Raindrops are falling on my head and other woes
Twice in the past few weeks, the area has experienced an unusually high water table that has led to a lot of wet basements. The heavy rain has led to a lot of wet everything.
Leaking windows were a problem in the first storm. Because the wind was blowing the rain sideways, the rain found its way into two of my client’s homes. Both needed window repair, then wall repair and repainting.
Frequently a roof leak is really a flashing failure near the chimney or plumbing vent. Then again, an old roof starts leaking sometime and this was a good time to start.
Water gets into basement through a variety of paths: up through the floor, down through the window, straight through the foundation, down through a pipe that used to connect the downspout to the sewer line which was disconnected and not capped, up from the drains under the slab.
I called some home insurance agents to find out what homeowner’s insurance covers in the event of wet basements.
The rule of thumb is that water coming down is covered and water coming up is not. Homeowner’s insurance covers “sudden and accidental” damage. That is not groundwater suddenly rising in your basement. That is a tree coming down, that is a window being blown in, that is a wall collapsing. However, there are deductibles; many people do not file claims on these problems if the damage is small.
Now the house-hunting advice:
Never believe never. Even if a seller says they never get water in the basement, things can change and you could get wet. Just because you are at the top of a hill doesn’t protect you; water can puddle under your house because you are on solid rock which gives the water nowhere to go but up into your basement. Just because you are at the bottom of the hill doesn’t mean you will get soaked. Some places have great underground drainage.
Look for signs of water along the base of basement walls, shelves and lally columns. Look for rust on appliances. Look at what the seller keeps in the basement. If it is finished and has expensive stuff in it, like home entertainment set-up, books, rugs and such, then the seller is betting on a dry basement.
Throughout the house, look around windows for signs of water. Water damage on the window sill can be negligence; someone left it open. But water along the sides of the casing can be leaks. Also look at where the roof meets the chimney and vent pipes in an attic.
Use your nose as well as your eyes; there is sometimes a wet smell that you can recognize. Also beware of a basement that smells “too good to be true.” A recently cleaned, repainted, and aired-out basement may be hiding its damp history.
Drip, drip. Your turn to add to this list.
