Just realized my backyard drainage was backwards for 8 years

I moved into my place near Kamms Corners in 2016 and every spring my basement would get that musty smell, so I kept throwing dehumidifiers at it and resealing the walls. Last week after a heavy rain, I went out back and watched the water pooling at the foundation instead of running toward the alley. Turns out the previous owner graded the lawn so it sloped toward the house, and the downspout extensions were too short by about 4 feet. I spent one Saturday renting a level and moving 2 yards of topsoil, plus added a 6 foot flexible extension on the downspout. That first storm after the fix, the water actually moved away and the basement stayed dry. Anyone else dealt with a lazy grading job from the prior owner, or am I the only one who ignored it for this long?

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theawest26d ago

Ngl, that musty basement smell drove me crazy for a year before I found my own grading problem.