[ruascott]

*9' poured concrete walls poured in March.
*Home was "dried-in" in late April.
*My paperwork says that they did "waterproofing in leiu of damp-proofing"...but I'm not entirely certain. What they had on the foundation looked like black paint.
*A/C along with dehumidifier has been running for at least 2 weeks
*Approx half of the basement is finished living area....the remainder unfinished
*The basement is a daylight basement, the home is on a slightly sloping lot from front to rear
*Supposedly there is a drain tile system installed around perimeter of home that feeds to basement sump pump.

Concern: For the entirity of construction, standing water has been present in areas near the front of the home. I had brought this to the attention of the super at least 3 times over the past couple months. Each time it was blown off as either 1) Not sure what that is but we'll get it cleaned up and then 2) its normal for there to be a lot of moisture in basements during construction

We are 2 days now out from final walk-through....standing water STILL present in the noted areas. Dampness of concrete in other areas as well. Also, wall framing that is bolted to the slab is wet to the touch on the bottom of the studs.

Yesterday, had private inspector in. He used moisture meter and infared and showed where there is moisture along the floorline in the finshed area (beneath carpet, trim, drywall). He could also visibly see behind one wall and noted wet sawdust.

The walls themselves don't appear wet or even damp...its just on the floor. We thought this may indicate water is coming in around the foundation footings as well as from under the slab wherever the slab has been bolted into for framing.

I have no idea what to do from here. I'm obviously very hesitant to close on a home that has a wet basement. Thoughts?

 

[Bicoronal]

Doesn't Sound Right

Is there water in the sump pit? Does the sump run? Even if there was water coming in the basement, the floor should be dry if the tile system is properly installed and the water is ejected from the sump pit.

 

[ruascott]

I didn't check the sump last time out, but it was never running. It has run in the past however when we had a lot of rain. I'm not sure what you mean by the drain tile keeping the floor dry. The water is puddling on the opposite side of the basement from where the sump is. The drain tile is on the exterior perimeter of the house.

It seems the water is coming up from under the slab....perhaps where the slab meets the walls/footers?

 

[stadry]

IF its not repaired NOW & done properly, what are the odds it will be done AFTER you buy this very fine home w/wet bsmt ? genl contractors/bldrs can't see your house from their house so tend to take the cheapest route ! there are companies who specialize in this work. your builder may have built the home according to code for what that's worth but evidently the code is not sufficient,,, you already know the answer unless you like someone peeing on you leg & telling you its raining,,, do you really want to buy this problem :yes:

 

[ruascott]

Here are some photos of foundation inspection....does anyone know how you would describe the black product applied to the basement walls?
Our paperwork stated "waterproof in leiu of damp-proof". However, I wonder if this is truly a waterproof product used: