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[Hoosier Red]

So I noticed a corner of my basement is sprouting mold. The basement is finished, and the carpet didn't really seem moist but it of course has been raining quite a bit this summer.

So two questions, 1) How bad is this? How much will it cost to fix? 2) What should I do first?

[Joseph]

Block construction or poured concrete would be the first question I'll ask.

[Hoosier Red]

Good question, the corner that I found the mold, and the entire wall interior section wall backs up to a brick patio. The patio has sand underneath it, but I'm not sure if the foundation is concrete though I believe it is.

[RFS62]

Originally Posted by Joseph

Block construction or poured concrete would be the first question I'll ask.

Both are porous and susceptible to seepage from ground water, especially when the ground is saturated from heavy rains.

When you say the corner is sprouting mold, do you mean just the carpet or the walls or both?

If it's on the carpet, you need to pull the carpet up and check the underside. It's probably much worse than what you see on the surface, if you see any at all. In general, you need to determine just how far it has spread and treat it all with a bleach and water solution to kill the mold.

[Hoosier Red]

So is there anything I can do to keep more water from getting in?

[RFS62]

Depends on a number of things. First, how's the drainage outside the house in the damaged area? If you don't have gutters or if it's a low lying area which doesn't move the water away from the foundation, that would be a place to start.

Many foundation problems are the result of long term ponding or poor drainage.

If that's not an issue, there are products out there to seal the walls.

You need to find and deal with the source first, though, or it will happen again.

[Hoosier Red]

Well like I said, the affected wall is under a brick patio. Last summer, we had some erosion on the sand beneath the bricks which led to the bricks falling in.