basement mold/water issue; need contractor and Advice - Milw WI

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basement mold/water issue; need contractor and Advice - Milw WI

Kelly G.
Florissant, CO · Member since 2013 · 184 posts · 69 votes

Greetings;

Wasn't sure this was the right forum for this Q, but didn't see a better place.  Definitely Not DIY!

So my Milw house has developed a significant mold issue in the basement - which  is now creeping up to the living area (mold on a bedroom wall). My mom lived here for 6 years (2005 - 2011) with minor mold/water issue in the basement; but I knew there were issues. the house is now a rental, and will be between tenants soon - to get work done.

I had hired a contractor (basement/foundation guy) in 2012 to "fix" the water issue around my house.  He "fixed" or installed drain tile in the basement floor on the 2 worst walls;  said he pulled a city permit - which he did not; and said it was inspected before completion - which it was not.  I have a "10-year warranty" on the work.  

Any recommendations on how to handle the repair job w/ the original contractor 'under warranty'?  I want to get an unbiased, no-work-involved assessment of the issue and how to fix it.   Anticipate giving that bill to the original contractor to pay since he clearly did not do the job correctly - and likely made it worse!  How best to proceed with effective, independently inspected work at the contractors cost?

Would this require and engineer or another basement/foundation company?  Can anyone in Milwaukee area give me any recommendations on contractors or a good engineer?

Thanks - OK to pm me.  

Kelly

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  • Mike McCarthy
    Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    10y

    I think you need to treat your now two issues separately:

    1) The contractor didn't do what he proposed.  Do you have a quote/estimate that says he'll pull permits and provide a 10-year warranty?  If you can prove that he didn't do what he said he would do, you may have a case in small claims court.

    2) You probably don't want this same contractor back.  I would reach out to a basement/foundation specialist and get them in to see what can be done.  Get some references, and see if you can find someone reputable.  Get a quote in writing and use it for following up with your old contractor.  

    With the amount of moisture it sounds like, the only answer might be dealing with it from the outside.  French drains (inside drains in the floor) can help in certain cases with groundwater, but often don't do well with hydrostatic pressure along the foundation walls.  There are newer systems that add a heavy plastic sheet on the interior of the walls, and direct any interior moisture down into the french drains.  Do you see water/moisture on the walls or floor?  Where is the mold growing?  It's rare for mold to grow on foundations (since concrete isn't a food source).

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  • Kelly G.
    OP
    Florissant, CO · Member since 2013 · 184 posts · 69 votes
    10y

    Hey Mike

    thanks for the reply.  There is no water visible anywhere.  The basement walls are all painted - no not just block.  

    It was my understanding that French drains are done just outside (the actual French drain),  and inside were referred to as "drain tiles".  I am thinking I need a French drain outside;  but I find it curious that this had not been a problem until I had the issue "fixed".  

    Also;  to save me $$ and possibly (doubtful) headache - I was contemplating having an independent professional assessment done - by a licensed engineer (?), and have them direct the work of the former contractor to 'correctly' fix the job - all at the old contractor's expense - under my 10 year warranty.  

    Yes, I have  a paper indicating my warranty, signed by myself and contractor on the day the job was completed; and yes I have the original estimate which indicates permits would be pulled.

    Kelly

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  • Mike Lowery
    Rental Property Investor · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2013 · 180 posts · 104 votes
    10y
    I owned a property with some foundation issues and the prior owner used Gadish to do the work. They installed metal beams to brace two walls that wouldn't pass inspection and installed drain tile along the two walls where the tile was damaged. Also put in a sump pump and haven't had issues since. They offer a lifetime warranty that I believe is transferable and the cost was around $9K I believe. It's best to get it solved now obviously because when the spring melt hits the water will be coming into the basement if it's not properly taken care of.
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  • Mike McCarthy
    Investor · Philadelphia, PA · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    10y
    Kelly G. It's great that you have all the documentation. I do like your idea having someone else come out and evaluate it. You may find they did their work well and correctly, but you also need something else in addition. A PE is a good choose, but be sure to confirm that the person you call has experience with water in basements. Most PEs spend much of their time dealing with structural, load, and similar issues, and while may be 'book smart' on water control, you really need someone in who has that specific experience. Alternately, another foundation contractor _may_ be able to help, but it obviously may be a conflict of interest. Good luck! -Mike
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  • Marcus Auerbach
    Investor · Milwaukee - Mequon, WI · Member since 2010 · 5k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    10y

    @Kelly G. I am not sure if you actually needed a drain tile repair in the first place. I see so many properties in Milwaukee with all four walls braced and new drain tile all the way arround and in my mind I am congratulating the contractor for being a great sales guy, who sold a homeowner a lot more than needed. I have spent a lot of money on basement repairs over the years on my rental properties and looking back not all of it was necessary. There are a number of far less expensive options that we go through first before we call the guy with the jack hammer. Most times the root cause of the problem can be tracked down to something that is easily fixable, the trick is to push the right button. This spring we were rehabbing a property on Calumet adding a fully finished basement and we had a huge water issue. The sump pump would cycle every minute or so and water was just pouring in from the drain tile system. A power outage or failure of the sump pump would have flooded the finished area within half an hour or so. My plumber suggested two sump pumps and a backup battery system for power outages. The sump pump discharge looked fine and was dumping about 10ft off the walls. We were convinced we had a well under the house and ready to spend the money. On a whim I picked up a 30ft discharge hose for a few bucks and drained the sump pump all the way to the back of the yard. The result was unexpected - by the next morning we had a dry sump crock and it's been dry ever since, including last night on my final check up (it's rented as of today September 1st) and it was a $20 fix. My point is that it takes some experience and sometimes some experimenting to find the right button to push and the fix does not always involve a foundation repair. You have a mold issue and there are two basic steps to dealing with mold, you can read up on the EPA website: number one eliminate the growing conditions (#1 water and #2 food source) and the we use an Ozone generator to kill any spores alive. Based on your discription I am not sure what exactly is going on in your house, but feel free to PM me or give me a call.

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  • Marcus Auerbach
    Investor · Milwaukee - Mequon, WI · Member since 2010 · 5k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    10y

    @Kelly G. I am not sure if you actually needed a drain tile repair in the first place. I see so many properties in Milwaukee with all four walls braced and new drain tile all the way arround and in my mind I am congratulating the contractor for being a great sales guy, who sold a homeowner a lot more than needed. I have spent a lot of money on basement repairs over the years on my rental properties and looking back not all of it was necessary. There are a number of far less expensive options that we go through first before we call the guy with the jack hammer. Most times the root cause of the problem can be tracked down to something that is easily fixable, the trick is to push the right button. This spring we were rehabbing a property on Calumet adding a fully finished basement and we had a huge water issue. The sump pump would cycle every minute or so and water was just pouring in from the drain tile system. A power outage or failure of the sump pump would have flooded the finished area within half an hour or so. My plumber suggested two sump pumps and a backup battery system for power outages. The sump pump discharge looked fine and was dumping about 10ft off the walls. We were convinced we had a well under the house and ready to spend the money. On a whim I picked up a 30ft discharge hose for a few bucks and drained the sump pump all the way to the back of the yard. The result was unexpected - by the next morning we had a dry sump crock and it's been dry ever since, including last night on my final check up (it's rented as of today September 1st) and it was a $20 fix. My point is that it takes some experience and sometimes some experimenting to find the right button to push and the fix does not always involve a foundation repair. You have a mold issue and there are two basic steps to dealing with mold, you can read up on the EPA website: number one eliminate the growing conditions (#1 water and #2 food source) and the we use an Ozone generator to kill any spores alive. Based on your discription I am not sure what exactly is going on in your house, but feel free to PM me or give me a call.

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  • Daniel HymanBusiness Member
    CPA · Milwaukee, WI · Member since 2016 · 2k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    10y

    @Kelly G. When my wife and I purchased our house, we hired an independent mold consultant (not a remediator) to come in, analyze, and take some samples which were then sent to a lab. She then issued a report to me which I was able to give to the buyer. He then took care of the issue. I'm happy to give you the contact info of the consultant if that would help. Just send me a PM if you are interested.

    My Online Accountant572 Reviews
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  • Kelly G.
    OP
    Florissant, CO · Member since 2013 · 184 posts · 69 votes
    10y

    @Marcus Auerbach - Thanks for the comment.  I was not convinced I needed a "repair" 4 years ago when I hired the 1st contractor!  And his "repair" only made matters worse.  Now I DO have to do something.  I know I have issues with getting water runoff away from the house - certainly need to beef that up.  And that was probably all I needed in the first place.  Will certainly be the first thing I do, once I get back there after my tenants have gone.  I suspect there are springs near the house - running through the neighborhood - pulling water toward my property.   When I dug fence post holes the year I bought the property, the hole at the lowest point of the property was just filled with water.  When I reached my hand in the hole, I found a 2" 'channel' about 12-16" below the surface just Pouring water into my fence post hole!!  No post there!  

    Anyway - thanks for the comment.

    Kelly

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