Negative sloped driveway flooded- help!

[avsodha]

Hi!
We got unexpectedly flooded by Ida last week with almost 7 feet of water in our basement/garage. My car was floating in the driveway.
We have experienced devastating damage and need to work out a solution for this moving forward- ideas?

 

[PoorUB]

Did the water come in from the street?
All you can do is make sure that everything slopes away from the driveway, and then a trench drain with a BF sump pump. If the water came in from the street all you can do is raise the start of your driveway, but then it gets steeper.
Dealing with a once every ten or twenty year event might be near impossible.

 

[avsodha]

Yes I believe it came from the street. We have a sump pump in the basement but clearly could not keep up with the amount of water. Trench drain at the base of the garage door.

 

[SALIV8]

Move

 

[TJMtl]

When I had a negative slope driveway I installed a trench drain that I emptied of leaves from often. I also dug a sump pit and installed a super duper Peakflow internet connected sump pump system, 1 electric pump, and 2 battery powered with 2 group 31 batteries for each pump.

i drilled a hole at the top of the foundation wall and ran 2” PVC i to the back yard.

 

[Firebrick43]

Move or block in the garage door, Back fill the drive and make the new drive slightly sloping. Of course no more garage.

This will always be an issue with garages below all of the surrounding grade. The only place a garage of this style should be done is if the house is build in a hill and their is still positive slope in the drive up to the apron. ANYTHING else will eventually flood when abnormal storms come again.

 

[PoorUB]

Pretty hard to keep water away if it over flowed the curb. You can put in a big pump but the water just keeps coming, then where do you pump it to? The street? Plus if you loose power you are still screwed.
You could build some sort of easily installed, temporary dike at the top of the drive, but any time the weather forecast is suspect you will need to go install it. No good if you are not home.

The best answer is get rid of the driveway. Fill it in and add a garage stall at grade. Looking back at your pics, specifically the one poor one from the security cam it looks to me that there is no way you can protect your self for a situation like this.

 

[nadogail]

The Trench Drain and Big Sump Pump handle most situations, Hurricanes are exceptional circumstances.

 

[Uncle murph]

Hi!
We got unexpectedly flooded by Ida last week with almost 7 feet of water in our basement/garage. My car was floating in the driveway.
We have experienced devastating damage and need to work out a solution for this moving forward- ideas?

Gotta agree with firebrick,it’s just a bad location for the design.How many neighbors without garages under the house had 7’ of water in their basement?

 

[Walkers]

This is the easiest thing in the world to fix. Simply call your insurance company and tell them they have a big problem.

 

[PelicanPines]

I'm sure your neighbors are happy because you provided a simple drain for the street flooding. -Bazinga-

 

[Viper98912]

If the water was above the street/curb level (in other words, there was a river down your street), then practically there's nothing you can do? Where would you expect to move the water? Back to the street?

The only things you can do:
1) Make sure your insurance policies are up to date and cover this type of loss (be aware that flood plain clauses are an insurance loophole)
2) Move

 

[wssix99]

This is the easiest thing in the world to fix. Simply call your insurance company and tell them they have a big problem.

Homeowners insurance doesn't cover floods.

 

[wssix99]

I'm sorry for the losses you and your neighbors experienced. I assume this was related to the hurricane/tropical storm?

Before taking any structural action, I would determine if your property can be covered by flood insurance: https://www.fema.gov/flood-insurance

and where you sit on the flood maps: https://msc.fema.gov/portal/home

Your actions should be informed by if you are in a surveyed flood area and what your insurability is. (ie: Buying insurance for something that should only happen once in 300 years should cost much less than building New Orleans-style defences.)

If your garage is underground, nothing short of walls/barriers and industrial pumps will keep rising flood waters out.

If you aren't in a registered flood area and are just experiencing storm water coming up over the curb/sidewalk, then maybe you could add parapets around your driveway (along your yard) and then add a "hump" to effectively raise the height water would need to crest before it comes down your driveway and into the house. (I have a similar issue in my area but am too close to the street and didn't have enough driveway - I had to raise the entire house.)

 

[rlitman]

In addition to the trench drain with sump pump at the bottom, and raising the sides so that the flooded lawn doesn't drain into the driveway, during emergencies you could add a row of sand bags at the mouth (over the hump) of the driveway to give your pumps a fighting chance against a flooded street.

I know someone who had a similar flooded driveway during a storm years ago, and it turned out that the street storm drain grates were clogged. That raises the water level at the curb. Always check the storm drains before a storm is predicted.

 

[Showkey]

There is no pump ( practical) that going to handle the water in the driveway in say 10” rain.
Your situation is equivalent to the road under passes flooding.

Even if you put a roof over the driveway…….it’s ( basement and bottom of the driveway) still the low spot.

10” rain in Suburban Chicago a number of years back……my basement never completely flooded but the basement window wells flooded, the drain tiles were overwhelmed, two 1 HP pumps could not keep up. The only saving grace in my situation I was higher than the neighbors. Once the street floods that means sewer are flooded it would be very difficult to stop the basement flooding. Sewer check valves may help, they are illegal in some areas.

In these situations the with city sewer can basement flood water come from the street, the lower level windows and the city sewer backup. Not uncommon to come form all three at the same time. Your driveway is obviously a huge catch basin.

As mentioned:
Insurance covers each type flooding water differently with limits, caps, not at all and added special coverage.

 

[CraigStu]

I don't see any way to fix this. Even w/ a super pump there has to be some place to pump the water to which is lower than your garage floor or it will eventually seep back in. So unless your back yard slopes down and ends up lower than the floor in the garage I think you are screwed. Assuming there is a door from the garage into the basement, I would consider techniques to build a well waterproofed wall in place of the garage door, fill the driveway, and make the garage into a storage room

 

[ace10]

Your issues likely extend beyond just the driveway.

 

[wssix99]

There is no pump ( practical) that going to handle the water in the driveway in say 10” rain.

Indeed. There is no "practical" pump that can do this. However, I don't think practicality ever stopped Garage Journal members before.

Necessity is the mother of invention:

 

[johninct]

Car maybe insurance will cover. I am sorry but have to ask, didn't you see this potential problem before buying/ renting?

 

[Firebrick43]

Indeed. There is no "practical" pump that can do this. However, I don't think practicality ever stopped Garage Journal members before.

Necessity is the mother of invention:

Even the 3516 Caterpillar engines running pumps in New Orleans were overwhelmed in 2007 in Katrina, I have not heard about them in Ida yet.

Also Fukishima melt down was not stopped because the Caterpillar backup generators that run the reactor cooling pumps could not run. The Tsunami floated the Diesel fuel tanks away as they were not tied down to the concrete stands.

 

[rjn2649]

That ***** and I am empathetic. It looks like that is not an uncommon design around you, I see it across the street in the photo, and it looks like your neighbour as well.

I've seen that done around here, and never understood it, it rains, snows, and ices up around here in the winters. to me it a really bad idea.

I would try to get as much insurance/government money as I could, and move to a place that does not have that driveway design.

I wish you and your community a speedy recovery.

 

[Miss the Pontiacs]

It appears you have a duplex home. From the be pic your neighbour’s driveway appears to be free of debris and moisture.
If it was me, I would loose the garage and bring in fill with a major slope away from the building to the outer edge. The garage door wall would l have to be built properly to seal from water. If the garage is full length of the house you could possibly put in a man door at the other end and still have a shop/storage area.
With food insurance is a one time use and if you do nothing about the problem are you out of luck the next time you have a flood? Or do the premiums just go through the roof?
If you are renting I would move. I really hate to say that as some people are less vagabonds than others. I have only moved once during my adult/married life but knew my first home purchase was not going to be my final.

 

[firebirdparts]

Is there any place downhill that you can get to? If not, then you'd have to pump it out or don't let it in.

 

[avsodha]

Honestly- this is our first home and we never foresaw this issue because it hasn’t happened in the neighborhood in over 10 years per the neighbors. I didn’t have a flood insurance policy either so I can only claim backup of sewers/drains. It’s horrible. Considering filling it and still getting flood insurance.

 

[PoorUB]

The more time I take and look at the pictures the more I just shake my head. The neighbor's yard drains into the OP's driveway too. You have the yard and the street when it over flows running into the driveway and basement. Very poor design. Looks pretty though.

I would move!

 

[Walkers]

Homeowners insurance doesn't cover floods.

Really?!? I know ours covers it, but we don't live anywhere near a flood zone.
I could only guess at how to begin. Move everything out, shovel out the mud, get some air movers to dry it out, rip out all the drywall, and that would be a good start.

 

[bighouse01]

Homeowners insurance doesn't cover floods.

Unless it comes up thru your drains....... it’s all in the presentation.

 

[FMB4]

Sorry to say this; but there's no 'help' on your issue. Learn and move on is my advice.

Quote: "Unless it comes up thru your drains....... it’s all in the presentation"

No. that is not considered as 'flood' damage. That falls under water damage. Two very different issues.

 

[PoorUB]

Really?!? I know ours covers it, but we don't live anywhere near a flood zone.
I could only guess at how to begin. Move everything out, shovel out the mud, get some air movers to dry it out, rip out all the drywall, and that would be a good start.

Homeowners insurance generally will not cover overland flooding. Flooding from sewer back up, broken water pipe maybe. I seriously doubt yours does. If I were you and concerned I would look you policy over. They have ways of excluding overland flood damage.

We live in a 500 year flood plan. I have been her 30 years and it has been close a couple times as the river running through the valley floods every few years. I have friends that have had their homes flood and the insurance company comes over and takes a look and says sorry, we don't cover that!

 

[PoorUB]

Honestly- this is our first home and we never foresaw this issue because it hasn’t happened in the neighborhood in over 10 years per the neighbors. I didn’t have a flood insurance policy either so I can only claim backup of sewers/drains. It’s horrible. Considering filling it and still getting flood insurance.

Maybe play the odds and do nothing.
Buy insurance, make sure your sump pump is good, and don't park there when the next hurricane comes through.

 

[sjvicker]

Do you have any areas in your backyard that are lower than the garage floor? Do you have floor drains in your garage? How is normal rainwater dealt with?

If your neighbor that has the same garage as you didn't have flooding issues then start looking into what's different between your two garages.

 

[65ranchero]

Homeowners insurance doesn't cover floods.

Not here. 2 or 3years ago we had a very bad front move in and had a large volume of rain, which came down a higher area than the drive way. Normally the rain doesn't do any damage but this particular rain was extra special.

It rushed so much in a short period of time it dug a 3 ft. deep, 5 ft. wide 15ft. long trench in the driveway moving all the hard pack gravel and stone to unknown places.
I called the insurance agent explained what happened and her comment was "It's not covered under home owners do you have flood insurance?"
In my case it worked out ok because the repair was less or equal to the deductible.

 

[FMB4]

Again, homeowner's insurance does not cover flood damage. Please read and understand your policy before you think otherwise.

 

[quickfarms]

From the pictures it looks like your garage flooded but I don’t see the mud in your neighbors driveway, the other half of the duplex, condo or what ever term they are using.

another question is accross the street they appear to have a reverse sloped driveway and the garage is partially below grade, did they flood?

a reverse sloped driveway is usually a flood waiting to happen

 

[avsodha]

To answer questions- same exact issue at my neighbors- identical damage for both of our sides. The two homes across the street with downsloping drives also flooded though maybe to 3/4 feet as my home is also lower than theirs.

 

[Neggy]

did a claim like that a while back

nice little house, they tore down a small house across the street, built a McMansion, trucked in 40 yards of top soil on a thursday to do the lawn.... thursday night torrential rain, all the dirt washed down the hill, into the street, down hill clogging every storm drain and into the driveway and basement by way of the garage door of the nice post WW2 ranch w/ garage under

Owner sends the car out for a detail, comes back looking good, I pull the sill plates and pull the carpet back... showing him the dirt and water still left .... mold issues are a big concern, as are corroding connectors causing air bags and ABS units not to work, among other things.

ECM is tossing 50 different codes...

Owner says he wants to keep the car.... I tell him he has 30 minutes to call and cancel the claim, or he can buy it back from the insurance company, but in 45 minutes I am calling IAAI to come get the car...

 

[Walkers]

Again, homeowner's insurance does not cover flood damage. Please read and understand your policy before you think otherwise.

we are at the top ofa mountain, if it floods here the rest ofthe world is in heaps of trouble!

 

[DGersic]

Last year, my boss sold his house in NY with this driveway design and moved to a condo. Looking at your pictures, he has to be happy to have moved when he did.

Sorry to see you got flooded. I got flooded in ‘96 by record rains in the Chicago area. It *****.

I‘m with the “fix it up and move” contingent here. That design has never made sense to me. It’s a giant water funnel pointed in to your house. Filling it in could work, you lose your garage though, and I wonder what you could be liable for when your neighbors flood from the extra runoff from your yard.

 

[Metallitubby]

OP, consider purchasing a small, portable water pump (of course I'll recommend a Honda) for emergency situations like this. Otherwise, what needs to be done has already been suggested.

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