Standing water in yard and window well

Salt Lake City, Utah
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Standing water in yard and window well

Robert S.
Member since 2023 · 25 posts · 1 vote

My basement has flooded, possibly due to standing water in one of the window wells. There is water pooling up under the mulch next to the window well on the side of the house, and I can see water seeping into the window well. The house is a year old, and I am out of warranty. Is it normal to see standing water under the side of the yard under the mulch? Also, I cannot step into the backyard as it is very muddy. The builder has corrected grading issues twice before where there was standing water in my backyard, but it looks like the issue was never resolved. How did the water get into my basement? Could there be a crack somewhere? I am really hoping someone could help me with this, as I never slept after this happened and am worried. We put a lot of effort into finishing the basement. The carpets are damaged as well. I have a restoration company coming tomorrow, but for now, I have put a sump pump in to drain the water out. I have attached a video link for reference. Thank you, guys. Standing water video

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John Coulter
Member since 2020 · 4 posts · 4 votes
2y

That hairline crack is not (yet) a structural problem and is not uncommon to see within the first couple years. And your builder may be right, that most of the water entered through the window... you should be able to tell where the water line is. Once again, if you had proper surface drainage, you wouldn't have water coming in the crack or pooling in the window well. You can seal it up, but it's still a very small bandaid. From what I remember, Utah residential code does not require foundation drainage and therefore, no window well drains (where would it go?). It does however require specific grading (2% over 10 ft extending away from the house). Which if not possible (your side yard), should require physical drainage (french drain, surface drain, etc). Call your city's building department and they can verify this- you may need to talk to a building inspector. 

As for the studs/ framing- it def looks scabby but they aren't structural and I'm guessing the demo team cut 1 or 2 out to see that crack. Easy enough to put it back together.

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  • Neil Stark
    Real Estate Agent · Allentown · Member since 2024 · 13 posts · 8 votes
    2y
    Quote from @Theresa Harris:
    Quote from @Robert S.:
    Quote from @Theresa Harris:
    Quote from @Robert S.:

    can you please check these pictures and advice? The builder is saying that most of the water enter through the window and not the crack to protect themselves I guess. How to prove that the water actually entered through the foundation crack? What are your thoughts with this size of a crack?Thanks everyone @John Coulter

    @John Coulter


     Some of those joists end in mid-air-why?  They should be going all the way down to the ground.  I've never seen a window framed that way. Normally there is a joist running along the outside.

    My knowledge on framing is very limited. The restoration company had to cut the drywall out and remove some of the studs. Can you please tell me or possibly highlight and show me which joists are you referring to?

     The photo on the top left (it is also visible in other photos)-see the vertical studs?  Those should go all the way down to the base plate.  There should be a stud on the left side of that window that goes to the ground.  Google 'framing a window' and there will be lots of photos of how the studs in the walls should look-none of them should be floating in the air.


     The framing does not support the window, the concrete foundation does. The framing is for the sheetrock and spacing for wiring/boxes. The framing does not have to be built to support a window that is being supported by a concrete foundation, just need something to screw the drywall to. Back to your REAL problem, the standing water in your yard! It needs to be dealt with!

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  • John Coulter
    Member since 2020 · 4 posts · 4 votes
    2y

    That hairline crack is not (yet) a structural problem and is not uncommon to see within the first couple years. And your builder may be right, that most of the water entered through the window... you should be able to tell where the water line is. Once again, if you had proper surface drainage, you wouldn't have water coming in the crack or pooling in the window well. You can seal it up, but it's still a very small bandaid. From what I remember, Utah residential code does not require foundation drainage and therefore, no window well drains (where would it go?). It does however require specific grading (2% over 10 ft extending away from the house). Which if not possible (your side yard), should require physical drainage (french drain, surface drain, etc). Call your city's building department and they can verify this- you may need to talk to a building inspector. 

    As for the studs/ framing- it def looks scabby but they aren't structural and I'm guessing the demo team cut 1 or 2 out to see that crack. Easy enough to put it back together.

    2Reply
  • Robert S.
    OP
    Member since 2023 · 25 posts · 1 vote
    2y
    Quote from @John Coulter:

    That hairline crack is not (yet) a structural problem and is not uncommon to see within the first couple years. And your builder may be right, that most of the water entered through the window... you should be able to tell where the water line is. Once again, if you had proper surface drainage, you wouldn't have water coming in the crack or pooling in the window well. You can seal it up, but it's still a very small bandaid. From what I remember, Utah residential code does not require foundation drainage and therefore, no window well drains (where would it go?). It does however require specific grading (2% over 10 ft extending away from the house). Which if not possible (your side yard), should require physical drainage (french drain, surface drain, etc). Call your city's building department and they can verify this- you may need to talk to a building inspector. 

    As for the studs/ framing- it def looks scabby but they aren't structural and I'm guessing the demo team cut 1 or 2 out to see that crack. Easy enough to put it back together.


     Perfect. Thanks John. 

    1Reply
  • Matthew Paul
    Severna Park, MD · Member since 2013 · 7k+ posts · 7k+ votes
    2y

    Take your garden hose and put water in the window well and see where it comes in . Then you can solve the problem 

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  • William Hochstedler
    Broker · Logan, UT · Member since 2013 · 1k+ posts · 1k+ votes
    2y

    You need to focus on the source of water.  No amount of sealing your foundation will keep that kind of water out of your basement.  It's not a boat.  There is nothing you can do to your foundation (including fixing the crack) that will solve this level of water as a long-term solution.  

    In Utah, we rarely install water drainage around foundations.  That means that the only thing holding it back is a tar coating where the foundation wall sits on the footing.  This can fail and is as much of a weak point for water penetration.  Concrete is also porous and will have constant moisture issues until the source of the water is determined.

    Here are some things to consider before you start throwing the kitchen sink at the problem:

    Does this happen only after a storm event?  The answer to this will eliminate plumbing issues like leaking water mains or sprinkler lines.  

    Were the sprinkler systems recently turned on?  Broken zone valves in a sprinkler system could do this.

    How are the gutters?  If the water is coming from the sky, the downspouts could be routed differently.

    How is the soil compaction and grading?  It's possible that the back-fill wasn't properly graded and excess water is running along the path of least resistance underground toward your house.  

    It's unlikely that this is some kind of spring.  Because they would have had lot's of problems during construction if they had an active water source when digging foundations.

    But your first step is to really determine the source.  Trying to stop the water as it comes into your foundation is too late.

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