The Dry Cellar: The Toolkit

How to use this toolkit

Print the page that fits the work in front of us, carry it outside, and write down what the house shows us. We inspect in dry weather and after hard rain, fix the cheapest sound trouble first, and keep the finished pages for the next spring and fall walk.

• 1. Spring and Fall Foundation Walk — Use after the first hard spring rain, before fall freezing, and whenever the cellar shows new dampness.
• 2. Board-and-Level Grade Check — Use wherever the ground looks flat, settled, or sloped toward the foundation.
• 3. Hard-Rain Water Path Log — Use during or just after each hard rain to see where roof and ground water actually travel.
• 4. Gutter, Downspout, and Splash-Block Check — Use before wet seasons, after leaves fall, and whenever roof water lands near the foundation.
• 5. Outside Water Repair Priority Sheet — Use after an inspection to choose the cheapest sound repair and keep the work in order.
• 6. The Twenty-Dollar Weekend Plan — Use for one low-cost weekend of outside work when we already own basic hand tools.
• 7. Tile-to-Daylight and Diversion Route Planning Sheet — Use before planning a diversion ditch, swale, footing drain, or downhill discharge route.
• 8. Cellar Damp-Line and Drying Log — Use before and after rain to learn whether moisture comes from outside water, humid air, or one repeated wall location.
• 9. Cellar Storage and Airflow Setup — Use when arranging crates, jar boxes, tools, sacks, or other stored goods in the cellar.
• 10. Call 811 Digging Request Script — Use before any ditch, drain, backfill, dry-well, post, or grading work that breaks the ground.
• 11. Qualified Foundation Inspection Request — Use when we find standing water, a cracked wall, continuing ground movement, or work beyond ordinary shallow maintenance.