flooded basement/pic of me bailing and a sump pump question.

[RickM]

Joe,

What you have described is an interior French Drain system. This is a very common solution. Alone it can be a band-aid approach. Most of the time it may have the capacity to stave off the water and sometimes it may not. It may be necessary to combine it with another solutiuon.

Regarding cost of an outdoor drainage solution, I was quoted between $8k to $10k by a landscaper and a mason who had experience in this field.

I spent a year and a half casually designing the system I put in place. It also cost me a few brews when I asked a couple of engineer and builder friends to tell me how they'd approach the problem.

I purchased the pipe (plus pipe accessories) and cloth from Home Depot for about $350, had the gravel delivered from a supply yard for $100 and hired some local laboreres for an additional $300. (Unfortunately I couldn't use a backhoe or ditch witch to trench as most of the digging was under a deck.) These poor guys had to dig a 5 foot deep trench for 70 feet! In any case my total cost was well below the estimates I was given. It pays to take your time and plan.

BTW, I also tied some of the downspouts into the system so rain water off the roof is carried well away from the foundation.

[john70t]

You could just make raised platforms for the washer/drier and then paint the walls jungle pattern and throw in a raft

Having the lawn slope away from the foundation is a must, but the wells and gutter pipes are good ideas.

[joehahn]

edit

[Schuey]

Joe,

get a second pump and place it in there...allow the float to be higher than the first one, so it will kick in only if (1) the pump cannot keep up or (2) the 1st pump goes bad

also get yourself a larger battery backup for it incase the power goes out...or if you have a generator and generator panel, put them on the switch over...

I've been through TWO floods in different cities (major ones, FEMA disasters)...my new home was built ABOVE ground with only a crawl space...I will never have a basement again