Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

pburgh2517 t1_jadixqx wrote

Am I the only one in Pittsburgh with a 100+ year old house AND a completely dry basement? I would think this is not normal but based on the comments it sounds like it’s me who has the abnormal basement.

44

SidFarkus47 t1_jadlbkh wrote

Yeah I have like a half basement (because of a hill my basement exits on one side to the ground level), and I do run a dehumidifier pretty much all summer, but I've never had an issue with water down there in ~7 years

14

mr-popadopalous t1_jadmvnm wrote

No same, we’re selling rn and I thought the nominal amount of dark on the old floor from ground water was awful. This makes me feel soooo much better. 100+ house

8

InfraredDiarrhea t1_jaevpxb wrote

103 yr old house here. Previous owner installed french drains and a sump pump. Bless their heart.

The bone dry basement is what made me choose this one over all the other mold factories i toured when buying.

8

YinzerChick70 t1_jaewmoh wrote

We get the teeniest bit of water in our hundred year old house and we're an anomaly.

5

NotBlaine t1_jadreyr wrote

Our house is creeping up on a 115 years* and it gets damp in ours. We're super super downhill though. We just don't keep anything near the one wall.

*an estimate, apparently before 1910 hard to tell how old a building is.

4

turp101 t1_jaeapq4 wrote

Are you on a hillside or valley - if so, then you might be alone.

I see them when on top of hills since water is draining away. However it is rare for me to find a place in flood plains or on a hillside that doesn't have some minor penetration at least.

4

Excelius t1_jaekazx wrote

> Are you on a hillside or valley

My first thought was lucky placement that avoided most groundwater intrusion issues.

My second thought: survivorship bias

The 100+ year old house in the lucky location not to have that issue, is more likely to survive to be that old.

3

pburgh2517 t1_jaeofjl wrote

One front corner of my house is ground level then the hillside slopes downward in all directions ending up with a walkout basement in the back.

It may be due to the upkeep done by previous owners. It was a very well maintained home by the same older woman for many many years.

2

skfoto t1_jaebtzm wrote

100 year old house gang here, with a dry basement. Basements are not supposed to have water in them.

3

Username89054 t1_jadtcqu wrote

My house isn't 100 years old but I've had zero flooding issues in 7 years. My house was built in the 50s. My neighbor flooded multiple times until he put in a french drain. It does get quite humid in the spring though, but the dehumidifier handles that.

2

MaryOutside t1_jae1c2r wrote

My house is 113 years old and the basement has never given me an issue (yet). Helps that it's made of concrete and smack in the middle of a row.

2

SnooDoubts2823 t1_jaeqeyo wrote

66 year old with a bone dry basement. And it was built into a rise.

2