Anyone here have a basement garage?

[imported_RedlineIRL]

Hey all, I am looking at a house right now that has a full basement with a two car garage. From one side it looks like a one story house, and from the other it looks 2 story and that`s where the garage is. Anyways I am excited since it has a massive garage along with a finished basement behind it.



The the interior walls of the garage are masonry block, no drywall at all. My question is, for those that have a garage similar to this or experience with them, are garages that have walls exposing masory block more prone to drawing in excessive moisture than others? If so, is there a fairly cheap method to prevent excessive mositure from garages such as these? Anything else I should look out for with this type of garage? I am a first time homebuyer, so I don`t have much knowledge on this

[avg_joe]

You don`t say the age of the house or region.

My Mom`s house was built in 1960 and the exterior, below grade, was just tared.

After 30 years or so the basement was prone to more seepage and moisture. We just had it waterproofed.

Newer houses have a drain system around the exterior footer to allow water somewhere to go and not build up pressure and may also have a sheeting applied to the exterior block that will also prevent water from coming through.

Another key would be that all the grading around the house slopes away so the water runs from the house.

Does the existing block doesn`t show any discoloration?

If the finished side of the basement doesn`t smell musty or show signs of a problem thats a good sign because it is fully below grade.

There is a product to apply to the interior block called Drylok that is supposed to seal the block. A white color would also brighten the place a bit and give it a cleaner look.

You could still get condensation on the block, Cool side earth/ Warm side hot summer day with the doors open...

Just some thoughts from my experiences.



Good luck...

[Accumulator]

I have a subbasement that I use for lawn/garden equipment and other storage. Painted masonary block. It`s climate controlled (separate zone on the HVAC), but I still need to use a dehumidifier to keep it as dry as I want it.



Hope the one you`re considering has a floor drain, sure glad mine does.

[imported_RedlineIRL]

You don`t say the age of the house or region.

My Mom`s house was built in 1960 and the exterior, below grade, was just tared.

After 30 years or so the basement was prone to more seepage and moisture. We just had it waterproofed.

Newer houses have a drain system around the exterior footer to allow water somewhere to go and not build up pressure and may also have a sheeting applied to the exterior block that will also prevent water from coming through.

Another key would be that all the grading around the house slopes away so the water runs from the house.

Does the existing block doesn`t show any discoloration?

If the finished side of the basement doesn`t smell musty or show signs of a problem thats a good sign because it is fully below grade.

There is a product to apply to the interior block called Drylok that is supposed to seal the block. A white color would also brighten the place a bit and give it a cleaner look.

You could still get condensation on the block, Cool side earth/ Warm side hot summer day with the doors open...

Just some thoughts from my experiences.



Good luck...

I should have mentioned that. The home was built in the early 90s and its in the southern middle section of TN, so it`s pretty much humid year round at some point during the day except for a couple months.



I don`t recall if there was any kind of drainage system around the exterior of the house. I am not really the most home improvement saavy, plus being a first time hme buyer, I didn`t really think to check for these things. I guess thats where a home inspection does come in helpful. The yard does slope away from the garage, and did not show any discoloration on the blocks.



If I do go with this one, I think I will use some Drylock on the walls just to be sure it is sealed up. I agree on using white, I think it will really brighten it up and make it seem more open.



I haven`t had any kind of experience with exposed masonry blocked basements or garages, so I didn`t really know what to expect or if damp walls were the norm with them. Its seem that I shouldn`t have too much to worry about then.



Thanks for your help

I have a subbasement that I use for lawn/garden equipment and other storage. Painted masonary block. It`s climate controlled (separate zone on the HVAC), but I still need to use a dehumidifier to keep it as dry as I want it.



Hope the one you`re considering has a floor drain, sure glad mine does.

Good idea on the dehumidifier. I plan on keeping my car stored away in the garage most of the time, and taken out on certain occasions. So hopefully a dehumidifier will be enough to remove expess moisture in the air, so that it is not harmful in storage situations.



I don`t believe it had a floor drain, but with the way the yard sloped the garage not being sublevel I can`t see water pooling on the floor being any problem at all

[Paul Sparks]

I purchased my 2 story home with the garage under the bedrooms in 1973. The only problem we have had is that the driveway slopes down towards the garage . Had to install a drain with a grate across the garage entrance which drains into a sump pump. Never had a problem with moisture on the block wall in the garage. I store my Firebird ragtop in that garage along the wifes DD and don`t have a problem.

[Accumulator]

I don`t believe it had a floor drain, but with the way the yard sloped the garage not being sublevel I can`t see water pooling on the floor being any problem at all

OK, but give some thought to dumping the dehumidifier, it`s handy to just run a hose from it to a floor drain. You might be surprised how much water it pulls out of the air.

[Bill D]

A substantial dehumidifier is seriously on my to-get list. They do pull so much moisture out of the air.

[Ron Ketcham]

Mine is hooked to the hose to the drain.

Only problem with this old house is that since the water comes in, the water goes out, had to build a little dam so my trout farm fishys didn`t die off.

Grumpy

[C. Charles Hahn]

OK, but give some thought to dumping the dehumidifier, it`s handy to just run a hose from it to a floor drain. You might be surprised how much water it pulls out of the air.

Or you can get a small pump and run it to a utility sink or your washer/dryer drain.



Whirlpool 8212501 Dehumidifier Pump Kit (Special Order 4-6 Weeks)



That`s how I`ve got mine set up in the basement, anyway.

[Accumulator]

Shiny Lil Detlr- Yeah, I have one of those too, forget the brand though. It handles the condensation from the "hi efficiency" HVAC system we installed in the "old half" of the house last year. I sometimes worry that it`ll die when we`re on vacation or something :nervous: