• Skip to main content
  • Skip to header left navigation
  • Skip to header right navigation
  • Skip to after header navigation
  • Skip to site footer
  • Start Here
  • Money Pit Podcast
The Money Pit house logo

The Money Pit

Home Improvement Tips, Ideas & Podcasts

  • Media Kit
  • Posts
  • Spaces
    • Kitchens
    • Bathrooms
    • Home Exteriors
    • Garages & Sheds
    • Outdoor Living
    • Basements & Crawlspaces
  • Reno/Repair
    • Heating
    • Floors
    • Windows
    • Roofs & Gutters
    • Lighting & Wiring
  • Popular Topics
    • Storage & Organization
    • Painting & Decorating
    • Cleaning
    • Pests & Wildlife
    • Buying or Selling a Home
  • Features
    • DIY
    • Pet Friendly
    • Green Home
    • Quick Tips
  • Podcasts
    • Subscribe
    • The Money Pit Podcast
    • Your Calls, Our Answers Podcast
    • Money Pit Minute Podcast
    • Top Products Podcast
Crawlspace under a house with vapor barrier installed

Best Method to Waterproof a Crawlspace

Home » Basements & Crawlspaces » Best Method to Waterproof a Crawlspace

Best Method to Waterproof a Crawlspace

Basements & CrawlspacesPodcasts Your Calls, Our Answers Podcast
Facebook0Tweet0Pin0LinkedIn0Email0
Crawlspace under a house with vapor barrier installed
by The Hosts Leave a Comment
  • iTunes logo
  • Google Podcasts logo
  • Spotify logo
  • Chartable logo

LESLIE: Len in Iowa, you’ve got The Money Pit. What can we do for you today?

LEN: Well, I have a crawlspace. Now, we’ve got a couple of real bad storms. A lot of rain. It hasn’t flooded over the years that I’ve had the house but with all this rain concentrated in a couple of days, it has collected water. And I’m wondering, what’s the best method to waterproof a crawlspace?

TOM: Well, I have fantastic news for you. Waterproof a crawlspace is a really easy project because you’ve told me all I need to know in mentioning that you generally have never had to waterproof a crawlspace before. But with all the heavy rain, you did develop one. Because this points clearly not to a rising water table, which could be complicated to fix, but it points directly to an issue with the gutters around your house and the grading. There’s too much water landing right around the foundation perimeter. That can happen if your gutters are blocked, if they’re too small or if the downspouts aren’t extended away from the house enough. They need to be, in your case, 4 to 6 feet away to make sure that that water is not doing a U-turn back into that crawlspace. On top of that, you should take a look at the grade. And if the soil is flat, if it’s sloped into the house, that’s another issue. You need to add clean fill dirt – which is good news, inexpensive – and you could slope it to drop about 4 inches – 4, 5, 6 inches – over 4 feet. It’s just about a 10-degree slope. Tamp it down real well but you have that nice slope maintained. And then on top of that, you could plant grass, you could put stone, whatever you want. But you’ve got to have that base soil sloped properly. And those two things will make this problem go away. It might take a while because it’s in the crawlspace but it will go away when you waterproof a crawlspace.

LEN: The house sits down from the road about – if you look from the elevation of the sidewalk, it sits off from the road about 8 foot. But as I said, I don’t have this problem generally. It’s pretty dry. I have it inspected every year for termites. And I asked the guys if it’s dry and they said, “Yes, it’s dry.” It’s only been a problem – you know, in Raleigh, we had the hurricane and then we had a lot of rain. This is why I need to waterproof a crawlspace.

TOM: Right.

LEN: So, I’m just trying to make sure that – I think the furnace sits on a cinder block – couple of cinder blocks up. It hasn’t – the water hasn’t reached the furnace, so it’s not like it’s a major problem.

TOM: Right. No. And I know that when this happens, people tend to want to speculate and calculate and like you’re saying, “Well, the road’s here and the house is there.” It’s really simple. If you get water in a basement or crawlspace after a heavy rain, it’s always the grading and the gutters. Always. There are no exceptions to that, OK?

LEN: OK.

TOM: So the solution is just to figure out what part of that is not working in your house, OK?

LEN: You think I should replace gutters with the …?

TOM: No. I think you should clean your gutters and I think you should extend the downspouts 4 to 6 feet away from the house so you don’t have any water coming off that roof that’s not drained those several feet from the house.

LESLIE: Going away from your property.

LEN: I got it. I got it.

TOM: OK?

LEN: OK. Yep. Thanks a lot.

TOM: Alright. Good luck.

LEN: Appreciate it.

TOM: Thanks so much for calling us at 1-888-MONEY-PIT.

Basements & CrawlspacesPodcasts Your Calls, Our Answers Podcast
Facebook0Tweet0Pin0LinkedIn0Email0

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Sidebar

About The Hosts

Tom Kraeutler & Leslie Segrete are seasoned home improvement experts and entertaining media personalities with decades of experience helping consumers create their best-ever home!

Tom & Leslie inform, educate and inspire listeners with countless expert tips & ideas to help you repair, improve and decorate your space.

Got your own DIY dilemma? Reach out to to the show anytime by posting your question here.

Favorite Posts

Installing a security camera

A Simple Guide To Security Camera Positioning Around Your House

HART Tools in workshop

Expecting a Tax Refund? Here’s 3 Projects You Can Totally Get Done for Less!

greenhouse

Grow Fresh Veggies Year-Round with a Backyard Greenhouse

Yaheetech 32in Outdoor Metal Wood Burning Firepit Square Table Lifestyle

12 Best Outdoor Fire Pits Under $100

Popular Podcasts

Tulips in a field

Planting Spring Bulbs | Labor Saving Tips for Laundry Rooms | Easy Repairs for Rotted Wood | Your Q & A (Ep #2092)

Woman planting in a raised garden bed

Episode #2091: Building a Raised Garden Bed | Home Energy Audits | Avoiding Home Buying Remorse | Your Q & A

Lawn mower cutting grass

Episode #2090: Save Time Cutting Grass | Tips for Paint & Primer | Home Office Renos | Your Q & A

Realtor showing a home to a couple

Episode #2089: Buying a Rental Home | Tips for Terrazzo Floors | Garage Door Do-Overs | Your Q & A

Newsletter

Get weekly updates with the latest tips and tricks to save money in your home.



  • Media Kit
  • Partners
  • Endorsement Policy
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy and Cookie Solution
  • About
  • Affiliates
  • Cookie Policy (US)

Copyright © 2021 · The Money Pit · All Rights Reserved · Powered by Mai Theme

Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

Email sent!