u/acemanawsome1

Hey all — looking for some advice here.

I bought this house less than a year ago. The basement had a little bowing, but nothing that seemed too concerning at the time.

We assumed it was from poor drainage in the past. The previous owners tried to fix it by adding piping from the gutter downspout that runs out to the front yard (see second photo). The issue is, they buried that downspout into the concrete, and I think it’s now clogged — so water is backing up and pooling near the house instead of draining away.

For context (first photo):

Left wall = concrete foundation

Right wall = wood (leads to the driveway)

I’ve found a spot outside I could seal (photo 3), but I’m not convinced that’s the actual source. It seems like water might be coming from the concrete side and collecting in that corner.

I’m stuck on what the best move is:

If I seal it from the inside, I’m worried about trapping moisture and causing mold/rot in the wood (especially since my living room is above this area).

If I seal outside, I’m not sure I’m fixing the real issue unless I dig everything up.

Part of me thinks I should just open the wall and see what’s going on behind it.

Has anyone dealt with something like this? What would you do?

TL;DR:

Basement water issue possibly caused by a clogged buried downspout. Not sure if I should seal from inside, dig outside to fix drainage, or open the wall to assess damage. Looking for the best approach.

Hey all — looking for some advice here.

I bought this house less than a year ago. The basement had a little bowing, but nothing that seemed too concerning at the time.

We assumed it was from poor drainage in the past. The previous owners tried to fix it by adding piping from the gutter downspout that runs out to the front yard (see second photo). The issue is, they buried that downspout into the concrete, and I think it’s now clogged — so water is backing up and pooling near the house instead of draining away.

For context (first photo):

Left wall = concrete foundation

Right wall = wood (leads to the driveway)

I’ve found a spot outside I could seal (photo 3), but I’m not convinced that’s the actual source. It seems like water might be coming from the concrete side and collecting in that corner.

I’m stuck on what the best move is:

If I seal it from the inside, I’m worried about trapping moisture and causing mold/rot in the wood (especially since my living room is above this area).

If I seal outside, I’m not sure I’m fixing the real issue unless I dig everything up.

Part of me thinks I should just open the wall and see what’s going on behind it.

Has anyone dealt with something like this? What would you do?

TL;DR:

Basement water issue possibly caused by a clogged buried downspout. Not sure if I should seal from inside, dig outside to fix drainage, or open the wall to assess damage. Looking for the best approach.