A house I am considering buying in the U.P. of Michigan...it has a chimney on east side of house and a wood burner in the fireplace both on the first floor or main floor and in the basement...also there is a gas furnace currently in the basement...the basement is very damp, leaking, molding and needs lots of work- none the less- what I am thinking is that maybe I can relocate the furnace to the first floor into this interior closet directly above where is is located ( which may have been where a furnace once was located prior ) and send one vent to basement to keep some warm air circulating from furnace and then use the wood burner to heat the basement at least a little bit...? Do you think this could work? This would be the game plan for year one or winter one since we won't have enough time to collect the volume of wood we need...the reason I want to move the furnace to first floor us to draw better air...I also figure the wood stove might help dry it out a bit down there...we plan on cleaning out basement, insulating, adding drainage etc but not sure all we done by cold weather? Also please advise what things do I need to know or who do I call to make sure the chimney and stoves are in good working order.... I already know that the previous residents were burning lits of green and wet wood! Thank you!
Combination of questions, please advise!
- Thread starter Homewarmhome
- Start date
-
Active since 1995, Hearth.com is THE place on the internet for free information and advice about wood stoves, pellet stoves and other energy saving equipment.
We strive to provide opinions, articles, discussions and history related to Hearth Products and in a more general sense, energy issues.
We promote the EFFICIENT, RESPONSIBLE, CLEAN and SAFE use of all fuels, whether renewable or fossil. -
Super Cedar firestarters 30% discount Use code Hearth2024 Click here
edyit
Minister of Fire
WoodyIsGoody
Minister of Fire
My advice: Don't buy a house with such fundamental problems that are so difficult to remedy. The leaking basement, mold and drainage issues might not be fully resolved after your efforts. Yes, the purchase price might look tempting but never under-estimate the expense of fully correcting such issues. Better to pay more for a house with less fundamental flaws.
Seems like too many of us have been down that road.
Houses are all very expensive, spend your hard earned bucks on one that is not a POS. If that means you need a smaller home now in order to be able to afford it then buy the smaller home and upgrade in the future.
I would not move the furnace just to change the return air intake location. I would run a return air duct up into the living space and leave the furnace where it is.
Thank you, I appreciate your input, as we are definetly on the fence about this house. It has maybe some potential...? That is what we are trying to figure out...its a low price, land contract, no interest, acreage and out of the city! But with issues...hmmmph
Last edited by a moderator:
I had not really thought of that, maybe distant thought but that is worth looking into as well, thank you
Last edited by a moderator:
jetsam
Minister of Fire
I'd look into why the basement is damp first.
Build the price of fixing that into the purchase price of the house, and your furnace problem goes away.
You should have time to dig up and seal the foundation now (wonderful project, that), which is a band-aid solution if you have drainage or water table problems, but can be done fairly quickly, and might hold you over until next year.
Build the price of fixing that into the purchase price of the house, and your furnace problem goes away.
You should have time to dig up and seal the foundation now (wonderful project, that), which is a band-aid solution if you have drainage or water table problems, but can be done fairly quickly, and might hold you over until next year.
kennyp2339
Minister of Fire
Leaky basements - there are (2) correct ways to repair a leaky basement that still has a good foundation.
(1) is to dig around the whole outside of the walls down to the weeping tile, expose that to check the condition, install a membrane that looks like it has a million golf ball dimples on the outside basement walls (allows water to run down it) install new weeping tile to get water that has been collected sent away into the French drain, This option is best for areas that has low to mid water tables and good land drainage.
(2) is to cut the a foot of cement pad all along the perimeter of the basement, install a French drain to a sump pump hole, install the same dimple membrane, reframe the inside basement walls.
This is a fix and not the best option, but areas that have high water tables / poor land drainage this is what will work. The cons are that you are losing 1 foot around the whole basement due to the new stud wall that must be built, you are essentially not stopping the water intrusion, your just controlling it and now your sump pump dependent.
Like what other state, move on, there are better properties out there.
(1) is to dig around the whole outside of the walls down to the weeping tile, expose that to check the condition, install a membrane that looks like it has a million golf ball dimples on the outside basement walls (allows water to run down it) install new weeping tile to get water that has been collected sent away into the French drain, This option is best for areas that has low to mid water tables and good land drainage.
(2) is to cut the a foot of cement pad all along the perimeter of the basement, install a French drain to a sump pump hole, install the same dimple membrane, reframe the inside basement walls.
This is a fix and not the best option, but areas that have high water tables / poor land drainage this is what will work. The cons are that you are losing 1 foot around the whole basement due to the new stud wall that must be built, you are essentially not stopping the water intrusion, your just controlling it and now your sump pump dependent.
Like what other state, move on, there are better properties out there.
Squirrely
Feeling the Heat
In my opinion... don't buy it.
I do work for local real estate agents and over the years have come into contact with a lot of people who have just purchased their home. And because I'm fascinated by how things happen, I ask them this question:
How long did it take you to decide to buy your house?
The majority of the answers are instantly to within minutes of seeing the house. It's ironic how so many people can take longer to decide to buy a piece of fruit in the market, than they do to make the largest purchase of their lives.
There is something about the thread of destiny which runs through our lives, and you have an immediate in the moment real time gut feeling whether you are following that thread, or are trying hard to make a square peg fit into a round hole. Destiny isn't a struggle. It's simply an open door of opportunity you walk through.
That's how you can tell which is which.
Greg
Last edited:
kennyp2339
Minister of Fire
Great read Greg!In my opinion... don't buy it.
I do work for local real estate agents and over the years have come into contact with a lot of people who have just purchased their home. And because I'm fascinated by how things happen, I ask them this question:
How long did it take you to decide to buy your house?
The majority of the answers are instantly to within minutes of seeing the house. It's ironic how so many people can take longer to decide to buy a piece of fruit in the market, than they do to make the largest purchase of their lives.
There is something about the thread of destiny which runs through our lives, and you have an immediate in the moment real time gut feeling whether you are following that thread, or are trying hard to make a square peg fit into a round hole. Destiny isn't a struggle. It's simply an open door of opportunity you walk through.
That's how you can tell which is which.
Greg
jetsam
Minister of Fire
In my opinion... don't buy it.
I do work for local real estate agents and over the years have come into contact with a lot of people who have just purchased their home. And because I'm fascinated by how things happen, I ask them this question:
How long did it take you to decide to buy your house?
The majority of the answers are instantly to within minutes of seeing the house. It's ironic how so many people can take longer to decide to buy a piece of fruit in the market, than they do to make the largest purchase of their lives.
There is something about the thread of destiny which runs through our lives, and you have an immediate in the moment real time gut feeling whether you are following that thread, or are trying hard to make a square peg fit into a round hole. Destiny isn't a struggle. It's simply an open door of opportunity you walk through.
That's how you can tell which is which.
Greg
I am mildly alarmed by anyone who uses gut feelings to navigate the produce aisle; using them for anything important... well, I guess it's good if you like random results.
I mean, why is "IT WAS DESTINY" seen as a charming and possibly clever reason to buy a house, but a poor reason for hatchet murdering a busload of orphans? Both used the same logic!
Squirrely
Feeling the Heat
I am mildly alarmed by anyone who uses gut feelings to navigate the produce aisle; using them for anything important... well, I guess it's good if you like random results.
You don't experience any internal indications at all of whether or not you're going in the right direction in life? I had only mentioned it because I do... whether it's the right piece of fruit, or the right house.
Greg
Last edited:
jetsam
Minister of Fire
Everyone, me included, "just knows" stuff all the time, and it's quite often wrong.
Gotta step back from that and think about it!
Pick someone who says they're "just instinctively good" or "just naturally good" at something, and compare their results to those of someone else who actually understands how that thing works inside and out.
I can't say that I never navigate by gut feelings, and the ability to do so can be quite valuable when you need high speed analysis of a situation (motorcycle riding comes to mind here).
When you have half a second to understand what's happening, make a plan, and react... yeah, go with your gut. It's fast.
If you have time to reflect... don't hand over the steering to whatever pops up first out of the subconscious soup, or you'll get The House That Was Meant To Be, swamp castle edition.
Squirrely
Feeling the Heat
My experience is just the opposite... I'm wrong when I talk myself out of what I already know is right!
Greg
What about the third option to fill that sucker in? Why on earth would somebody dig a deep hole in a flat area with high groundwater and put living space down in that hole? Build up. Build above the outside ground level.
When I bought my current house I narrowly avoided buying another home with an outdoor pool. I planned to fill that sucker in.
jetsam
Minister of Fire
If you fill in the basement, you also need to relocate the furnace; I would guess that there's going to be a water heater and likely a service entry to move, too.
I would also worry that filling a big leaky concrete box full of gravel would result in a permanent 100% humidity swamp underneath my floor joists.
Not insurmountable obstacles, but not cheap ones either.
Filling it in will not stop the water infiltration and eventually that water will destroy the masonry foundation that is supporting the house. We dont know nearly enough about it to make any judgement calls on what needs done. I have seen some really wet basements caused by nothing more than bad gutters. But it is likely that the foundation will need dug out sealed with membrane and drainage installed.
How would backfilling a foundation or getting masonry wet ruin it? We backfill foundations all the time. Even build water tanks out of concrete!
Yes, move the furnace and water heater. Stuff it in the closet.
Filling the basement into a big leaky box of gravel is just fine. I would partially rubbelize the slab to start to allow the free an dnatural movement of groundwater. It's no different than any other home on a crawlspace where if you go down deep enough you hit water. You place a vapor barrier at the top of the fill to keep moisture down.
It's an option. We don't see many basements up in the PNW and very often even the dirt floor crawlspaces under our homes require sump pumps to keep them dry.
Back filling it will not destroy it at all. I never said anything like that. But if you think that constant water infiltration wont destroy a foundation even if it is filled with gravel you are very wrong. And yes you can build tanks out of concrete but it has to be the right concrete. And standard concrete block used for basements are not meant for that. Water seeping through them will destroy them over time. We see it all the time. You also cant put your experinces in your particular climate on others from completly different areas. Like i said we dont have anywhere near enough info to give any advice. But i can tell you i have been in construction for a long time and i have never seen or heard of anyone here filling their basements. Here we dig them out seal them and install drainage. We dont know anything about their house other than it is very damp.
Similar threads
