If the house is only a few years old
A damp basement or crawl space in a recently built house may be the builder's to put right. Read your purchase contract and any warranty booklet that came with the house, and report the problem to the builder in writing, with dated photos, before you pay anyone else to change things. Work done by another company can complicate a warranty claim.
Common causes in newer houses are plain ones: soil that has settled along the foundation and now tilts toward the wall, downspouts that were never extended, and a discharge pipe that ends beside the house. An inspection can still be useful. It gives you an independent description of the cause to send to the builder.
Which office covers your address
- Inside the town limits
- The Town of Pleasant View Department of Building and Codes, 1008 Civic Court, (615) 746-0600. It issues building, mechanical and plumbing permits.
- Outside the town limits
- Cheatham County Building and Codes in Ashland City, (615) 792-7915.
Yard water in a subdivision
On a subdivision lot, the shallow channels along the side and rear boundaries are usually there on purpose, to carry runoff from several yards to a shared outlet. A fence, a shed or a load of topsoil placed in one of them backs water up toward somebody's foundation, sometimes your own.
Before a company regrades or adds a drain, look at your plat for drainage easements, and ask the building office whether the change needs approval. The town also has a driveway permit, which is worth asking about if a pipe would have to pass under the drive.
Three things to bring to the first conversation
- The year the house was built and whether any builder's warranty is still running.
- Whether the wet area is below a downspout, a patio or a spot where the soil has sunk.
- A copy of your lot plat, if you have one, showing easements.