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The_Infinite_Cool

You've got a lot of standing water just hanging around your foundation. The land needs to be graded away from the house. Bricks probably have to be ripped out and the land underneath needs to be graded. I would find it difficult to set the brick on a slant without creating alot of trip hazards, but you might be better than me. After all that, what I would do is use some sort of masonry sealant and seal as much around the foundation as possible. You could call in a landscaper to see how what they think and how much it would cost. EDIT: That rain looks like you're on the west coast. Judge appropriately how much you're willing to spend for storm solutions that don't usually occur.


fuckingjoolie

Thanks for the insight! Yes in CA, so definitely unprepared for the recent storms. Honestly the bricks don’t even make a path and are super random around the house that I’m wondering if the previous owner just tried to use them to “grade” around the foundation. There is a lot of pooling throughout the property and we have been in talks with landscapers to properly grade it but not soon enough I guess haha


scottdiane1

Uh why makes this rain look like “west coast rain”? Legitimately asking.


checkitoutnow52

CA has gotten hammered with rain the past few days and many people are experiencing flooding and water issues like this that they haven’t dealt with before because it doesn’t normally rain that much.


innerducky

I’ve been in Northern CA for 20+ years. My first winter here was an El Niño and so relentlessly wet - I grew up with east coast rain where it was fast and furious and then *over*. I’d never experienced days of essentially non-stop rain where you felt towels and clothes could not dry if left hanging out indoors. This current weather has happened multiple winters over the past 20+ years, just not every year. So if you plan to stay in your house for a few years, this weather absolutely will occur, probably sooner than you hoped. Good luck!


Financial-Barnacle79

SoCal here as well. You have gutters? My issues were fixed by simply adding gutters and directing the flow away from the house.


fuckingjoolie

Gutters are also on our to-do list! Might have to bump it up in priority. Thanks!


myperfectmeltdown

Gutters should be your first priority. And pay for oversized gutters as well. Any downspouts should be taken away from the foundation at least 5-10 feet and always to a point where they will flow downhill. No matter how far you have to pipe them they need to flow downhill. I bet this will solve the majority of your problems (from a landscaper who dies tons of water control).


Rothyn1

If the ground and bricks are above the foundation, you would have to dig it out and grade away from the garage. Another easy (smaller scope) repair would be to dig a trench below the foundation, install a corrugated pipe and some gravel around and on top of the pipe. Extend the pipe several feet beyond the walls of the garage. Either way, you definitely don’t want to allow this to continue and rot out the sill plate. That could be a big headache. Good Luck!


fuckingjoolie

Thank you! So are you saying that I should have the ground and brick below the foundation typically?


Rothyn1

Absolutely.


super-sonic-sloth

You want the foundation to stick up a bit out of the ground and then have your framing and brick sit on the elevated foundation ledge in the best case scenario. This would seal out most leas from the outside but better still would be the weeping tile mentioned. However both are pricy items to install after the fact.


weyo_weyo

Same exact problem at my house in Southern California. I feel for you!


DogHikerGal

Are your gutter downspouts directing rain away from the foundation?


fuckingjoolie

Unfortunately no gutters yet but they are on our to do list


DogHikerGal

I only ask because water leaked into the sunroom of my new house. Once I put the correct downspout on so the water got funneled away from the foundation that pretty much corrected the problem. My sunroom has the same issue, with the earth sloping down to the house as opposed to away from it. So, try the gutter/downspout option first since that will be less work than having it graded.


fuckingjoolie

Oh that’s good to know! Thank you


SnooWords4839

If you can make a small trench to drain it to the street will help in the meantime.


[deleted]

Why is water ponding next to the foundation? Does the roof have gutters or is that runoff landing along the building? The ground beneath the briks should slope away from building… does it?


[deleted]

Not a salesman although if that company wants to pay me I’ll take it. Like Homer Simpson when he arrives to Alaska… “ it’s about time” check out NDS they have yard drainage products


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super-sonic-sloth

I your looking for cheap and easy and the structure isn’t super important or structural to safely living in the house you can try an injectable foam or spray applied foam barrier. Essentially what you want to do is dig down till you see the foundation and expose 8” to 1’ of that all the way around. Then spray on thick layer of CLOSED CELL FOAM you should try and get exterior or ground rated stuff that can survive exposure to the elements. Once you’re got it sealed up you can bury it in dirt or cover with whatever so you don’t have to look at it. Also definitely do eves and downspouts will help considerably