Fit windows with heat-shrink film or weatherstripping.
Improve insulation.
Foundation Leaks
Basements with a concrete slab foundation and a high water table will often leak along the cove joints of the horizontal slab (which is poured first) and the vertical foundation walls (due to hydrostatic pressure). Reasons for the seepage. U of Minnesota study including Approach 3: interior drainage channel above the concrete slab. Sub-slab drainage.
Install a bigger sump pump? Clean the sump pump wells. Flush the drain under the front lawn. Flush the drain under the side yard. Check the flow rate into the main sump pump well. Clean the gutters and downspouts. Improve the ground drains along the back side wall of the house. Try removing the existing baseboard. Check the downstairs shower drain.
Interior solution: Water X-Tract channel with Pro-SealOnce and DIY-SealOnce (SquidGee Dry System). Testimonial. Amateur installation video of DIY-SealOnce. DIY home waterproofing including SealOnce.
Cove diverter; PolyCove, Channel-Cove; BasementGutter. Interior weeping tile installation. Weep holes – part of the solution for concrete block only; poured concrete and brick walls are not hollow and so do not need weep holes. Interior drain tile (French drain); SafeTrack. Slot drain.
Bay Area contractors: Bay Area Underpinning – appears to be more about cracks and expensive solutions. U.S. Waterproofing cove joint solutions – interior drain tile and exterior waterproofing membrane.
Solar Panels
Sunpower, 1-833-999-2938, SunPowerSolarSystem.com.
SoCal Tesla Solar Roof experience.
Plumbing
- Outdoor Watering.
- Indoor Watering.
- EBMUD Water Wednesday.
- Composting toilet.
- Mesh sink drain screens. Drain maintenance.
- Toto toilet showroom 9 to 5 Mon to Fri. Bob Vila article.
Sensing water leaks
EBMUD flowmeter rebate covers up to 50% ($200 max) of the cost of a flow meter and two years of prepaid service fees.
Flume Smart Home Water Monitor. $250 on Amazon. Flume’s EBMUD promotion. Flume water flow meter comes in two sections: a bridge that plugs into an electrical outlet and connects to a 2.4GHz WiFi and the meter which is strapped to the EBMUD meter casing; the bridge and flow meter may be up to 1,000 feet apart. Moen Flo Smart is over $400 on Amazon; AlertLabs appears to be geared towards commercial buildings.
Cleaning
- Deep cleaning service Surf Clean.
- Gutter cleaning – www.PremierProInc.com
- Carpet cleaning
Rooms
Upstairs Bathroom
- Tub faucets
- Scrub and repaint ceiling and walls
- Shower grout
- Cap toilet bolts
Kitchen
- Door sill to hallway
- Outlet to left of sink
- Sink grout
- Window screens, windows, blinds
- Mend linoleum seam between kitchen and nook
Livingroom
- Patch ceiling plaster
- Front doorknob – screw
- Curtains and curtain pulls
- Window screens
Middle Bedrooms
- Smoke detector
- Window screens
Back Bedroom
- Smoke detector
- Window sills
- Window screens
Basement
- Door inset in ceiling
- Replace fluorescent light with LED fixture (a la kitchen)
- Baseboard water channel
Downstairs Bathroom
- Scrub outside of toilet
- Lubricate shower fan
- Shower door bottom seal
- Replace toilet with a Toto toilet
- Replace sink
- Storage space
Laundry
- Stronger light with a shade
Outside
- Refinish exterior of side door
- Side yard irrigation system fed by greywater
- Replace back steps