The ground around your house decides how much water ends up against your basement walls. In much of the Twin Cities, that ground is working against you in a few predictable ways.
Backfill settles
When a house is built, the hole around the foundation is filled back in with loose soil. Over the next several years that backfill settles, and the yard that once sloped away from the house can end up sloping toward it. Water then collects right where you don't want it.
Dense soil holds water
Many parts of the metro have dense, clay-rich soils that drain slowly. After a storm, water sits in the soil against the foundation instead of soaking away, building pressure on the wall and the joint at the floor.
Slopes deliver water
On hillside lots, every storm sends runoff downhill. If the house is in the way, the uphill wall gets it all.
Freeze and thaw
Frozen ground can't absorb snowmelt, so in March and April meltwater runs across the surface and pools against the house. That's why so many basements get wet in early spring even after a dry winter.
Low-cost fixes to try first
- Extend every downspout so water lands several feet from the foundation.
- Build the soil up against the house so it falls away; a common rule of thumb is about 6 inches over the first 10 feet.
- Clean gutters each fall so they don't overflow at the corners.
- Check that patios and walks next to the house don't tilt toward it.
If water keeps coming after these, it's likely groundwater, and drain tile with a sump pump is the next step.