From: "FSJ" 
Newsgroups: misc.consumers.house
Subject: Re: Urgent: Going to buy a house with water in crawlspace
Date: Wed, 23 Jun 2004 04:05:21 GMT

If the home it self has not sustained any damage so far then I would go
ahead with the deal. It is quite easy and cheap (not $3,500) to install a
solution to drain the water away. There are a number of methods available
including the French Drain idea. This is comprised of a trench from the
problem area to the spot where the water needs to drain too. The trench is
sloped downwards and comprises of a plastic perforated pipe on bottom
portion and surrounded by gravel then covered with dirt and grass again.

Using this solution the water will enter the pipe at the source point and
lose water along the path through the perforated pipe and into the gravel
area then into the soil. All extra water comes out at the end of the French
Drain.

Another solution of many is to do the same type of thing but actually have a
French Drain, drain into a sunken hole of gravel with large barrel. The hole
itself will vary in dimensions according to the amount of water your trying
to rid yourself of. But it comprises for instance a plastic perforated 55
gallon barrel sitting upon a foot or two of gravel with plenty of space
around the barrel for additional gravel. The top of the barrel should have a
little cap that will pop up if the amount of water requires it to come out
of the top. This looks like a sprinkler head coming up. This solution can
get ride of a lot of water and only requires some shovels, muscle, gravel,
pipe, and a barrel. You can easily do it on a Saturday if you have all
supplies on hand and don't have to make a few trips to Home Depot.

Good luck and all the best,

FSJ


"Tom"  wrote in message
news:8f7e9ff.0406221640.75286038@posting.google.com...
> Hi Experts,
>
> I need an your expert advise urgently. We are looking at purchasing a
> house. We had house inspection done. There was water in the
> crawlspace. The URL to the pictures is:
>
> http://www.geocities.com/tttwilson/
>
> The first picture shows the backyard
> The second one shows previous repairs and dried mud on the plastic
> The third picture shows standing water.
>
> The house inspector says that due to the improper backyard slope/grade
> of the house and lot of rains in the last couple of weeks, the water
> has gotten into the crawlspace. He says that to rectify this problem,
> a french drain needs to be put in to the backyard that runs all the
> way to the street. He also suggested soding (puting grass) into the
> backyard to prevent the water from going in. The estimate on repairs
> is about $3500.
>
> The owner of the house says that the house is still under builders
> warranty because it is less than 1 year old. Owner said that he was
> not aware of any previous repairs. He says that he and builder have
> looked at this and think that it is mainly due to water condensating
> from the airconditioning unit. He says that the builder will put a
> sump pump in the crawlspace. But they (owner and builder) will not pay
> for sodding and french drain. The owner says that he already has
> someone who is willing to pay more than I am paying and that the new
> prospective buyer has looked at this and does not think that this is a
> problem.
>
> The inspector says that he is pretty sure that most of the water is
> due to rain water getting in and that sodding and french drain will
> take care of it.
>
> BUT what I need to know is clear and experienced opinions/suggestions:
>
> Shall I just stay away from this house?
>
> Or do you all think that if I get the house, $3500 will take care of
> this problem once and for all? Would anyone buy a house if it has sump
> pump in the crawlspace?
>
> Thanks,
>
> Tom