[EDIT: photo added]OT. problem with new construction house. help needed.

we moved into our new home for 1.5 year now. the basement leaking since day one. the builder came back twice, trying to fix the problem, never done right. talked to a http://www.basementtechnologies.com/locator.html the guy said it's a very bad situation and he wants $26K to fix. i figure $26 for 5 guys to work a week is pretty high. anyway, filed a claim with the builder's insurence company, they finally came up with a total today. $20K including basement and a few other things for the house. should i go ahead accept the offer? let the ins. company do the repair? or should i seek more opinion for the basement? thanks EDIT: photo added.

I would accept the offer. Without knowing the particulars of your problem it could easlily be $25,000, ask around for a few quotes, and if possible tell the contractor that all you have from the insurance is 20k see how they work with you.

I'd make sure that if you take the offer from the insurance company that you aren't waiving your rights if the problems recur. In addtion, I'd get 3 quotes and give them to the insurance company (they probably low-balled the first offer). Also, include the replacement costs for any items, furnishings, etc. that were in the basement that were ruined. Steve

If the $20K is the cost you pay to have other work done, then okay. Otherwise, it should be $0. If the original work is defective and the insurance company is stepping in to fix it, you shouldn't pay a dime. If the statute of limitations on your right to sue the builder has run then you are on your own, shop around, it's your money. Cheers, Matt

Always use the insurance company's recommended service. Make sure they guarrentee complete satisfaction. If something major is found, above and beyond, it is their problem, and not yours. Deal only with insurance company and not contractor.

once i accept the offer, the ins. company is off the hook. the deal is now between the contractor i choose to work with, and how the contractor warranty their work. man, the builder sucks. mil. times worse than the dealer.

ins. company stepped in when builder couldn't fix the problem, i don't have to pay anything. i just want to make sure the repair will be done right. thus the ins. company isn't low-balled me on their first offer.

i will use the contractor recommended by ins. comp. however, it's really up to the contractor to do it right, since after ins. comp. cut the check, i am on my own.

What is the problem/source of the leak?

20k seems very high for a leaky basement.

I agree. There is a company called Stay-dri where I live that digs down to the bottom of the foundation and sprays on this rubbery substance that diverts the water. The quote for my house was about 7k, and it's 36 by 28. Shop around a little bit, 20 grand should be plenty, unless oyur house is 10,000 sq ft

lol that company alos quotoed me for doing it outside. it came out 80K. my house is around 4000sf in new jersey, where are u if you don't mind, and when you got your 7K quoto. i will get some photoes up soon.

I think this statement depends on where you live. I can't get anything done on our "new" 80 year old house for less than 20k. I feel like Tom Hanks in The Money Pit. As for the basement, best of luck, and I like the ideas of multiple quotes. Don't hesitate to talk to an attorney. They'll usually give you a free review of your case before asking for a retainer. It's amazing what letters on attorney letterhead can do for you when dealing with insurance companies or contractors. Unfortunately, I know from experience with both.

I suggest you start diggin' around your house.....and make sure the water can travel the path of least resistance! treath the outside wall and the inside wall with the right materials...and use the 30K to buy yourself a SC...or trade you P in for somthing newer, faster, stronger!! Contracters are ripp off artists!!

You've gotten some pretty good advice on the financial end, so I won't belabor the issue of your settlement .... other than to say I would not let the builder off the hook without a guarantee of a dry basement .... whatever it costs him to do it. I have had a great deal of experience (personal, not professional) with water in basements, and have learned a few things: 1. a concrete block foundation (as opposed to poured concrete) is difficult to waterproof, at best. 2. to do so successfully usually requires treating the foundation from the OUTSIDE prior to backfill during construction, and installing a french drain system below floor level at the same time. 3. After the fact, the surest way to cure the problem is by digging right back down to that same level around the outside and doing what should have been done to start with (see #2). 4. If you can't do that, the first priority is to insure, through grading, that your yard slopes away from your foundation on all sides at a minimum of 4 inches per 10 feet. Also, insure that not gutter downspouts are emptying next to your house ..... pipe them away with Home Depot black pipe. 5. Then, talk to the contractors who promise they can do it from the inside. In the past, this was impossible ... but newer (epoxy) sealers have come into the market. The problem is that the force of this water from the outside is much more than one would expect, and coating the walls with some paint simply will not stop it. 6. if an interior coating is the solution, then insure that all the salts (effloresence) is cleaned from the surface prior to application. 7. Finally, if you are going to count on a guarantee from an inside fix contractor, then be sure to research his history with the BBB, etc prior to hiring him. Get some customer referrals and actually talk to them. This is one of those fields that is full of fly-by-night shysters whose guarantee won't mean a thing. Good luck

update with info.: my basement size is 60.8 X 34.8 http://www.amalficonstruction.com/ quotoed the job for the ins. comp. 11K. only 2 step: 1.install interior perimeter french drains connected to a sump pump and pipe out 11500 2. plumber to reset the connection to the water main in basement ----cost 500 (my main water line in basement has a slow leak i only have one sum pump for such a big basement. was hoping the insurence company would agree to add one. talking to multiply contractors is a good idea, i will start it today. kim and others have gone though the process before, how much $$ we talking about here to cure the basement?

PL, I cannot compare what I have gone through to what you describe above. My discussion was regarding achieving a DRY basement .... one into which no water intruded. Your described solution above does not involve stopping the water and keeping your basement free of moisture. Rather, it is a means to gather the water that will continue to flow in, letting it accumulate in a sump (hole in the floor), then pumping it out when it reaches a certain level. That is not a "cure", it is a treatment of the symptom. This will have no effect on the accumulation of salt chemicals on your walls, and not much on the feeling of dampness in the basement, as water will continue to seep through and down the blocks, only to be gathered at the base of the wall. I intend no judgment of your course of action. Everyone has to make the best decisions he can. I only want to help insure you are fully informed. It could be that, unlike my family, you store nothing, nor spend any time in the basement. In that case, maybe this is the most cost effective solution. In principle alone, if I had just built a new house, I could not live with it .... if there was any recourse at all.

this is why i hate the builder. when they doing the fundation work, i was told the blocks were easy to leak. so i asked the builder if i need to do anything. on my own exp. as upgrade. the builder said no, your basement is bullet proof. Kim, i just want to get some second-hand exp. about dealing with this water problem. thank you very much for your advise.

A couple of days ago, during the morning WBZ news (AM 1030 Boston), I heard Basement Technologies mentioned. I don't remember the exact story but something about them moving to RI because they were losing their license in MA. Just check out anyone you use very thoroughly.