Found water under the house, only got the house keys less than a week ago.

thedom67

Let me know if your house is in a terrace?

I had a problem when it rained heavily and I would get about 10 tonnes of water under my sub-floor. I knew what the problem was when I bought the house and challenged the Council over the fact that they had raised the ground level over the years by over 13 inches. There is a covenant when the house was built (1895) stating that the kerb would be and shall always remain 18" lower than the front door thresh - it is now 5" lower.
I took it up with the Council in 2000 and they wrote to me saying if I could prove the work they did has caused my flooding then I could claim against them. I spent the next 10 years (and £8k) proving this and presented the evidence to them and they say that I have run out of time! In fact I had run out of time in 1992 - eight years before they wrote to me!!
To resolve the problem I had to divert the rain water coming off the roofs in the whole terrace directly onto the pavement as opposed to the front gardens where it was in fact getting trapped and flowing back into the foundations and from there into the sub-floor void. The whole terrace has dried out and generally slugs/condensation/dampness etc are a thing of the past.
Still peeved about the attitude of the lovely Council though!!

fluffymuffy

My mother had dry rot under her floor. We took the whole floor up and filled the space with expanded clay aggregate (it's delivered in sacs, you don't open them, just lay them down), topped with a dpm and then some concrete. £1500 (but then she did have a four foot void under the floor) plus £150 for a Building Notice.

That's what I'd do if I found water under my house.

fluffymuffy

thedom67 wrote: »

... I spent the next 10 years (and £8k) ...

Didn't you consider replacing the floor with a concrete one?

vax2002

How deep is the void ? it can be filled to 7 inches under board level.

thedom67

The void is approx 24 - 28" deep. This could be filled and a concrete floor put in, but from my (a builder's) point of view this is not a good solution as it makes future maintenance of the building problematic. Currently there are cables, heating and gas pipes in this void and it is possible to service all these easily within this void. Also, filling the void can create more damp problems in the walls which would still be standing in the water and can create damp problems for the neighbours who share some of these walls. Also the foundations of the house are still submerged in water which cannot be great for the stability of the building. My work has dried out not only my house but also the whole street which has made the whole street a better place to live in which is great for everyone's health and wellbeing.

wincey1

I too have just brought a new house and on taking up a few floorboards in my front room to change them, discovered about 1" of water all over the the ground underneath the boards...
Now I brought the house without having a survey ( I know dont tell me) .
I spoke to the Seven Trent Water today they do carry out a survey on the water pipes for free.. the problem is the time spell .. they cant come to look at my house for at least 3 weeks.
I have had all the central heating pipes checked for leaks ... and there don't appear to be any.. there isn't any thing else down there. I persevered with my mop and bucket until the water had gone but it soon re-appeared ! It seems to be seeping up from underground..
Ok the water is there,
Im having a new damp proof course , my neighbour has filled his floor with concrete but I'm sure this will only "push" the water to find another outlet if it is from the clay ground under the house and at the moment it is only affecting one room. I'm replacing the floor boards and some supports. Does everyone agree with the pump idea or shall I "just live with it"

Its a nightmare when you find something like this especially as I am a female and not at all technically minded.

Thank you for reading this.

:shocked:

zaax

Many houses are built on swamps or areas with a high water table. The best way to over come this problem is to put in a sump pump. They are not expensive and when attached to the sewer they dry the house out.

sycosue

Hi, Im curious to find out if you cured your problem or just learned to live with it as I have the same problem.

sycosue

Hi, I too have this problem and I have exhausted my next move to find out what is causing it. Did you sort it out?

Waterboy92

I have this problem as well.. I thought about a pump initially, However I was told that water will always find it's "Own level"... By pumping the water away I would only be increasing the flow of water entering the void.. This in time would cause water erosion to my foundations... Therefor I have also decided to live with the problem, (and occasional slug infestation that seems to go along with it!).... If anybody has any more advice I'm always looking for a cheap solution.. :-)