[KatCan88]

My parents fought our leaky basement for years and years. My husband and I are now in the planning stages or our new home. We have been talking about having a basement but I always shutter at the thought of a damp moldy wet basement like my parents had. Soooo, my husband suggested we build our 40 X 40 stick built house over top of a 35 X 35 basement. We would be doing as much of the construction that we could ourselves, is there still a good chance that we would still have water problems?

 

[Bondo]

My parents fought our leaky basement for years and years. My husband and I are now in the planning stages or our new home. We have been talking about having a basement but I always shutter at the thought of a damp moldy wet basement like my parents had. Soooo, my husband suggested we build our 40 X 40 stick built house over top of a 35 X 35 basement. We would be doing as much of the construction that we could ourselves, is there still a good chance that we would still have water problems?

Huh,..??

Are you sayin', build a Foundation for the house, 'n then a cellar 2, 1/2', Inside the foundation,..??
Or,...
Buildin' the house 2, 1/2' Outside the foundation,..??

If the site is properly graded, 'n not in a swamp, water in the basement is a non-issue....
Sub-grade drainage is placed around, outside the foundation, as an insurance against water...

Puttin' a 2, 1/2" overhang all 'round the house Can be done, but the engineerin' of the Load to the Foundation might get complicated...

In a northern climate, it'll complicate insulatin' too...

 

[jomama45]

I don't get it, you wan to cantilever all 4 sides of the house structure over the foundation 2.5' per side, in an attempt to keep it from leaking or being moist???

As long as it's underground, it's going to have the potential to leak and take on more humidity than upper floors above grade. There are a number of precautions that can be taken to avoid these issues though. Good building practices, excellent exterior water proofing, the correct amount of exterior insulation, a good functioning interior & exterior draintile system with a sump crock/pump or drainage to grade, and the correct material next to foundation used as backfill all go a long ways in creating a great basement..........

 

[woodworkbykirk]

proper water proofing and drainage are all you need.

 

[Evilhomer]

I'm by no means an expert but your plan sounds like your leaving potential for much bigger problems than a wet basement. I think you'd be much better off concentrating your efforts on proper sealing, proper drainage, and proper grading.

 

[stadry]

interesting people still build w/wood when icf's are avail & better imo

i am an expert & we ' wtrproof ' leaky bsmts,,, here's a quik plan: use conc foundation & walls,,, don't backfill for 30d to allow the conc to properly cure,,, prior to backfill, install a toe drain alongside footer lying on #57 stone surrounded by filter cloth,,, this must either drain to daylight OR have a sump & pump to discharge the collected wtr,,, find someone to install a ' rubberwall ' OR coal tar-type waterproof coating,,, protect that w/layer of miradrain,,, backfill in properly compacted ' lifts ' :thumbup:

once you add up costs, you'll see why bldrs cut corners - even the bldg code's insufficient,,, $ for granite c-tops appeals more than something covered w/dirt,,, your home has only ONE chance for a dry bsmt & when the foundation's exposed is the time :yes:

 

[hammerlane]

We would be doing as much of the construction that we could ourselves

Thats scary as you are asking about how to properly waterproof the foundation.

 

[md2lgyk]

My wife and I built our log home almost entirely by ourselves, but the foundation was something we left to the pros. Proper waterproofing depends on local conditions and codes, can require equipment and knowledge not useful anywhere else, and, by the way, is a really dirty job. It was worth every penny we paid to return from a 4-month RV trip and find the foundation ready to build on.