Diagnose a Wet Basement

The $4 fix most homeowners skip.

A wet basement terrifies homeowners for the right reason: the worst case is structural foundation work, and foundation contractors know it. The quote that arrives is almost always for the worst case.

The problem is that four out of five wet basements aren't the worst case at all. The water is coming from something much cheaper - gutters, grading, a cracked downspout extension, a plumbing drip in the floor above, even condensation on cold walls in humid summers.

This book is the diagnostic sequence I use in my own houses, in order of cost to fix:

• Condensation (zero cost, a dehumidifier)
• Interior plumbing leak (under $100)
• Gutters and downspouts (half a day, under $200)
• Grading and hardscape (half a day to a weekend, under $600)
• Foundation crack (a weekend, under $200 for a crack kit)
• Hydrostatic pressure / below-slab groundwater (the expensive one)

Diagnose cheapest to most expensive, fix what you find, re-test. The probability you're in the $14,000 category is lower than the first quote makes it sound. Written for the homeowner who wants to arrive at the truth before the checkbook comes out.