Garage Foundation - Water Intrusion

[stein]

Hello,

Brand new member here. I've got lots of garage questions, but will start with this one. I moved into my current home back in November. The home has an attached garage and heated detached 2 car garage. I spend a majority of my time in the detached garage (shop). The garage has a floor drain in, but during the winter I'd discovered some water problems due to drainage issues. My property is on low land that is already pretty close to the water table. However, that drainage issue is a topic for another day. I recently discovered that some of the water/moisture coming into the garage is coming from between the concrete slab and base plate. It comes in during heavy downpours.

Unbeknownst to me, the garage was built on a flat slab (no lip on the concrete, no blocks). The water coming in is starting to become a little more than just annoying because it results in a moist garage and also in things around the perimeter getting wet. I'm curious what tome recommended solutions might be. Some that I've considered include:

- putting gutters on the garage
- digging a channel around the perimeter of the garage
- actually replacing the base plate with cinder block

The last consideration is my preferred more permanent solution if it's a possibility. Curious if anyone has ever done that or heard of someone doing it? My dad, who has a decent amount of construction experience in his past, suggested I could possibly slowly work my way around the base of the wall, supporting/jacking wall sections and replacing the existing base plate with blocks.

 

[sleek98]

There have been a few guys on here that have lifted the garage up and done concrete/block walls/additional wood to raise the height.

Check out the wet garage rise or a title similar to that in the gallery forum. I think he raised it a few feet to higher ground.

 

[ConCretin]

I'd start with options one and two although I'd try to create positive drainage away from the structure rather than dig a channel. Deal with the water first and then consider adding a curb wall if necessary. Improper drainage can cause more problems than just leakage into the structure.

 

[stein]

Thanks for the suggestions @LLWillysfan and @sleek98.

@sleek98, I found that garage raise thread you were talking about. That was quite the project with a very detailed description. The good news is I've discovered that blocking the garage or replacing the existing sill plate with block is reasonable with enough time and motivation. I think it's something I want to avoid for right now though.

@LLWillysfan, I definitely think I will put some gutters on. I'll probably try to add some better drainage on the sides of the garage too. As it is, I have a pretty lousy drainage situation. I'm located in central Minnesota and we had quite a bit of snow accumulation this past winter. As a recent new homeowner, this was my first winter in the home and once all of that snow thawed I ended up with about 3 or 4 inches of water in the garage.

I also saw some product to put on the foundation/slab to block moisture that might help. I believe the product had Groundbreaker in the name.