wet cellar

[Ianbl]

We have a wet cellar. During heavy rain 2 to 3 inches of water lie on the floor and a damp smell filters up to the rooms above. This drains away after about a week. I got a price to turn it into a dry room all boarded out complete with sump pump. But its only 6ft high and the new floor would reduce that to about 5' 9" so only use as a store. The cost was £10,000.
We will be selling the house and anyone who smells the damp and sees a pump down there will surely walk away.There are other dry houses available.
Now I had the idea just to seal it off and create a good sized cupboard where the stairs go down to the cellar.But I wondered if there would be any issues. Then only this morning I spoke to one of the neighbours who told me they had the same problem and the council filled it in for them (in the eighties) and its been dry and smell free ever since. So I think you have guessed what I will be doing.

We had this problem. Our neighbours installed a pump (very expensive but it worked) We instead went for the cheaper option had Thames Water checked the nearby manhole and it was blocked. They unblocked and didn’t have any problem with flooding again

Not saying you should do this, but I have lived in two houses that had sump pumps. There is no damp or damp smell if a cellar has been properly damp proofed and fitted out with a sump pump. Given the flooding many places have seen, I would think a sump pump would be a positive not a negative.

But, obviously if you don’t need the space or it would be un-usable due to low ceiling, then filling it in is a valid option.

we have the same issue but not got round to doing anything about it yet. Moved in about 2 years ago

Yes, of course you are quite right there shoudn't be a smell when it is done. I thought the price was very reasonable and if it created a dry room 4m x 3.7m with a full ceiling height, I would go for it. A lot cheaper than building an extension. But we are about to sell against other houses in the street which don't have cellars and no damp smell. Ours stinks at the moment!

Why not dig deeper and get enough headroom for a proper room and ensure it’s built properly and therefore watertight. (Tanked). Better to spend the money to actually get something usable.

Thinking more on this. If you are in London, I would fill it in as the whole area is sinking anyway.

there's a very considerable chance that theproblem is caused by crackedad broken drains, silling rainwater into the ground next to the house.

If that's the case, mending the faulty drains is the correct action.

Nothing else you do, in the way of damp proofing or damp hiding, will repair a leak.

Thanks for the advice but its not cracked drains. Its the water table. Every house around the area who has a cellar has several inches of water when heavy rain comes. But those who don't have a cellar have no damp issue.
We are not hiding or trying to stop the water coming in but just adding sufficient ballast to ensure there will be no water on the surface to cause condensation. It will be a solumn rather than a cellar.