pipe when the pump shuts off.

[Ms.Lady Y]

I went and bought a bigger sup pump one that you could use basement bathroom.

[Ms.Lady Y]

I do need to put a check vaulve in. Dumb ass's never put one in.

[Unique_Carpenter]

Exactly, I've seen a few of those situations.
And folks reaction, once pointed out, is the same as yours
For the outflow pipe, I hope it runs well away from the house.

And yes, it's a good idea for a pump that can handle "bathroom" as other floor trash always ends up in the sump well anyway.

But the fact that you have a sump pump in the first place does get back to water on the ground outside the house.
Perhaps ask a landscaper that builds yards (not just maintains), for their thoughts in addition to other folks.

As prev. mentioned, once you've got some recommendations from a few folks, a common thread should be apparent as what the primary problem(s) is/are.

[wild_times]

The work I've seen thrasher do is good but they are expensive.

[Unique_Carpenter]

I have no idea who Thrasher is/are but;
A price is all in the job specifications and quality of work by experienced professional folks.
Amusingly, this concept applies to other things as well.

[Marcus Aurelius]

All it takes is time and money.


Water flows down hill.
“You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.” Bruce Lee.
So at the least have a sump pump, or 2 sump pumps.

Packed soil around foundation. Trees and houses don't mix.
I can fix but you need payment.