Originally Posted By: lclark This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Hi all,
Has anyone seen as before? this house is only five years old and the owner called and asked me if I would check his crawl space. He said every time it rains the water just pours into the crawl space. The water comes in, between the foundation and the footer.While I was looking I noticed that the builder had cut pieces of insulation and stuffed up against the header and the sill plate. With the paper backing facing the craw. I pulled out a couple pieces and found that the header board and sill was soak and wet. Some places had turned black with mold and started to rot.
There are five houses in a row built on the side of a hill and the three in the middle are having the same problem.
On the outside of the house the grade on the high side is right up to the foundation vents. On the low side the vents are three blocks down. I came to the conclusion that the grade is all wrong. Since these houses are all in line water runs down hill from house to house. The builder never put anything in to divert the water. there is a retention pond at the bottom of the hill, it's bone dry.
My client has called the builder and the city inspector and has gotten no help. Who should I have him call next?
-- " Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going."
Originally Posted By: rcloyd This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Larry:
Have them try the Office of the State Building Commissioner, Code Enforcement Division. One of their responsibilities is:
"The division responds to building code complaints from the public, contractors, local building officials and other state agencies, and provides assistance during times of public disasters. "
Originally Posted By: lclark This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Russell
Thanks I’ll pass it on.
Do you think the builder was tring to save money on insulation, because he did'nt insulate the floor just the cubby holes at the sill plate & header. By doing that the insulation held moisture in. Anybody?
-- " Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going."
Originally Posted By: chorne This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Hi Larry,
I think your reference to "header" you mean the rim or box or
band joist. There should be r19 between the sill and the sub
floor at the rim joist, unfaced.
Originally Posted By: ccoombs This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
If it involves a home, my advice is always call your insurance agent. Even if the insurance doesn’t cover the issues/damage, they typically are very helpful in finding the right person to be talking with.
Originally Posted By: Mark Dudley This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Unless you are fairly sure that insurance will cover it, calling them on it may not be the best advice. They can and do count any inquiries of coverage as a claim, even if you never follow up on it.
Originally Posted By: lclark This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
The owner states that when it rains water pours in between the block foundation wall and the footer. It does’nt just seep in, he said you can hold a cup under it and it will fill up just like turning on a faucet. Seems to me this will eventually wash out the mortar joint.
– " Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going."
Originally Posted By: Mark Dudley This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
If water is running between the footer and the block above it, that would seem to imply that there is no mortar there as it is. Either it was a bad mix and didn’t stick (in which case more blocks will/would be affected), the footer sank/cracked but the wall didn’t or there was no mortar there to begin with.
If it's not too deep, they could dig out and refill with mortar (or do it from the otherside if they had to), then address the drainage issues and try to divert the water running against the house, or lower the grade below the level of the vents.
When my house was being built, they actually put a few vents below grade! I mean really, the footers were below grade, the vents were on the footers! When I pointed this out, they kinda scratched there head and went 'doh!'. Of course they had to rip the block work out and move the vents up a row, but if I hadn't caught it...
After seeing the things missed on my home and yet still pass inspection, I have no faith in county/code/fha inspectors and even contractors leave me having to second guess their work.
Originally Posted By: ckratzer This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
I’ve been building and renovating for twenty-five years.Maybe i can give you some ideas that haven’t been already mentioned.
A new foundation must be moisture sealed (I don’t know what type per code in your area).In missouri and kansas liquid foundation coating is acceptable.There also must be perforated drain tile lain over a bed of gravel around the outside perimeter of the foundation.More gravel is then to be placed on top of that tile. If this has been done then it sounds like it has either failed or not done properly. This is expensive to correct.Foundation experts should be contacted.
Also the final grading should stop 6" or more below any wood surface and of course should slope away from the house.
Hope this helps.
Cheremie Kratzer
Kratzer Construction
Kratzer Home Inspections
Originally Posted By: Mark Dudley This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Must be a KS thing, my foundation (new mid 2004) was not moisture sealed, had no gravel, drain tile or anything else. Just a footer, block wall backfilled with concrete, sill plate.
Had 2 openings for sewage (first one was in wrong place) and 2 more for power and water, all below ground level, also not sealed.
I've managed to seal up everything so far except the crawlspace access, as I haven't come up with a good way to both seal it and still make it easy to get to.
And yes, I think my foundation was done improperly and incomplete. But hey, it passed a half dozen inspections, so it must be ok. right? 
Originally Posted By: lclark This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Cheremie,
Up until last year a perimeter drain tile wast’nt’nt a code on new builds here.
He called the city inspector to come out to look it over and all he told him was that it needs to be graded better and he needs to put in a perimeter drain.
The inspector kinda blew him off, he did'nt want to get involved. He called another local contractor , he told him the same thing and said he did'nt want to get involved ether.
I guess that's what happens in small towns where everybody knows everybody. I think he's going to have to go out of town to get the help he needs.
In my report, I reported on the moisture problems, the grading, the wrong type of insulation holding moisture against the sill plate, the sump pump draining into the sewer line, the electrical junction boxes with no cover plates and a few other things. I know this report is probably going to end up in court so I was very careful how I worded it. I did'nt over step the SOP or offer any advice except that re-grading and a perimeter drain would probably take care of the problem. And I did tell him he needed to contact a foundation expert.
-- " Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going."
Originally Posted By: roconnor This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Unfortunately water entering an unfinished crawl space isn’t typically covered by building codes. Foundation drains and waterproofing typically are only required for finished space below grade (e.g. IRC R405 and R406). Local codes may differ.
Even though the houses are on a hill, the site should be graded to direct surface water away from the foundations for some minimum distance all around the house. That may or may not be the problem, as there could be subsurface water.
Water pouring into a crawl space doesn't sound like typical site grading issues, unless there are some pretty heavy rains directed right at the foundations.
Just my opinion and 2-nickels ... 
-- Robert O'Connor, PE
Eagle Engineering ?
Eagle Eye Inspections ?
NACHI Education Committee
I am absolutely amazed sometimes by how much thought goes into doing things wrong
Originally Posted By: ckratzer This post was automatically imported from our archived forum.
Sorry to hear about your predicament Larry.Now you’re just left waiting and that’s no fun.I hope it works out for you.
As far as code requirements one should always check their local codes as well as international.Different applications apply in different regions.As far As city codes inspectors go I’ve been in situations where one inspector would fail something and another would come back for my reinspection and ask why the other failed it.
We’re human and we interpret things differently including city codes.I would’nt want a code inspectors job that’s for sure.