Groundwater Flooding

PHSander16

I am in the process of buying a house and the environmental search has come back with moderate risk for groundwater flooding. 

I have since done my own digging and found a flood investigation by the council for the street which said 6 houses had groundwater flooding 4 years ago.

The house is a terrace with a basement (turn of the century) and located in a town.

I’ve just had the full survey done and the surveyor doesn’t see it as a problem. The owners have had the basement part tanked.

My question is should I be worried? I’ve never had a house with a basement before so unsure if this is just something that goes with the territory? Am I being overly cautious? I know on paper the risk seems minimal but since uncovering the council investigation it’s making me nervous. 

Any advice would be really appreciated. 

Emmia

What would you use the basement for? Storage? Living area?

pramsay13

My main worry would be insurance. It might be worth trying a dummy quote for the house including the flooding history and see what comes back. 

RAS

Historically a lot of basements/cellars flooded occasionally. Tanking make no difference but does suggest damp used to penetrate. Good ventilation is the key there.

PHSander16

Emmia said:

What would you use the basement for? Storage? Living area?

It would potentially be used as a third bedroom but I’m wondering if that would be very wise?

PHSander16

pramsay13 said:

My main worry would be insurance. It might be worth trying a dummy quote for the house including the flooding history and see what comes back. 

Good idea. I’ve just done an online quote with Admiral and seems to be no issues.

DullGreyGuy

Turn of which century? 

Admiral exclude claims for gradual raising water table/groundwater so probably not a surprise they arent worried about groundwater flooding. 

How partial is partially tanked?

Emmia

PHSander16 said:

Emmia said:

What would you use the basement for? Storage? Living area?

It would potentially be used as a third bedroom but I’m wondering if that would be very wise?

Does the basement have an opening window? If not then there is a risk of being trapped in, in the event of a fire. 

I wouldn't use it as living/sleeping space in that scenario.

Bedrooms and sleeping also create moisture, so you'd need to be actively ventilating to avoid damp.

Bigphil1474

OP, we had a 1930's mid terrace for 25 years with a cellar. First 20 years it was bone dry, and then we found 12 inch of ground water in there, and so did the neighbours. After lots of testing and investigating, it was just a rise in the groundwater level. The neighbours conferred with their insurers who basically shrugged and said that's what cellars are for. We got a sump pump fitted in our cellar which drained all the water out of ours and next door, and kept doing that until we sold last year - we had the sump pump serviced and the cellar stayed dry. Our insurer had no interest. 

We didn't use our cellar for anything, just tried to keep the damp away. If it's been tanked, look at the paperwork for that. Properly done, tanking is expensive so if it was done right it could be all good and dandy. Personally, I'd assume it's just gonna be a cellar and nothing more, and anything else is a bonus.

I'd be less inclined to use it as a bedroom, but maybe as a dry storage area or games room/man cave type set up possibly.

PHSander16

Bigphil1474 said:

OP, we had a 1930's mid terrace for 25 years with a cellar. First 20 years it was bone dry, and then we found 12 inch of ground water in there, and so did the neighbours. After lots of testing and investigating, it was just a rise in the groundwater level. The neighbours conferred with their insurers who basically shrugged and said that's what cellars are for. We got a sump pump fitted in our cellar which drained all the water out of ours and next door, and kept doing that until we sold last year - we had the sump pump serviced and the cellar stayed dry. Our insurer had no interest. 

We didn't use our cellar for anything, just tried to keep the damp away. If it's been tanked, look at the paperwork for that. Properly done, tanking is expensive so if it was done right it could be all good and dandy. Personally, I'd assume it's just gonna be a cellar and nothing more, and anything else is a bonus.

I'd be less inclined to use it as a bedroom, but maybe as a dry storage area or games room/man cave type set up possibly.

Thanks so much Bigphil1474, really helpful to hear your experience 👍🏼

PHSander16

I’m getting the impression that some risk just goes with the territory of having a basement. I guess it’s just a case of whether or not I’m comfortable taking it on or not. 

Thanks everyone for your helpful comments, I really appreciate it 👍🏼