[nberger]

Hi Everyone,

We have an overbuilt house put on a very old, leaky stone foundation. It is a basement area not used for anything except to house the oil tank/furnace etc. There is a sump pump that goes down to the foundation drains. I have recently dug out drains for all of the downspouts to get rid of a good portion of the water issue. We also have radon levels slightly above the safety threshold.

I know there are several options for properly handling this issue, but professional work will be expensive. We are going to do the radon abatement. Should I strip the walls and paint on drylock? It looks like it may have been attempted before.

Is this even worth attacking beyond the radon? We have a ton of other projects we're working on and our general notion has been to just leave it alone down there (apart from doing the radon fix) and stay upstairs- it's not a space we can even think about finishing.

Thoughts?

 

[stadry]

if you install a timer-controlled exhaust fan, the radon level will be fine,,, we install them & its just a hole cored thru the conc floor, insert a pipe, seal the floor opening, & add a timer-controlled fan into the 4"pvc exhaust

 

[Bondo]

Is this even worth attacking beyond the radon? We have a ton of other projects we're working on and our general notion has been to just leave it alone down there (apart from doing the radon fix) and stay upstairs-

Ayuh,...... I'd Diy the radon mitigation as stadry says, 'n concentrate on the parts of the house you live in, everyday,......

 

[de-nagorg]

A palace standing on a failing foundation, won't stay a palace if the foundation falls away.

I would make sure that the foundation is safe before adding anything to the upstairs area.

Ridding the RADON is a necessity, then the foundation needs an inspection, and water sealing, to keep the mold and rot from infesting the living spaces.

ED

 

[stadry]

looks like 1 of my houses back in upstate ny,,, more like a shallow root cellar than a basement,,, so old in fact our 'foundatuion' was a hole dug into the ground then supporting walls of laid-up stone,,, your's is newer - i see blockwork

 

[3onthetree]

a very old, leaky stone foundation

Whether it's worth it is your call, I see a baseboard heater and surely anyone needs lots of storage. The Drylok will do nothing but bubble off in the future from moisture you probably can not stop through the parged walls. Any Drylok on the upper CMU not below grade will do its job (really what it's only good for) of filling holes and keep a clean surface. It's probably a very leaky basement, with moisture coming thru the floor (especially if the adjoining crawlspace is still dirt), so your efforts may be best putting it to air sealing, insulation of the rim area, and a dehumidifier.

Radon systems are a little more involved than what's described so far.

 

[nberger]

Thanks for your responses. I think we will move forward with professional radon abatement and a dehumidifer.

 

[Old Thomas]

Many old houses don’t have crushed stone under the cellar floor, they have concrete directly on dirt. In those cases simply putting a hole in the floor with an attached fan might not be effective for radon control.