Budget Buster - Basement Flooded :(

[kmgindele]

We have had some crazy rain here in the Midwest this week. Flash flooding has been rampant throughout the area. Sure enough, my husband and I got home two evenings ago to find our FINISHED basement flooded. We tried, with dehumidifiers, fans, and shop vacs, to remove the water, but there's just too much. And after looking more closely last night, it looks like some water had gotten in before (though likely on a much smaller level) because we found a small area of mold. So, we are now unexpectedly going to have to tear up and replace ALL the carpet in our basement. Plus, we are still trying to figure out the source of the water, so who knows how much that will cost. We have been working really hard to pay off debt (I have a LOT of student loans after going to undergrad and graduate school for a total of 8 years). Anyone ever feel like they take one step forward and then get knocked about four steps back??? I guess I don't really have a question but just wanted to vent!!! Thanks for listening!!!

 

[Gr8t Fan]

UGH I sooo know how you feel! We had the same thing happen July 24th of last year and I'm still getting over the loss (and we're still repairing the damage). In our case, we had HEAVY rainfall in the Chicago area which caused the sewers to backup, so not only was it groundwater, but contaminated sewer water. YUCK!!! Oh, and we didn't have sewer back up coverage on our homeowner's insurance. FEMA came out and evaluated the damage, almost everyone in our neighborhood had some type of damage. We ended up having a sewer shut-off valve installed that will close off the sewer and prevent back-up into our house in the event something like this happens again. I hope you can find the source of the water soon so you can get it corrected.

 

[mrspaha]

We too had water in our basement last July, but we were fortunate in that since our sump pump wasn't working, we were able to file an insurance claim. Have you checked your HO insurance? (Most likely, if it's just water from an unidentified source, it won't be covered unless you specifically have flood insurance.) But it might be worth looking into.

I feel for you -- it took us several months to get ours fixed up again, and I still have TONS of stuff in the garage that I have to go through that we had to move there in order to rip out the carpets and do the repairs.

 

[seashoreCM]

Does water pool up against the foundation when it rains? Actually water should not be pooling within five feet of the house. That needs to be corrected first. You may need horizontal extenders on gutter downspouts. It is possible you may need to regrade the land to stop such pooling.

 

[ilovemk76]

We have had some crazy rain here in the Midwest this week. Flash flooding has been rampant throughout the area. Sure enough, my husband and I got home two evenings ago to find our FINISHED basement flooded. We tried, with dehumidifiers, fans, and shop vacs, to remove the water, but there's just too much. And after looking more closely last night, it looks like some water had gotten in before (though likely on a much smaller level) because we found a small area of mold. So, we are now unexpectedly going to have to tear up and replace ALL the carpet in our basement. Plus, we are still trying to figure out the source of the water, so who knows how much that will cost. We have been working really hard to pay off debt (I have a LOT of student loans after going to undergrad and graduate school for a total of 8 years). Anyone ever feel like they take one step forward and then get knocked about four steps back??? I guess I don't really have a question but just wanted to vent!!! Thanks for listening!!!

I would not be rushing to put the carpet back down. You will need to remove some drywall (all that was wet and some above) to check for mold.

I would be more worried about the water getting in and putting all the money toward fixing that problem.

 

[a1tinkfans]

Sorry OP!
We had a BAD flood ourselves, SEWAGE and it was so beyond disgusting I cannot tell you, talk about replacing an entire basement, I can relate. Just awful!!


Good Luck, again, sorry that you are experiencing a serious flood!

 

[kathie859]

We are now best buds with the RotoRooter folks! We had some water overflow an outside drain in the stairwell and come into the family room. The good news is we are in the middle of remodling and nothing was damaged that wasn't going to be replaced anyhow. The bad news is the SMELL from the wet carpet..we have it pulled back and fans blowing but it has a very odd odor. I can't wait to get the new carpet in but I have to wait for the contractor to replace the walls..we are replacing some awful paneling with drywall and adding better lighting.

OP, I can sympathize with you. We had a main line back up (SEWER!!!!) on Xmas eve a few years ago. Truly, a holiday to remember.

 

[Darcy03231]

Sorry this happened to you. We had it happen to us and ended up having to put in an interior french drain system. Keep in mind that once water finds its way in, its easy for it to do it again.

 

[DisneyKobi]

So Sorry to hear about your water problem. seems like those things always happen at the most inopportune times. If you can afford it, opt to bump your homeowners' insurance to include flood damage. It's not expensive but it isn't automatic with regular fire/wind damage on your normal policy. Wishing you better luck!

 

[DisneyKobi]

So sorry to hear about your water problem. seems like those things always happen at the most inopportune times. If you can afford it, opt to bump your homeowners' insurance to include flood damage. It's not expensive but it isn't automatic with regular fire/wind damage on your normal policy. Wishing you better luck!

 

[kmgindele]

Thanks for everyone's posts! We got all the carpet torn up. We are expecting a lot more rain today and tomorrow so we are keeping a close eye on things to determine where the water is coming in from. They think it had to do with improper drainage from the cistern (which is completely full) causing the water to get over top the foundation and ultimately into the basement. Apparently, they found a clogged pipe for the cistern overflow. They have cleared the pipe in hopes that is the culprit. Hopefully, there will be no more water!!! If there is, I guess we're back to square 1!!!!