Thread: standing water in vented crawlspace

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Hi John

Duplicate Posting the same question under different heading is ill advised.

That said Welcome.

All we ( I ) can see from your pictures is standing water.

The exact cause ( causes )without further investigation is not posable.

Improper Grade, Downspouts terminating to close, Plumbing leak, evidence of past flooding, supply line leak, neighbor clearing off his Pool cover ect.

As you stated you already have an offer on the property ( No Home Inspection )
your options are limited.

If you are unwilling or can't perceive the value of a Home Inspector might ask a Foundation Company to take a look.

Good luck with Your Purchase.
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First, get a home inspector.
2nd, no one is going to be able to tell you a lot from just photos.
3rd, get a home inspector.

You can get a company like B-Dry or Master Dry (in the East TN area) to look at it.

It could come from poor grading, defective gutters/downspouts/drains, leaking pipes, or high water table during heavy rains. In the Knoxville area we have already had over 50" of rain this year, with more to come.

Get a home inspector.

Originally Posted by John Dickerson

I have a purchase offer on a house. I took liberty of crawling under the house and I noticed standing water under the vented crawl space and need an expert to tell me where the water is coming from, how it got there, and what it will cost to fix it for good. Besides a home inspector, what individual would specialize in this matter?
The soil under the foundation appears to be clay. The side perimeter of the house has standing water, along with a pillar located 8' off of the perimeter wall (see photos).
Sorry some of the photos are rotated wrong but this uploader keeps auto rotating the photos incorrectly.

John,

As the others have already said, the source is difficult to determine without more information. In my area, we have a fair amount of clay soil. The clay soil does not drain well and most homes have some level of moisture under them during the rainy season. Assuming that the issue is drainage, I would get someone who knows drainage. A home inspector can give some direction, but will likely defer to a drainage expert. Here in CA, we do not have a license for drainage contractors, so this often falls under the landscape or grading contractor classification.

John, A "waterproofing" contractor will most likely try to sell you something - even if there are other less expensive alternatives are available that you could perform yourself. Also, in my view, you can make a crawl or basement less susceptible to water entry but to say it can be waterproofed is pure marketing and nothing more.

Originally Posted by John Dickerson

I did have a home inspection done a week ago. My home inspector did not see / catch the standing water under the crawl space.

I don't mean to beat up on your home inspector but the water in (not under) the crawlspace would be hard to miss if you looked at the crawlspace. Did you select the home inspector yourself or did you allow your real estate agent to select the home inspector?

Realtor recommended three. The guy I used was the cheapest of the three ;-)

Originally Posted by Bruce Breedlove

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I don't mean to beat up on your home inspector but the water in (not under) the crawlspace would be hard to miss?

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Unless the standing water came from a recent rain, yard looks really wet from posted photos

Originally Posted by Billy Stephens

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Unless the standing water came from a recent rain, yard looks really wet from posted photos

Possibly, but the previous home inspection taken over 5 months ago also showed water under the house. Same place. Could have rained that day too...

It is not hard to keep water out of a crawl space but it may not be cheap to fix. Based on houses I have inspected that had water in the crawlspace you are looking at anywhere between $1500-$4000 depending on what is done. I inspected 1915 house yesterday that was a swamp underneath and they are looking at upwards to $8000 to fix the water infiltration problem plus repair the damage to the wood and brickwork that the water infiltration contributed to.

Originally Posted by John Dickerson

Possibly, but the previous home inspection taken over 5 months ago also showed water under the house. Same place. Could have rained that day too...

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What did The Seller's Report say ?
* also could check locale rain fall Date data.
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Originally Posted by John Dickerson

Realtor recommended three. The guy I used was the cheapest of the three ;-)

John, I'm seriously interested in what made you hire your inspector. A lot of inspectors have many years of experience and training under their belts and like to get paid accordingly. But too often people shop for inspectors based upon price only - trying to convince them otherwise can be a challenge. What would have convinced you to go with a higher priced inspector?

We have had a bunch of water in TN the past few weeks. What part of TN is the house in?

This is my wet crawl find for the week!

East Tn. Scott that looks like a wet mess. That can't be normal regardless of rain...

Originally Posted by John Dickerson

Realtor recommended three. The guy I used was the cheapest of the three ;-)

I see. Let that be a lesson learned. You don't get what you don't pay for.

by the way he only $30 dollars cheaper.

Originally Posted by John Dickerson

I have contacted my original home inspector and he has agreed to meet me at the house this weekend (free of charge) to reinspect the moisture under the house. .

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Let's Give The Man a Chance.
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If you are near Knoxville, I would be happy to come take a look at it.

How could anyone miss that much water during an inspection? Anyway, if that crawl was as wet in July as it is 5 months later, I'd be curious about underground springs in the area. I've seen areas that were soild clay 18 inches below the surface with a swift current of water flowing atop the clay. Good Luck.

Originally Posted by Bruce Breedlove

I see. Let that be a lesson learned. You don't get what you don't pay for.

The quality of the inspection has absolutely nothing to do with the fee charged. I know of several overpriced inspectors who do a half-a$$ job but the Realtors love them. That's how the get the big bucks it seems.

The OP has deleted all his posts. Maybe he didn't like what we had to tell him. Now anyone reading this thread will have no idea what we are talking about.

Originally Posted by Bruce Breedlove

The OP has deleted all his posts. Maybe he didn't like what we had to tell him. Now anyone reading this thread will have no idea what we are talking about.

I "quoted" his first post, primarily because I am tired of answering posts that people later delete. At least the original post is intact.

Originally Posted by Gunnar Alquist

I "quoted" his first post, primarily because I am tired of answering posts that people later delete. At least the original post is intact.

"Newbies"

Originally Posted by James Duffin

The quality of the inspection has absolutely nothing to do with the fee charged. I know of several overpriced inspectors who do a half-a$$ job but the Realtors love them. That's how the get the big bucks it seems.

You did not just say that You are one of the first that defends my typical spiel about realtor referrals.

Just saying, and being kind this wonderful Friday morning.

I hope all of you have a wonderful day. I also hope the majority of you folks have a ringing phone instead of one that you have to keep checking, as of late, just to see if it is still working.

Originally Posted by John Dickerson

delete delete delete

Originally Posted by Bruce Breedlove

I see. .

Originally Posted by Jim Hintz

How could anyone miss that much water during an inspection?
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Good Luck.

Originally Posted by Bruce Breedlove

The OP has deleted all his posts..

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Guess He finally Read His Report.
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I bet the OP was the inspector that missed the water problem.

He not only deleted OP but also changed his Location from Tennessee to Nebraska !

Originally Posted by Billy Stephens

He not only deleted OP but also changed his Location from Tennessee to Nebraska !

That is because he lived next to you and he Hightailed it aaata there.

Originally Posted by Ted Menelly

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That is because he lived next to you and he Hightailed it aaata there.

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Don't Make Me Have to Introduce You to My Guard Goat.
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Originally Posted by John Dickerson

East Tn. Scott that looks like a wet mess. That can't be normal regardless of rain...

He missed one!

Originally Posted by Bruce Breedlove

The OP has deleted all his posts. Maybe he didn't like what we had to tell him. Now anyone reading this thread will have no idea what we are talking about.

Originally Posted by Gunnar Alquist

I "quoted" his first post, primarily because I am tired of answering posts that people later delete. At least the original post is intact.

Maybe each of us should make it a practice to quote these posts just in case the OP decides to delete their posts, at least that way the rest of the posts can still be followed, and ... ... what they think will be "secret" will still be public.

Sure is a waste of time to reply to posts and then have the person asking the questions delete their questions.