Water damage to house

[Robbo]

Appreciate the input so far.

Insurance adjuster just left. Said no coverage as it's not sudden damage but over a long time. He believes the paper between the brick and OSB has been holding moisture and not breathing. Said it should be replaced with Tyvek. That means all 4 walls needs to be done. FML.

Also, there's no way there's an inch of clearance between brick and paper, the mortar is smushed up against the paper.

How old are the windows? Is there a window on the main level above where all of this is happening? If so, I would be investigating there for the leak. Look at the window, caulking, and the sill. It’s a common entry point.

I have pulled drywall under windows to find where the entry point is. May seem like extra work, but if you do all the work in the basement and don’t solve the problem, you will be doing it all over again and then some.


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[Trials]

I would remove everything except the structural stuff, you need an air space between the brickwork which soaks up water and the start of the house insulation or the brick will never dry out and wet brick freezes which is why it breaks up :|
The first thing after the brick or stone on a new house is usually air space and then 2 inches of Silverboard taped at all the joints (that can be your outside vapour barrier), they put the foam on both sides of the exterior sheathing now because code wants so much R value on new home wall construction they are running out of stud wall cavity space using 2x6 wall studs :|


Better yet; what about that homely guy on television that comes in, makes you feel like an idiot, badmouths your home inspector and then fixes it for free!

 

[DJM]

Alright, I don't feel anywhere near as overwhelmed as I did at first. Got a plan of action now. I'll update the post when it's all done, many thanks on the input, rounds on me.

 

[crankcall]

careful, if you type 'rounds on me' I'll show up. I've driven further than Windsor for less than a beer.

 

[Trials]

Alright, I don't feel anywhere near as overwhelmed as I did at first. Got a plan of action now. I'll update the post when it's all done, many thanks on the input, rounds on me.

That's the spirit! blame it on your wife! if it wasn't for the invention of the wife all us dudes would still be living in leaky caves and playing with our motorcycles all day :|

 

[roadrash]

Had a leak through my foundation wall 3 weeks ago after the thawing began. No cracks visible, just started seeping in through the poured concrete. Cost me a small fortune to waterproof one side of the house. These issues are a total nightmare to deal with.

For one whole week I was sitting at home, clearing the water pool up every 2 hours, day and night.

Hope you resolve the issue quickly, OP.

 

[nobbie48]

Had a leak through my foundation wall 3 weeks ago after the thawing began. No cracks visible, just started seeping in through the poured concrete. Cost me a small fortune to waterproof one side of the house. These issues are a total nightmare to deal with.

For one whole week I was sitting at home, clearing the water pool up every 2 hours, day and night.

Hope you resolve the issue quickly, OP.

IIRC ours cost about $200 a foot to excavate, R&R tile, redo damp proofing and add the bubble wrap stuff on the exterior. Worth every penny IMO. BTW I see people doing french drains with wrap on the inside for a lot less but no wrap manufacturer I spoke with was good with it. It's meant for exterior use only.

 

[J_F]

I had really good luck with a French drain at my first house
had a corner of the property that never dried out completely
walkout basement entrance faced that direction
had to be careful opening the door there or the frogs wanted into the house

moisture was weeping into the house and causing issues other than the frogs
ran a drain to a lower spot on the property and the frogs moved there with the water
but of course you need the space and proper lay of the land or that's not going to work

 

[Clutt-225]

If your in Windsor area give these guys a call.
http://www.parkerdki.ca
I’ve sent crews down their way before to help out during major flooding events in Windsor. I also did most of my training at there facility.
This is exactly the type of work they and I deal with all the time.
I worked for DKI Scarborough. Before it went to ****. Lol
I do wish I could help but well that’s a hike.
If there is any damage to the studs be carful removing any. It will be load bearing by the look of the pics.
I’ve had to replace osb from inside before but really only 1 or 2 studs worth.
And don’t really agree with the practice.
When we’ve done more we usually have a mason take the brick off so you can install sheathing properly with flashing and tyvek as per obc.

Jeremy

 

[nobbie48]

I had really good luck with a French drain at my first house
had a corner of the property that never dried out completely
walkout basement entrance faced that direction
had to be careful opening the door there or the frogs wanted into the house

moisture was weeping into the house and causing issues other than the frogs
ran a drain to a lower spot on the property and the frogs moved there with the water
but of course you need the space and proper lay of the land or that's not going to work

French drains are great for water under the floor but if the water is coming through the walls putting the waterproofing inside traps the water inside the wall. I would be worried about mold. The problem with a lot of houses today is the lot side allowance doesn't allow for excavation.

 

[Trials]

I see a load bearing beam support on the outside wall, a real nice piece of steel beam, plus a 2x4 stud wall on the inside to hold his hydro and drywall, the inside stud wall is not holding anything up. The signs of water stain from above is a concern because it would appear he possibly has the same thing happening behind the siding and walls above.


Problem with a lot of houses is that they were built in the wrong place :| to get good drainage you build at the top of the hill, if you build a basement below ground water level you are building a concrete boat and forever trying to keep it waterproof. My brother owned one of those once, sump pump runs or basement becomes an indoor pool.
... but I think the OP's problem is condensation or leakage from above rather then flooding, unless that wall had an awful lot of snow packed up against it over winter.

 

[Trials]

... The problem with a lot of houses today is the lot side allowance doesn't allow for excavation.

Ever see one of those really huge brick houses built so tight to the next door huge brick house that you can't even fit a human being between the buildings. I always wondered how they bricked that wall after the first house was in place :|

 

[roadrash]

IIRC ours cost about $200 a foot to excavate, R&R tile, redo damp proofing and add the bubble wrap stuff on the exterior. Worth every penny IMO. BTW I see people doing french drains with wrap on the inside for a lot less but no wrap manufacturer I spoke with was good with it. It's meant for exterior use only.

Sounds about right. I paid $150 per lineal foot (cash job). High end contractors quoted upto $300 per lineal foot. The job was complicated, in that I had concrete steps, AC unit and a gas line along the wall that needed waterproofing. Pretty satisfied with the work. I had NO weeping tile lol ... That's what caused water to pool up. House is ancient.

Was offered a few solutions where they could fix the problem from inside. Basically rerouting the leak to a drain. That didn't sound right to me.

 

[nobbie48]

Ever see one of those really huge brick houses built so tight to the next door huge brick house that you can't even fit a human being between the buildings. I always wondered how they bricked that wall after the first house was in place :|

Ever wondered how they get the lawn mover from the front to the back yard?

 

[Trials]

Some of those houses are so fat they don't have any room left on the lot for a yard.

My days of basement leaks are done got rid of the basement and built at the top of a hill, if I ever see flooding the rest of you guys are already going to be treading water.? swim north and east, I'll save you a dry spot.

 

[DJM]

Had a site visit yesterday, first guy found the issue immediately because he used to build decks. Water is coming in through deck header plate attached to siding. My gazebo drips water right onto deck then the water travels down header plate and through lag bolts into interior.

No caulk, no flashing over header, the deck was built just after house. But company is long gone. Got a couple more reps coming tomorrow. Looking to avoid pulling brick so I’ll see what they say.

 

[GreyGhost]

New build decks are the worst crap I have ever seen. My last house came with the deck header attached to the house with five concrete nails into the concrete door sill. That was it. The header extended about 3' beyond the door sill in each direction with no support. Railing was attached via lead shields in the brick. It was a low deck so I waited until it fell off before I replaced it (seven people on the deck did it, it fell 2" onto bricks I had piled under the header.)

 

[DJM]

Update:

Took gazebo down and sealed up deck header. Also improved on siding trim sealing. Garden hose sprinkler test was a success. Not a drop of leakage after some heavy rain-storms as well.

Had a hell of a time just getting contractors to show up for a quote, and some of these clowns wanted $100 just to do so. They are so swamped with work they can pick and choose. Was getting quotes all over the place, from 5-27K . The 5k guy was kijiji-shady as hell though.

Finally settled on a couple of young guys just starting out on their own. They showed me their plans and material list, showed a high level of confidence so I agreed. Brand new basement wall installed with Tyvec membrane, marine-grade plywood and new, upgraded i-beam supports as well. 8K and it's out of my life. Spray foam is next.

BTW AVIVA sucks the bell-end. Took them 8 weeks just to send me a denial, then another 4 weeks later send a demand for proof of repairs. I'm done with them next renewal.