We have purchased a log home, reassembled 10 years ago. The majority of this home has a crawl space, but a new added section was built and they dug an approx. 6 x 8 basement with a water heater, sump pump and water softer. The land and home are on a high water table, so this basement area leaks (you can see the water coming seeping in under the cement blocks, and showing signs of slow shifting. The crawl space is perfect, with no problem areas at all. We do not need this basement area, it is too small and wet. My question is can we just fill this basement area after we move the sump pump, water heater and softener, leaving a hose for access water, to make it a crawl space? Or what do you suggest?
Answer:
The first thing to do is get in touch with your local building authority (city hall) to determine whether you will be permitted to modify the crawl space. Water table problems are hard to deal with and I'd want a structural engineer and/or a soil engineer to advise me.
Courtesy of Ren Molnar, Construction Consultant at HomeFocus.com. I can also be reached at (613) 748-3003 and Home Focus phone-in is broadcast live 8 to 10 A.M. (Ottawa, Ont. time) on Saturdays on www.cfra.com.
