DIY Home Improvement Forum banner

Basement waterproofing

5K views 21 replies 9 participants last post by  indep 
#1 ·
ok guys, so I had a basement leak and I paid these foundation guys to come waterproof it... long story short, they covered one side with the platon membrane and installed a sump it on the inside, this fixed the leak in that part but they also told me the rest of the house has no membrane and could leak too with time. Now, these guys aren't cheap, charging around 120 per feet, it cost me 8,500 already and they want another 15,000 for the rest of the house...

I figured their job is not that hard and I have enough diy experience to tackle this on my own...

I am planning to hire an excavator to dig all around the house for a day or two, which will run me around 1-2K max, and then buy the waterproof membrane, as well blue skin (which they didn't use).
Once the house is excavated all around, I will clean the walls, apply primer, stick the blue skin and then put on the waterproof membrane... Finally I'll replace the weeping tile, put stones all around and ask the excavator to refill the house and compact the soil.

I will use this opportunity to slope patio stones away from the house as well, since some have settled.

I figured with the excavator, membrane and extra blue skin that they're not providing, this job will run me 4k max... I will be getting help from 3 of my friends as well, who know what they're doing...

Now my question is, I haven't read a lot of diy on this, but it doesn't seem to be that complicated... on top of that, to my advantage, the foundation on this house is only 4 feet deep so works out to be a lot easier than going 8' deep.


Let me know what you guys think recommend or warn about

Thanks
 
See less See more
#3 ·
Sounds like fun, I must say.

But before doing all of this work, do you have any suspect of the source of leak?

Let me put it this way, a friend of mine was also in a similar situation as yours. He ended up finding the source of this leak is from gutter work NOT channeling roof water away from the house foundation. In fact, he solved his problem by adding a down spout and turn out.

Just thought to have you double check before starting the work you described - that's all.

Good luck!
 
#5 ·
Thanks guys for the positive feedback... the original leak was fixed by the guy that came in, but considering the house is cinder block and has no waterproofing, the work I'll be doing is preventive for the future, I figure this will take me 5-6 days (to be safe) and it won't do anything but help in preventing leaks, peace of mind and even bringing up the resale value...

Thanks for the comment on the rain, that's my only concern hehe... I will try to check out the forecast, I also figured the first step I'll take is to set up the weeping tile so that catches as much as possible and try to do the primer/blueskin asap.

I will try to create a blog about this and take photos/videos so it helps any Diyers in the future for sure...

it's definitely not right that these guys charge $150/ft when it's only excavating and putting on a membrane... homeowners panic (like I did) when they see a leak, and these guys take advantage with exorbitant prices
 
#6 ·
QUOTE: Let me know what you guys think recommend or warn about

********************************************************
I'd be doing a little research on soil compaction when back filling. This area is often where a supposedly good job turns sour and the sour isn't realized until some time later, often much later.

There is some good information on the net but if you aren't comfortable with it there isn't anything wrong with consulting with a soils engineer to get it right. If the type soil you have settles from too little compaction or the walls bow in from too much compaction you'll not be solving the problem.

When excavating the full perimeter with equipment, locating utilities both above and below the surface is a must to avoid set backs or worse.
 
#8 ·
QUOTE: Let me know what you guys think recommend or warn about

********************************************

Hey Fairview,
Thanks for the tip, I'll definitely read up on that to figure it out, thanks! I was going to get extra top soil too to compact and slope it away from the house. As far as utilities, I'm definitely doing locates but there is a well line, so I have to dig by hand around that area, which will be tricky hehe
 
#10 ·
I meant $150/ft is a ridiculous amount to pay, as in too much...

I agree with you in not fixing what's broken... trust me, if I didn't have to do this, I wouldn't... but I found out the house is made up of cinder blocks, who are proen to leak with time, and it's sitting on a bedrock, which doesn't hep with the drainage... as well, since no membrane was put in and there are a few "problem" areas, I figured it's better to be preventive than wait until I get another leak and face emergency repairs.

I wouldn't recommend doing this to others, but my key advantage is that the foundation is only 4 feet deep and I and my friends have enough knowledge to get ourselves into this...
 
#11 ·
Really interested how this turns out. I have an interior french drain, but I plan on excavating on the outside. The hardest part is the digging. I did some research too, for the dimple membrane look up "delta ms membrane". Gl.
Hey Rygamer,
Thanks for the name, I'll read up on it, the two that I am looking at right is the platon membrane and the super seal... I think all of them are probably the same thing just dimple membrane ;)

I will be putting that on the footing as well though just to be safer so extend from the wall to the footing (same thing with blue skin)
 
#12 ·
Others have mentioned about looking for simple problems. Before digging, I would make sure that all your downspouts are connected and dumped far away from the foundation.

My basement wall is also made of cinder blocks and I used to have these nagging small leaks. Once I hooked up the downspout to a 4" corrugated pipe to drain far away from the house, I no longer had any leaks, even during a downpour.

Good luck!
 
#15 ·
Can you elaborate on the wall bowing issue? Now this part I am not aware of, if the wall is bowed or not, so how do I go about this? because I'm worried with time, since there is no waterproofing of any kind around the house that eventually water will find its way in some place that hasn't been waterproofed, but I also don't want to weaken the foundation if the walls are bowing...any suggestion would be appreciated
 
#16 ·
A 6' level, or a long straightedge and shorter level. Check the interior plane of the wall vertically in a few spots and see if there's any deflection. In my experiences of repairing block walls professionally, excavating/removing the soil from the exterior only removes the lateral pressure and the wall slowly returns to wards it's original position on it's own. Can't say I've ever seen one worse after excavation, but i suppose with an erratic operator on a piece of heavy equipment, it's possible.
 
#17 ·
The neat part with this house is that it's sitting on bedrock, which helps with the settling. If the excavating (assuming it's done properly, i'll do my due diligence in hiring someone qualified) is done properly, then as Jomana mentioned, it shouldn't make it worse... hopefully

I'll talk to a civil engineer and see what he has to say as well, next time he's in town
 
#18 ·
The fact that you are just above rock increases the problems since the water will most likely have no place to go and probably increased the soil pressure on the wall and also could cause more leakage and some bowing.

You probably did not "fix" the real leak, but eliminated where the water showed up inside. You could end up chasing leaks all around the basement and then end up with the final "leaks" showing up at the joint between the wall and interior slab or the pressure causing slab cracks that can leak. It is a normal progression in many homes.

Drain tile and proper bedding and backfill will eliminate the excess water and reduce the soil pressure on the wall and slab. - Either interior or exterior, but no stick on water collectors around the basement that just collect the water after it has leaked into the living space. A proper interior drain tile system will lower water level long-term as well as an exterior system and may be cheaper if you have landscaping, sidewalks, patios or attached garages since water moves horizontally and in some cases upward by capillary action.

Dick
 
#19 · (Edited by Moderator)
That is quite an involved process for a basement leak! Typically, water enters into the basement through one of two ways (sometimes both): 1) crack in the basement wall or floor, or 2) concrete pores. Most hairline cracks and cracks measuring up to 1/2" can be repaired using a high pressure hydrophobic polyurethane crack repair kit - they make them for DIY users. If the crack is in need of structural repair and is not leaking, an epoxy could be used. Next, you want to use a penetrating, permanent waterproofing sealer kit which can be applied on the interior of the basement. Seal your walls and floors with it. For added protection, you can use a surface waterproofer once the pentrant has had time to cure. Sump pumps can be added to your basement but those only come in handy once water has already entered. You can add a waterproofing membrane to the exterior but that isn't always needed and can eventually breakdown. Before investing any more money, I would find the source of the leak and determine if all the work you are doing is even necessary.
 
#20 ·
You just have to look at what is causing the leaks. - It is not as simple as putting or slopping on some stuff for a lifetime guarantee.

In over 40 years of being involved in design, construction and consulting, I have never seen a single products that does an adequate waterproofing job, because the causes are so different - climate, soil types/layering, hydrostatic pressure, soil pressure, cracking, settlement and vagueness of the original construction.

Sump pumps can be great because they a positive method to remove water BEFORE it gets into the living area. Since water does not follow a "neat" gravity-only law, the water and pressure commonly is from below the building "footprint".

Dick
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top