Hi - we have a one-year-old house, contractor nowhere in sight, and when it rains heavily and the wind blows from the front (sort of south-southwest) rain comes into one place in the unfinished part of the basement. We've talked to somebody about excavating along the wall, but he's suggesting an outdoor sump pump. Do you suppose it's possible that the water is coming up through the joint between the slab and the basement wall? We're pretty sure there is a foundation drain at the base of the wall. The foundation is on 18 foot caissons, and there is a void below the floor slab. It is an ICF foundation, which preculdes any of the interior possibilities, even if I would be ok with not stopping the water before it gets in.

Hi Annie, I'm no expert by any means, but we had a similar occurance. When it rained heavily combined with wind we would have minor leaking into our basement. We found that the water was making its way down through the outer part of our front door. We have since added a storm door and used a clear silicone sealer around the door bottom and openings on either side of the metal step plates. It has stopped the water from coming in. We even had customer service from the builder come out and take a look prior to us fixing it ourselves. Not sure of your exterior, but we had a stone front and our builder did find a small opening and sealed that as well. No more water anywhere.

MaMiMoBa Mom is on the right track it sounds like it might not be a basement leak. But more of a siding, trim, door, window, or even roof leak. I would suggest when you get a nice dry day water test it. Take a hose out side and work from the bottom up. Run lots of water with someone inside to watch when it starts to leak. You may have to do this a few times to pin point it. This could be a very small repair like cualking.

Good luck