Basement waterproofing methods

[Red Squirrel]

I had thought of doing it myself but renting the equipment would still be very expensive, and being I never used such equipment I did not want to feel rushed. I would have loved to play with those toys though but I considered all the details like where to haul the sand, where to get the clearstone etc... and it just made more sense to hire it out. But yeah if you have the equipment the job itself is actually not that bad. For what would cost 60k it would perhaps be more viable to rent even if it ends up costing 20k at the end when all is done. Most heavy equipment runs you 100 bucks or more per hour so it adds up fast though so for my job it did not make sense.

 

[Triumph]

Sealing the inside is like putting your raincoat under your shirt. The right way to do it is to keep the water away from the house. But, most $$$

French drain probably helps alot and not as expensive. My dad did this to our house about 20 years ago after several basement floods, and it's been bone dry ever since. Back yard sloped towards the house, front yard sloped away, so he basically caught the water with the french drains and directed it around the house to the street. You can do this yourself with a shovel, really. He does not have a sump pump, only a dehumidifier.

I'm glad I don't have a basement. I love basements, but I've had a few small water problems in my first floor, and it's ABOVE ground!

 

[Rubycon]

To do it properly it has to be done from outside. It's not cheap. Basically need to ensure there are no cracks in the foundation, if there are they have to be parged in. Then a rubber substance is added, there are various products for this. Then the weeping tiles are added. Then clear stone and sand.

I recently got mine redone. Some pics here.

If you happen to have access to an excavator and dump truck you can probably do it yourself otherwise there's no point in renting all that, it will cost you almost as much as getting a pro, and with a pro at least the work is guaranteed and they have insurance if something goes wrong (ex: accidentally smash excavator into house).

Or the neighbor's! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojvBFzKDiyI



I believe a backhoe is what's needed for a job like that. An ex is too big!

 

[sdifox]

Where are you getting the tar from?

home depot...

 

[BoomerD]

That is the best way but, also the most expensive. The foundation and slab CAN be sealed on the inside but, it means tearing up the basement and isn't cheap, just not as expensive as excavating around the foundation. Basically, it's the same process. Waterproof mastic with embedded rubber membrane and foam over that.

It IS the most expensive...but it's the best way. You CAN waterproof from the inside, but it's MUCH more efficient to stop the moisture/water from ever getting into the basement walls rather than just stopping it once it does.

 

[steppinthrax]

Or the neighbor's! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojvBFzKDiyI



I believe a backhoe is what's needed for a job like that. An ex is too big!

That's actually not that much damage, You just need to flip that excavator over and rebrick that area. The brick color won't match, also I think the worse is going to be the embarrassment and stupidity feeling you will get after doing that stupid shit.....

 

[steppinthrax]

home depot...

Your talking about the driveway sealant that comes in the 5gal buckets?

 

[sdifox]

Your talking about the driveway sealant that comes in the 5gal buckets?

no, there is a product for foundations and below grade use. something like this

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...d=-1&keyword=foundation+sealant&storeId=10051

http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc...ngId=-1&keyword=foundation+seal&storeId=10051

put that on the foundation wall then stick on a tar sheet. not tar paper, It's like a giant roll of tar with a plastic sheet backing. You may want to heat up the tar side a bit if it is cold.

 

[steppinthrax]

I had thought of doing it myself but renting the equipment would still be very expensive, and being I never used such equipment I did not want to feel rushed. I would have loved to play with those toys though but I considered all the details like where to haul the sand, where to get the clearstone etc... and it just made more sense to hire it out. But yeah if you have the equipment the job itself is actually not that bad. For what would cost 60k it would perhaps be more viable to rent even if it ends up costing 20k at the end when all is done. Most heavy equipment runs you 100 bucks or more per hour so it adds up fast though so for my job it did not make sense.

I think you could do it with a combination of rented equpment, craiglist and hired help. I think for that job your may be looking at 15K or so.

There are lots of people who wouldn't mind being paid a few K off (cash money directly) to operate a backhoe to do that work. They do the same shit for a company a get paid a fraction.

 

[Juddog]

we dug (yes shovel) a 6' trench on the side of the house, applied tar and tar sheet to the outside wall.

We knew where the problem area was, so we just fixed that part. We covered oh, about 10' section.

Call utils before you dig.

To clarify - you just got some people together to shovel through a 6 foot deep by ten feet long trench at the side of your house? How long did that take?

The reason I ask is that I have a spot in my basement where there is a big crack; the former owner had patched it up on the inside, but the last heavy rain had some water coming through (about the equivalent of two buckets over the course of a half day). When I read your solution, I wondered how feasible it would be to do something like this by hand, if I had enough guys to help.

Most of the time there is no water that comes in through the crack, it's only during heavy rains.

 

[sdifox]

OP CALL BEFORE YOU DIG.

lower case to satisfy the forum gods.

 

[sdifox]

To clarify - you just got some people together to shovel through a 6 foot deep by ten feet long trench at the side of your house? How long did that take?

The reason I ask is that I have a spot in my basement where there is a big crack; the former owner had patched it up on the inside, but the last heavy rain had some water coming through (about the equivalent of two buckets over the course of a half day). When I read your solution, I wondered how feasible it would be to do something like this by hand, if I had enough guys to help.

Most of the time there is no water that comes in through the crack, it's only during heavy rains.

3 people. My dad, my brother and I. With shovels. Trench was perhaps 2.5 ft wide? Do it during dry season :biggrin:

this was probably 15-20 years ago. So the dimensions are a bit fuzzy. But There was enough room for 2 people standing in it and have space to work.

 

[Juddog]

3 people. My dad, my brother and I. With shovels. Trench was perhaps 2.5 ft wide? Do it during dry season :biggrin:

this was probably 15-20 years ago.

Much props; that's a lot of work, even for 3 people.

Did you have any leakage at all after doing this procedure? I'm seriously tempted to try this right now, unfortunately the wet season just started so I would have to do it next year.

 

[sdifox]

Much props; that's a lot of work, even for 3 people.

Did you have any leakage at all after doing this procedure? I'm seriously tempted to try this right now, unfortunately the wet season just started so I would have to do it next year.

now is not a good idea. The soil is too heavy.

no leak afterwards. But then we moved from that place 12 years after we did it I think.

Just make sure you wash that foundation clean. Do not flood the pit you dug :biggrin: Use rugs or sponges and stiff brushes.

 

[Rubycon]

That's actually not that much damage, You just need to flip that excavator over and rebrick that area. The brick color won't match, also I think the worse is going to be the embarrassment and stupidity feeling you will get after doing that stupid shit.....

Could have been far worse though and if someone was in that house watching and saw that bucket coming at them they'd probably need a change of underwear! :biggrin:

 

[steppinthrax]

To clarify - you just got some people together to shovel through a 6 foot deep by ten feet long trench at the side of your house? How long did that take?

The reason I ask is that I have a spot in my basement where there is a big crack; the former owner had patched it up on the inside, but the last heavy rain had some water coming through (about the equivalent of two buckets over the course of a half day). When I read your solution, I wondered how feasible it would be to do something like this by hand, if I had enough guys to help.

Most of the time there is no water that comes in through the crack, it's only during heavy rains.

If you have a big crack in your foundation wall you got some other shit to deal with (shifting foundation)

 

[edro]

Ever heard of watering a foundation?

My in-law uncle owns a business that does these types of repairs.
He said when it is really hot out, you need to water your foundation.
This prevents the dirt from pulling away from the foundation, leaving a big crack.

I think it's bull crap, but what do I know!?

 

[Juddog]

Ever heard of watering a foundation?

My in-law uncle owns a business that does these types of repairs.
He said when it is really hot out, you need to water your foundation.
This prevents the dirt from pulling away from the foundation, leaving a big crack.

I think it's bull crap, but what do I know!?

Never heard of that before.

 

[Juddog]

If you have a big crack in your foundation wall you got some other shit to deal with (shifting foundation)

What other way would you deal with a shifting foundation? A small crack after the house being there for 70 years isn't that bad, relatively speaking.

 

[steppinthrax]

What other way would you deal with a shifting foundation? A small crack after the house being there for 70 years isn't that bad, relatively speaking.

Depends on the crack and where it is, they say step cracks are OK, but horizontal are bad. I have a horizontal crack on my basement wall on the area where the garage is connected to the house. I had someone to come it to do some analysis, since it was the on the garage wall and vehicles park over the garage he indicated it was normal, (since we know the weight)....

 

[Juddog]

Depends on the crack and where it is, they say step cracks are OK, but horizontal are bad. I have a horizontal crack on my basement wall on the area where the garage is connected to the house. I had someone to come it to do some analysis, since it was the on the garage wall and vehicles park over the garage he indicated it was normal, (since we know the weight)....

The crack I have is vertical; it runs from the floor to the basement ceiling. The previous owner put some kind of concrete stuff on top of it, to seal it up, which has held (so I known if the ground is shifting, it's not shifting very fast).

The crack is very thin. It doesn't look like a step but rather a semi-straight crack straight from top to bottom.