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Water in Basement or Crawl Space

A damp or wet basement or crawl space is more than just an inconvenience — it can lead to serious problems like mold growth, wood rot, structural damage, and even health concerns for your family.

If you’ve noticed any of the warning signs below, you have a drainage issue that needs attention as well as an water intrusion issue that needs attention.:

Wet or damp basement floors or walls
Leaking or moisture-stained walls
Pooling or standing water
White, chalky residue on concrete (efflorescence)
Musty odors
Excessive condensation

Addressing these issues early can help prevent costly repairs and protect your home long-term.

Ponding Water or Wet/Damp Crawl Space

If water is collecting in flat areas or the soil is staying saturated in some spots, it may be surface depressions causing the problem. These depressions allow water to puddle, creating a mess. A swale could be helpful, or certain portions could be filled in and graded so that the water drains out of the low spot and away from the home. If this doesn’t work, an underground catch basin or drain may be necessary.

If you notice that your lawn is muddy in one spot and dry in the next, it could be the type of soil that is causing drainage problems. There are three basic soil types: sand, silt and clay. If your soil is heavy in clay, it won’t drain very well. If it’s sandy, it will let water slip right through. If it is sandy right against your home, the water will run down the sides of your foundation causing wet areas in the walls to your basement.

The best trick is to dig a small hole, fill it with water and watch how it drains. If it takes 12-24 hours to drain, you have a problem. (It should only take about 4 hours.) Improve your soil with a coarse aggregate like sand or pea gravel and organic matter.

Trash Pits

FREE ESTIMATE

A Hidden Risk Beneath Your Home

Although rare, buried trash pits can create major structural problems and major unexpected expenses if one exists beneath your home. Trash pit excavation, soil restoration, and foundation repair can be extremely costly.

Years ago, it was not uncommon for builders or property owners to bury construction debris, stumps, logs, and other waste on residential lots. Over time, this buried material decomposes, creating unstable soil conditions that can lead to foundation settlement.

When driving foundation piers, it can be difficult to immediately determine whether the pier is advancing into stable hardpan red clay or into buried debris such as stumps and logs. Piers of any type cannot properly penetrate large organic material. Instead, they may become lodged in the debris — and as the trash pit decomposes further, the pier can lose support and fail.

Proactive Testing Matters

If you or Trotter suspects a Trash Pit, geotechnical testing to identify suspected trash pits can cost hundreds — sometimes thousands — of dollars. However, these tests are often well worth the investment to avoid costly surprises later.

1979 - a trash pit in the making. It is quick and dirty and you'd never know it's there until it's too late

Working in a tight space of only 10 feet wide. Excavated dirt had to be stockpiled in the backyard. Also shows the temporary electrical service connected to the meter on the house

Trash pit excavation that had thick layers of pine straw at the bottom. The stumps had been pushed in on top.

In this photo we have installed a series of seven Composite Helical Piers, These piers were driven an average depth of 45 feet and 3000 ft lb of torque.

Setting the last pier, and finishing the compacting of the fill dirt used to take the place of the stumps and debris from the trash pit

Lifting a house approximately 12 inches. The house is now very close to the "as built elevation"

All backfill and compaction is complete, with the forms for a new driveway in place

Planting grass and new shrubs around a new driveway

Customer yard made like new after a trashpit removal, with beautiful concrete work done by Trotter Company, that directs water away from the home

This large front porch and steps had been rebuilt, only to fail, two times when the homeowner then called Trotter Company

A soil test confirmed the presence of a trash pit in the front yard, though the depressions in the soil that always reappeared after being filled was a sure sign of a trash pit

Demolishing the steps and front porch before starting work on a trash pit

Removing pressure grout from a trash pit

Removing stumps and logs by the truck loads

Running out of reach at about 20 feet deep with the backhoe

Larger excavator with a reach of almost 30 feet

Removal of more huge stumps from a trash pit The bucket on the excavator is four feet wide.

At a depth of 28 feet, we reached virgin soil and were able to drive Composite Helical Piers and start the backfill and compaction process

Forming foundation for new porch, steps and sidewalk after backfilling and compacting soil

New sidewalk and foundation for the porch and steps

New stable entrance to a home after fixing a trash pit

Neighbors view of a beautiful trash pit recovery by Trotter Company

Excavating a trash pit that was filled with the remains of a burned house

It looked as though the debris from a burned house was pushed into the basement, a layer of soil compacted over the debris and then a slab of foundation and house constructed on top of it

A trash pit not as deep as typical trash pits. Approx 12 feet deep but the type of debris including plumbing pipes, wiring, and heavy structural girders, made it difficult to excavate

The backyard had settled so much when it rained there was a lake in the backyard, An important part of the solution to this problem was to grade the side yard so the back yard would drain. Note the loader working on the sideyard in this photo

Driving a series of Composite Helical Piers to lift and stabilize the house

New patio is formed up and ready to be poured, after backfilling and compacting the excavation and re-grading the back and side yard to provide positive drainage around the house

House built on largest trash pit Trotter Company ever encountered

We used 38 Composite Helical Piers to level and stabilize this home. It required excavation to a depth of more than 23 feet and extending more than 14 feet back under the basement floor

Excavating limited areas to install Composite Helical Piers and then backfilling

Re-excavating the same areas we had just backfilled to work our way from back to front, supporting the house as we went

Largest stump to date, that Trotter Company found in a trash pit

We loaded our tandem dump truck 14 times with nothing but giant stumps, sometimes only two stumps could fit

A dump truck load of wood from a trash pit ready to be hauled away

xcavaating debris and driving piers to the front of the house

With all the jacks in place, preparing to lift the house back to level

Ready to start compacting the last soil lift to the finished grade

Ready to start compacting the last soil lift to finish the grade

The finished grade that despite best compacting efforts, will continue to settle over time

Preparing the front yard to re-lay the sod. The front yard was used to stock pile the excavated material, load stumps, and transfer soil as needed for backfilling

Sod finished. Another house saved and a beautiful job

Water in Basement or Crawl Space

Ponding Water or Wet/Damp Crawl Space

Trash Pits

Since 1929, More Than 100,000 Homeowners Have Trusted Trotter