Reading for owners of older Wash Park houses
Each piece of reading here takes one problem that shows up in bungalows, Denver Squares and rebuilt homes around Washington Park, such as a root-choked clay sewer line, a leaking pop-top seam or a basement suite flooded under a tenant, and explains why it happens in this housing stock, what to do first, and what to ask before anything is torn out.
- When the floor drain backs up in a Wash Park bungalow basement
In most older Wash Park houses the lowest opening to the sewer is a floor drain in the basement. When the line downstream slows or blocks, that is where dirty water appears, often right next to a finished family room.
- Clay sewer laterals, big trees and repeat basement backups
Washington Park's tall street trees are part of its appeal, and their roots go looking for water. Old clay sewer pipe with mortared or gasketless joints gives them an easy way in, and the result is a basement backup that keeps coming back.
- Snowmelt, window wells and the basement bedroom behind them
Denver's biggest snows often arrive in March and April, then melt fast in strong sun. Window wells on the north and shaded sides of older Wash Park houses hold that meltwater against a basement window that was never meant to be a dam.
- Leaks at the seam between an old house and its addition
Many Wash Park bungalows and cottages have gained a second story or a large rear addition. The joint between the original structure and the new one is where roof water, ice and wind-driven rain most often get inside.
- Water problems in new homes built on scraped Wash Park lots
A new house on an old lot is not immune to water. Deep full-height basements, sump systems, tight side yards and large roof areas draining onto small lots create their own risks, and they show up in the first few years.
- Drying basement walls that have been remodeled three times
Open a wall in an older Wash Park basement and you may find drywall over 1970s paneling over furring strips over painted brick. Each layer holds water differently, and that decides what has to come out after a leak.
- Seepage through century-old brick and stone basement walls
Many of the oldest homes around Washington Park sit on brick, stone or early concrete foundations that were never waterproofed the way new ones are. Slow seepage is common, and it behaves differently from a sudden leak.
- Roof water, side yards and basements on narrow city lots
Many Wash Park lots are narrow, with houses separated by a strip of side yard. Roof water from two houses can end up in that same strip, right against two foundations, and it often finds its way into one of the basements.
- When the basement bathroom someone added years ago starts leaking
A bathroom below grade is one of the most common upgrades in older Wash Park houses. It also brings water lines, drains and sometimes a sewage ejector into a space that was never planned for them.
- Washer, utility sink and water heater floods in the old utility corner
The unfinished corner of an older Wash Park basement, often the former coal room, usually holds the washer, a laundry sink and the water heater. When one of them overflows, water runs under the wall into the finished rooms next door.
- Water in a basement suite you rent out to a tenant
Basement apartments and garden-level suites are common in and around Wash Park. When water gets into one, the owner upstairs has a household downstairs to protect, a lease to honor and two sets of belongings to sort out.
- Old tile, black mastic and pipe wrap in a wet basement
Pull up soaked carpet in an older Wash Park basement and you may find small square tiles glued down with black adhesive, or old wrap on heating pipes overhead. Some of these materials may contain asbestos and should be sampled before anyone disturbs them.
- Sorting a flooded basement storeroom before things are lost
Cardboard on a basement floor acts like a wick. After a leak or backup, the first two days decide whether family photos, papers and keepsakes can be saved, so it helps to sort quickly and in the right order.
- Summer downpours, alleys and water at the back door
Denver's summer thunderstorms can drop a lot of rain in a short time, sometimes with hail. In older Wash Park blocks, alleys and streets carry that water past garages, back stairwells and low basement doors before it reaches a storm inlet.
- Selling your home after the basement has had water
Older Wash Park homes change hands often, and many have had basement water at some point. Buyers and their inspectors will look for it. Sellers who kept good records of what happened and how it was fixed are in a much stronger position.
- Basement water clues to look for before you buy near the park
A freshly finished basement can hide a long history of water. Buyers of older Wash Park homes can learn a lot from a careful walk-through, a sewer scope and a few direct questions to the seller.
- When the upstairs bathroom in a Denver Square leaks into the rooms below
The Denver Square, a boxy two-story house common around Washington Park, usually has its only original bathroom upstairs. A leak from the tub, toilet or supply lines there shows up on plaster ceilings below, often far from the actual source.
- Staying at home during basement drying in an older house
Most families stay in the house while a basement dries. In an older Wash Park home, the drying equipment can strain old wiring, push heat and noise upstairs, and make some rooms hard to use, so it helps to plan for a few days of disruption.