Green Mountain at a glance
- Where
- West Lakewood, on and below the slopes of Green Mountain, near William F. Hayden Park
- Typical homes
- 1970s and 1980s two-story, tri-level and walkout ranch homes, plus townhome communities
- Terrain
- Sloped lots, uphill and downhill neighbors, retaining walls
- Building permits
- City of Lakewood, for addresses inside city limits
- Water and sewer
- A local district, depending on the street; check your bill
How a slope changes a water loss
On a flat lot, rain and snowmelt spread out. On a hillside, they travel. A house on the uphill side of a Green Mountain street can collect water draining from the yards above it, right against its rear foundation wall, which is often the buried back wall of a walkout basement. When gutters overflow or the soil slopes toward the house, that wall takes the hit.
A walkout lower level behaves differently from a fully buried basement. The front of the room sits at grade with a door or big windows; the back sits underground. Trouble usually starts along that buried back wall and in the corners where it meets the side walls, then spreads across the floor toward the walkout door.
Inside, houses from this era mostly have copper supply lines and have passed the age when original water heaters, washer boxes and shower valves start failing. Many owners also finished their own basements, sometimes with drywall right against the foundation and little thought about where water would go.
Common Green Mountain water sources and where they show up
| Source | Where it shows up | What to check |
|---|---|---|
| Roof runoff on the uphill side | The buried back wall of a walkout basement | Gutters, downspout extensions, soil grading |
| Heavy spring snowmelt | Lower-level corners and window wells | Melt paths, wells, retaining wall weep holes |
| Original or older water heater | The lower-level utility room and the carpet next to it | Tank age and the floor drain |
| Upstairs bathroom | The ceiling of the main or lower level | Grout, toilet seals, tub overflow gaskets |
| Sprinkler zone near the foundation | The lower-level wall closest to the zone | Spray direction and run times |
Green Mountain owner checklist
- Walk the uphill side of the house in a heavy rain and watch where the water goes.
- Make sure retaining walls have drainage and the weep holes aren't clogged.
- Extend the uphill downspouts well away from the foundation.
- Check the buried back wall of a finished walkout for stains, swollen baseboard or a musty smell.
- Find out which water and sanitation district serves your street, and save its number.
General information for Lakewood, not a quote or professional advice. In an emergency, call 911.