Thread: Water in Basement

Hi all,

I currently have an agreement to buy a house that is currently under construction. We went there over the weekend and walked through and noticed that the floor looked wet around the walls. Also the baseboards looked like they had some mildew on them.

I know little to nothing about home construction so I have no idea what is typical but I was concerned. My realtor contacted them to see if they knew anything about it. We got back:

He is WELL aware of the water issue and promised me yesterday he would take care of it.

I was concerned it could be a big issue so I pressed them for details. Their realtor came back with:

The way I understand it is there is no power on site yet so no sump is connected to clear the water.

Before hearing this I had my realtor schedule a meeting with the builder and met him at the house. We talked about it and he said it was due them painting that put a lot of humidity into there and being the basement it kind of kept the floor damp. Also said it had nothing to do with the sump pump and that there were no issues with the foundation leaking.

I tend to believe him since it did look like the paint color from the walls mixed in the wetness but I guess I assumed originally that paint residue from the floor would be there and any leaking water would also look like that.

When I was there it looked like they either cleaned up, or painted over some of the discoloration (that looked like mildew to me). All the dampness that was there before was gone as well. He said discoloration was either part of the baseboard or part of the painting and that it wasn't a big deal, anything that is there they come and blast off at the end.

So I guess my questions are:

1. Would it be typical for painting to cause this?
2. Should I believe him that there is no problems at all with the foundation?
3. Should I be calling a home inspector to go out there and make sure there isn't any damage due to the water being there for a little while and make sure there isn't any issues with the foundation?

(Also we haven't had a significant rain in probably 2-3 weeks around here. It has been hot, humid and sunny for quite a while).

Thanks a lot for any help. I have been worrying quite a lot about this the past day or two and figured I might get some informed answers here.

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Originally Posted by Dustin lapp

Hi all,

So I guess my questions are:

1. Would it be typical for painting to cause this?
2. Should I believe him that there is no problems at all with the foundation?
3. Should I be calling a home inspector to go out there and make sure there isn't any damage due to the water being there for a little while and make sure there isn't any issues with the foundation?

1. No
2. No
3. Yes

What Scott said.

I agree...it is typical for block walls in a basement to be damp while the house is under construction but once the house is "dried in" the basement walls should be allowed to dry out before a finish is applied or they are covered...and once dry they should stay dry.

I would ask the contractor to show you the end of the foundation drain where it comes to daylight. If he can not do that then I would find me another house.

I agree that this could be a sign of a major issue. Water is relentless. If there are problems now then there will be ongoing problems. You need an inspector with some experience to come out and look at this prior to moving forward. You might consider consulting a Los Angeles handyman if the inspector feels like there could be some minor things fixed to clear up the problem.