Arg! Water in my basement. What to do?

We got 5in of rain in two hours yesterday. I got water in my basement that I just refinished last year. I was able to keep after it with two shop vac's, but if I had not been home it would have been a mess. I met with one water proofing guy today, but I was not crazy about his suggestions. Has anyone else tackled this in the past? There is a small dirt area between my driveway and house where the water is comming though, I have half a notion to just pave over it, but this guy seems to think the water is comming up from the bottom, not from above. 

 Your are probably more correct than he is.  If it was ground water as he was suggesting, your basement would be damp or even wet even when there is not rain.  This is because ground water is really just the water table level  and you likely know where your water table is.  However, if he is correct, you can fix this problem by digging a sump pit in your basement (anywhere)  Hammer a hole in your floor and dig a hole about 2'X2'X2.5" deep.  You can line this with treated plywood or buy a commercial sump pit.  This sump pit will draw the ground water(thus controlling it to the pit) and you can pump it with a sump pump into your sewer (check local rules on this) or pump it outside through a window or rig up something a little more permanent.  Be sure to put  several  holes in your sump liner ( wood or commercial) to allow the water to flow into the sump.  ( About 5/16" holes) (smaller if using a plastic sump pit)

If you are right, and the water is coming in from the outside ( and I would lean to this as the problem based on what you have said) positive grading away from your foundation will correct this.  Be sure to check for any visible cracks or leaks in your foundation first.  It sounds to me like your driveway has a lean towards your foundation (which is fairly common) and causes the same problem for others.  This lean towards your foundation is negative grading and must be fixed in order to keep rain water out.  Also check to be sure you eave troughs are working properly.  A malfunction here could have caused some added pressure on the vulnerable spot on your foundation. Your may even want to change the location of a downspout if there is one close by.

Thats kinda the feeling I had. I'm leaning towards putting asphalt between the house and the driveway. Its a cheap fix, if it does not work its not huge loss. My water proofing quote came back at $11,000! and that does not include repairing all the walls they need to rip appart. Insane!

My sister-in-law had the same problem.  She paid to have french drains put in, but the problem actually worsened,  The contractor did not backfill properly, causing her entire back yard to drain to the house.  We fixed 90% of her oroblem last year by simply redirecting the water flow harmlessly off th the ravine on the sideof her back yard.  Took a guy with a little Yanmar excavator only a couple of hours to dig a shallow trench and then shape everything up with the blade - the trench was less than 15 minutes.  She still has a problem along one part of the wall where her patio is lower than the walk running parallel with the wall, causing water to collect by the corner of he patio.  That one will not be as easily fixed,

Short version - try to fix it by shaping the yard first,  Cheaper and a quick fix, as long as ground water is not the problem.

Good luck

Fred

If after redirecting the surface water away from your house, you're still apprehensive, I would suggest a "Basement Watchdog".

This is a battery powered alarm that emits a shrill 85db. sound when water touches two conductive buttons. They cost les than $30.

Good Luck 

 Thanks! Great idea! I'm ordering one right now.

 A sump pit is probably the cheapest way to go. What works well for a pit is 1/3 of a 55 gallon plastic barrel. It will never rust or rot out. Do put small holes in the bottom of it but set your pump 6 -8 inches above the bottom. The will prevent the sand from clogging the pump.

 We live on a reservoir, however our house is 300 ft from the shore line and on a high hill, Our neighbors to the north of us,, (all 5 of them) that have homes on or next to the water, have serious basement problems, All, at times, have water come up through the bottom of their basement and all at different times ahve water come through the walls, All have spent thousands over the years to rectify the problems. From what I have seen of those below me,, the best system is, as was stated, a plastic 55 gallon drum cut in half or a third, sunken below the cement floor, and in one home, their external foundation drainage is actually hooked back into the sump system, which pumps their water 60 ft from the home... Water in cellars is a hard, not easy or cheap expense to fix under most conditions,, Sealing doesn't seem to do the trick either,, It takes a lot of decision and back breaking work to make it work right most times,

 If you are really flush with cash you can have someone dig outside all around the house to about a foot below the cellar floor. Then install 4" perforated pipe and cover it with 12" of #2 stone then cover the stone with landscape fabric. Route the flow some place where to water will run off and then back fill. Oh and don't forget to replant the wife's flowers.