ᐅ Water in the Basement – Causes and Solutions?

Hello!

I am now responsible for renovating a small house and have no prior experience in this area.

One of the major, important tasks is primarily to waterproof the basement.

Here are some facts about the house:

- Small house, built in 1958, located in a rural area
- The garden and the adjacent large meadow are mostly damp. So, I assume the house is in a fairly humid environment
- Only about half of the house has a basement. The basement measures approximately 40m² (430 ft²)
- The water issue in the basement has existed since the house was built, and as far as I know, nothing has been done about it so far
- Especially after prolonged heavy rain and during snowmelt, the basement floods significantly — the water level can reach about 50cm (20 inches) throughout the basement
- A few decades ago, two drainage holes (I don’t know the technical term) were made in the basement. These holes are supposed to drain the water that has entered into a fairly deep shaft right next to the house. From there, the water is supposed to flow away further
- Since these drainage holes often get clogged with mud, the water cannot drain properly and collects in the basement. Additionally, it seems possible that water could also flow into the basement through these drainage holes...

Goal:
- The goal is to permanently keep the basement completely dry.
- It is not about creating a living space in the basement where, for example, parquet flooring could be installed.
- The basement should be dry enough to safely store the oil tank, heating system, supplies, and other items like car tires, etc.

Questions:
- What I am especially interested in is how I or a professional can determine where the water is entering from. Through the walls? — Where exactly?
Through the floor? — Where exactly?
Also through those drainage holes?
What would I need to do to find this out? Are any special devices or equipment necessary...?

- I assume a clear answer to the above question must be found first before discussing possible solutions. However, I am already very interested in learning what serious solutions might look like.

It is clear that this problem likely cannot be solved through the internet. It has to be inspected by an expert — and it has been, without gaining any useful insights.
Still, it could be very helpful if I am supported here in putting some puzzle pieces together, so I can provide important information to the expert on site, ask the right questions, and maybe eventually get more help online than with a less competent professional.

If anyone can recommend a specialist (whether an architect, engineer, craftsman, or something similar) in Upper Bavaria, I would be very grateful.

I would appreciate any help!

Hello,

bauforum schrieb:


...and I have no knowledge about the area at all.

Those are actually the best possible conditions :-)

Kind regards

Construction expert,

yes, those are certainly good conditions 😉

Since I have no experience myself, I am trying to find someone who is knowledgeable about old building renovations and, above all, honest... we’ll see if I manage.

By the way, I haven’t been able to find any expert near me under “masonry repairs” either – but I will call there again.