Drainage Problem -- But Only During Snowmelt

Hi, I'm new to the forum, but I have what seems to be an odd situation.

I get water in my basement on the gable ends of my house. There are no eaves on the gables. The odd thing is that I only have this problem during the first snow melt. I live in Minnesota, so there is a lot of snow, and the ground gets frozen pretty hard and still frozen after the snow melts.

It's a fairly level stretch of yard on the worse of the two ends. There is about 15 feet between the house and garage.

My theory is that since the ground is frozen, that water has no where to go. But it pools under the snow and trickles in next to the foundation block wall and then into the basement. During the hardest of summer rains I have not seen a drop in the basement.

I am considering putting in ground gutters:

• Dig down 1 foot, out 2-3 feet, and along the whole gable end.
• Put in some thick mil plastic the whole length of the gable.
• Secure it to the foundation block with fur strips.
• Caulk the fur strips.
• Seal the outside of the block with an appropriate water sealer.
• Replace the dirt and regrade.

Has anyone heard of a problem like this? Any thoughts on whether this solution will help?

Thanks much in advance.

-Josh

Oh, and my brother has already given me the sage advice of shoveling out the gables when it snows. I am looking for a more permanent solution!