• The ground adjacent to the foundation should slope down and away between 1/2″ and 1″ per linear foot. So, six feet away from the foundation, the ground level should be between six and 12 inches lower than right at the foundation wall.
• Make sure gutters and downspouts are kept clear. If you have underground drain pipes, use a garden hose on a dry day to test whether the pipe is draining properly.
• If you have basement windows with window wells, make sure the walls of the window well extend a few inches above the level of the surrounding soil. Keep the window well clear of debris, and consider installing a clear plastic dome over the well to keep water and debris out.
• Sunken and mulched flower beds close to the foundation walls can hold a lot of water, which could then seep into the foundation wall. Make sure any planting beds close to the house can drain properly away from the house.
• Keep exterior stairwells and drains clear of leaves and debris.

If All Else Fails

If you’ve done all the above measures and are still having water infiltration issues, you might need to consult with a professional regarding installing a waterproofing system. These may include French or curtain drains, which involve extensive exterior ground excavation and waterproofing barriers. You may also need a hydrostatic pressure relief system, which pumps water away from the foundation. These systems are not designed to stop water completely, but they do keep it under control. Be sure to get several opinions and estimates on systems before deciding to have one installed.

An Ounce of Prevention

One simple way to prevent most water damage in a basement is to keep everything off the floor several inches. Never keep cardboard boxes directly on the floor, and do a thorough basement inspection periodically to catch any potential problems before they become major.

Even though there were no indications of water intrusion in the interior of the house, it was obvious that there was ice damming going on.

Water from ice dams is seeping down the exterior wall

Water has penetrated through the eaves on this house, and is seeping down the brick exterior, where it saturates the brick and refreezes. This can cause damage to the brickwork, shortening its life.

This bedroom had a cold spot in the corner.

The ice dam evidence outside prompted Bob to pull out his Thermal Imager. Taking thermal images is not part of a regular home inspection; in this case he was using it to find possible water damage inside. Although he didn’t find water damage, he did find some examples of why the house had ice dams.

The bedroom corner lacked any insulation

The thermal image revealed a joist space on an exterior wall without any insulation at all. This patch could allow warm air to escape into the attic space and cause the snow on the roof to melt from underneath.

Notice the snow has thinned between these two dormer windows.

Snow that melts unevenly can be a clue for where to look for missing insulation. Here, the space between these two dormer windows was a closet.

The roof over this closet had less snow than other areas.

The thermal camera revealed the issue:

Missing insulation in the closet ceiling

Another joist space was missing insulation. This space would be vulnerable to water damage.

Cold stripes on the ceiling

Thermal pictures of one ceiling revealed cold stripes. When Bob got into the attic, he found the source.

Areas around the joists were not insulated properly

Batts of insulation were compressed around trusses, leaving bare spots over some of the joist areas. The batts should have been cut to fit around the trusses. Also, whenever insulation is compressed, its R value is reduced.

You don’t necessarily need a thermal camera to find gaps in your insulation. All you need is a really cold day. Run your hand along the walls and ceilings, especially at the edges and corners. If one area feels cooler than the others, there’s a good chance it’s underinsulated.

How an ice dam works

Ice dams can happen any time snow falls on a sloped roof, especially if the gutters are clogged with debris and the attic is poorly insulated. Heat from the interior melts the underside of the snow pack; this water flows down the roof and is stopped by a buildup of ice at the edge. With nowhere to go, the water pools at the edge and rises under the shingles, where it then can flow down through the attic space and into the ceilings and walls of the house.

Heat from the house can get into the attic several ways.

Houses with very shallow or non-existent eaves are more likely to experience ice dams, as the edge of the roof is directly above the heated living space. Also, if you have recessed ceiling lights, they may also allow heated air to leak into the attic.

Once you have ice dams, there’s not really much you can do about them.
After the snow melts, though, you will need to do several things to prevent them from happening again.

• Insulate the attic, especially at the eaves. Any insulation that got wet from a leak must be removed and replaced. The best thing is to insulate the floor of the attic, so heat from the house doesn’t penetrate the attic. This will also reduce your heating bill. Keeping the attic cold during the winter will prevent the snow on the roof melting from the inside out.
• Keep your gutters clean. Have them inspected and repaired, if necessary. Gutter helmets and other debris guards will not protect against ice dams.
• Have a roofer install ice and water shield underneath the first few courses of shingles on your roof. This will create a waterproof layer of protection for the lower edge of the roof, so any accumulated water that gets under the shingles can’t penetrate to the sheathing.

A waterproof membrane under the shingles can prevent water damage

Bob can inspect the house, but many of the systems NORMALLY inspected as part of the inspection will need to be “disclaimed” or not inspected. This means Bob can look at items, but cannot tell whether they work. The stove/furnace/water heater may look fine, but without utilities, there is no way to know whether they work, or leak, or are unsafe.

If the gas is off

• Can’t test gas furnace, water heater or stove
• Can’t test gas fireplace inserts
• Can’t detect gas leaks

If the water is off

• Can’t test faucets, showers, toilets or tub
• Can’t test water heater
• Can’t test dishwasher
• Can’t detect leaks in pipes or drains
• Can’t test hose connections

If the electricity is off

• Can’t test lights, outlets or switches
• Can’t test GFCI (anti-shock) devices
• Can’t test garbage disposal, electric ranges or ovens
• Can’t test heat pumps

Winterized Houses Are Vulnerable
Modern houses are not designed to be kept out of their “comfort” temperatures. Houses that are allowed to swing wildly in temperature (and humidity) will have many more nail pops, drywall cracks, creaking floors and other symptoms, and may never completely recover. Cold and dry causes some issues, but HOT and WET can allow many other organic pests to invade and grow when humidity goes unchecked. As basements typically are cooler in the summer, unchecked humidity can cause natural condensation on basement surfaces, even IN and BEHIND walls where a typical visual home inspection won’t uncover them. Wood destroying organisms of the 6 legged variety love damp warm wood.

In addition, there’s the possible discomfort of trying to inspect a house with no heat during the colder months. Recently Bob was asked to inspect a vacant house that was SUPPOSED to have all the utilities on. When he got there it was 50 degrees OUTSIDE and 40 degrees INSIDE. The water and electricity had been turned on, but the gas had not and a hard deep freeze was in the forecast. He opened the house up to warm it to 50 degrees and told the selling agent to go buy some electric heaters to keep the house (and the water pipes) from freezing that night. Everyone wore their heavy coats during the inspection, including the client’s 1-year-old child who had to occasionally go spend time in the car with a parent to stay warm.

A Cautionary Tale
A few weeks ago, Bob scheduled a Home Inspection on a foreclosed house. The house had been “winterized”, and the inspection ended up being rescheduled four times, as each time the inspection date rolled around, the house was still awaiting “dewinterizing”. Finally, the realtor was assured that the house was ready. Bob drove up and saw a problem right away.

Water coming from under a garage door is not a good sign.

Even before he got into the house, he knew there were going to be BIG problems inside.

Water gushing from a disconnected pipe under the deck

Once inside, Bob found that many of the faucets were turned on, gushing water into tubs and sinks. The shower in the Master Bath had been turned on, and the head was pointing out the open shower door, leaving standing water in the master bathroom, damaged drywall, and soaked wood throughout the house.

Water dripping from the garage ceiling

The water from the Master Bath seeped throughout the house, including the ductwork in the garage. See the water dripping from the bowed insulation?

Water from the Master Bath damaged the ceiling of the first floor bathroom.

How did this happen? When the house was “winterized”, the faucets were opened to facilitate draining the pipes. The crew that came to “dewinterize” did not examine the house at all; they merely turned the water back on and left immediately. As a result, the water was left running for nearly a full day before Bob and his client arrived. The result? Probably several thousand dollars in repairs. If the water issues are not addressed quickly, the costs could quickly escalate.

The Bottom Line
If YOU are Winterizing a house, keep the heat/cooling on and set it for 55/85 as this will reduce costs while still keeping the HOUSE within its limits. If you stray too much outside this range, you are risking cosmetic damage at a minimum. Make sure you keep a close eye on the property, and walk through the house frequently to spot problems like leaks.

If you are BUYING a winterized home, INSIST that it be de-winterized for the Home Inspection.  If the ONLY thing stopping a possible sale is the Home Inspection, the seller should agree. De-winterization may uncover more than broken appliances and pipes, as the utility companies may want back bills paid before they turn the utilities back on, and these bills could come as a surprise later. Yes, they are supposed to be caught at closing, but sometimes they do get missed and then the buyer is left to pay them or face a protracted battle to get additional money from the (now gone) seller or remote mortgage holder.