OT - Cement Block Foundation - Calcification Prob?

I doubt that your foundation is in danger, but the moisture will cause you aggravation. How difficult this is to fix depends a lot on whether you can prevent water from getting next to the house. Adding gutters can help if the water is directed away from the house. Trenchs with drain tiles is the next step.

One relatively cheap fix is to use waterproofing paint on the interior of the wall. This will stop the chalky deposits on the wall, but won't necessarily stop water from coming into the basement from under the wall.

I suggest you have a couple of contractors that specialize in basement waterproofing look at the situation and give you bids on fixing it. You can use this information to negotiate a better price.

The house was built in 1981 and they have never put carpeting down on the main level??? The property disclosure didn't mention water problems. Just doesn't seem to make sense, but maybe it is..... Rusty

Jack the floor up, remove dirt, lay down gravel, install drain tile (perferated plastic pipe), grade it to the sump, lay egg crate up against wall, back fill with concrete. Maybe you can use this as a barganing tool.

scott#2

scott#2

I suppose there are some good home inspectors out there, but my personal experience is that it was a wasted 300 bucks. Just by walking around the house, I saw a number of problems (including a bad roof) that my inspector didn't bother to mention. In the future, I'll do the inspection myself, save 300 bucks and call in an expert if I see a problem I don't know much about.

Home inspectors and home warranties seem to be pushed by real estate agents who want to avoid liability if problems show up after the sale.

With all of the sue happy people out there the agents should offer those services and it is up to the buyer to decline if they wish.

I would agree that not all home inspectors are worth the money (probably the same in any business). I didn't hire him but asked his opinion on this issue before I wrote on the property.