Water seeping under foundation in heavy rain
Low-poured concrete pads allow ground water to seep directly underneath the foundation during heavy rain. This persistent leaking quickly fills up sump pumps and soaks the interior, eventually causing sheds to rot.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Extending gutter downspouts far away from the foundation.Did this help you?
- 2Grading the dirt so it slopes away from the house.Did this help you?
- 3Installing French drains to give pooling water somewhere else to go.Did this help you?
- 4Clearing gutters to ensure they are not clogged, leaking, or overflowing.Did this help you?
- 5Jacking up the shed to add a taller concrete slab or concrete blocks underneathDid this help you?
- 6Digging a French drain or trench drain to route water awayDid this help you?
- 7Applying heavy amounts of waterproof sealant like Flex Seal around the baseDid this help you?
- 8Raising the interior shed floor using materials like DricoreDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“After I got my yard done after a decent rain it leaks in various spots inside the shed. My contractor said it’s the landscapers fault but when he poured the pad for the shed to go on it looked low at the time.”source ↗
“Yours truly, guy that has a (formerly very nice) shed in low land that gets soaked in heavy rain and is now rotting”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 7Water leaking under exterior door threshold
- 12Standing water in basement foundation plumbing cutout
- 2Water leaking out of the wall during a shower
- 4Water leaking behind new gutters and soffits
- 14Why is water coming up through my basement floor during heavy rain?
- 4How to regrade a yard after basement waterproofing