What's Causing Your Wet Basement? A Quick Check for Chicago, IL
Not sure why water keeps finding its way into your Chicago, IL basement? Work through five short questions and this checker points you to one of three next steps, from easy fixes outside to asking for an estimate. It collects nothing personal, and the result is a starting point, never a diagnosis.
The Method
Choose the answer that fits best at each step, and pick "Not sure" whenever you're unsure. The checker looks at the age of the house, what the walls are made of, the signs you've seen, when they appear and what has already been tried. Certain answers weigh more than others: block or stone walls, water seeping in where wall meets floor, or a pump that has quit or never stops running.
The ground plays a part too. Much of the area sits on the flat bed of ancient Lake Chicago, where the Illinois State Geological Survey maps silt and clay, and clay can hold water against foundation walls long after a storm passes.
After the Result
If your result leans toward a visit, the next step is an estimate. Fill in the short form, and one independent local contractor will be in touch to set a time, look at the space and leave a written scope with a price. Curious about numbers first? The cost calculator offers a rough range, and the Illinois rules page explains licenses, contracts and where to report a sewer backup.