OT: Basement waterproofing recommendation - Somerville area
- Thread starter DanoRU
- Start date
I looked at Jersey Dry's website. For your job, are they digging the outside of the foundation or something else? Can you tell me what they're doing and the approximate cost? I haven't spoken with anyone yet and am trying to get an idea of cost and type of work involved.
Grading can be critical. Should aim for 5% fall for the first 10 feet from the structure in all directions, where possible, which is 6" elevation drop from the face of the foundation/exterior grade interface. Rule of thumb thereafter is to achieve 2% fall away from the structure across the rest of your property. You don't want grade sloping downward toward your foundation or even flat/level grade. The hydrostatic pressure after heavy rains can really stress your foundation and the subsurface water will look to go somewhere (i.e. seep into the wall through small cracks).
Exterior foundation waterproofing is the way to go. Any other way you have to "invite" the water in just to pump it out.
I think that's my problem. It looks pretty much flat on the side of the house that's getting seepage, only after really heavy rain.
Kind of agree with this...consider putting in 4" drain tile (corrugated plastic piping) wrapped in filter cloth and surrounded by washed gravel along the exterior foundation wall and make sure the discharge point is somewhere that it flows away from your foundation.
Try to get that side sloped downward rather than flat and then see if you can grade a shallow swale perpendicular to this slope that runs either toward the front or toward the back to direct surface runoff away from the immediate area.
Well, yeah, there's likely to be some infiltration of stormwater but during heavy rains the volume of water and its movement across even grassed areas will be greater than the rate of infiltration.
Depending on your situation, you can regrade the dirt that's there and you may have a cut situation where you have to remove excess dirt in order to pitch the grade downward. Conversely, only add dirt to raise grade closer to the foundation if you have enough of your foundation exposed to raise the grade. You don't want the top of grade (dirt or mulch) less than 3-4" (preferably 6") from the bottom of your siding.
Edited to add:
You don't really want just exposed dirt against your foundation as you may then create an erosion problem, so you should allow for 2-3" thickness bed of mulch on top of the dirt, or you should stabilize it some way. Normally that might be to just seed it but you also may not want your lawn or grass to extend right up to the face of your foundation since it can be a bit of a hassle to maintain a neat edge up against the foundation.
Last edited:
good idea.... I didn't want to hijack OP post, but am also having water seepage issues. Don't want to go the expensive route if something simpler can solve the problem.....
100 % on the money
I did the exterior wall waterproofing on my house (front & 2 sides) including perforated pipes leading to a exterior sump pump. It worked like a charm. 6 years without a drop or any dampness The material costs less than $3K and I used high-end materials.
good luck.
Dig to the footings. About 4 inches below from top of footings to place the perforated pipe such that at least 1/2 of the perforated pipe is below the footing.
to the footer. About 4 inches or so below the top of the footer.
Ok i live in central pa and had a similar issue a couple years ago. Here is what i did to completely resolve my problem. First i used 2 coats of Drylok extreme (lowes or homedepot) on the interior. Expensive and thick but works well. Where the wall meets the floor i actually chiseled a little floor out along the wall and troweled in some water plug (hydraulic cement) but not really necessary, just make sure to overlap the drylok from the wall on to the floor a couple of inches. Then i hand dug along the exterior wall a couple feet and used drylok on the outside. I also made sure my downspouts were carrying rainwater well away from my foundation by placing a 4" x 10' pvc pipe with a 90 glued on it just under the ground surface sloped away from the house . Do not use pvc with holes in it . You need to get the water away from the house.The hub of the 90 is the only thing exposed and it is directly under the downspout. I then backfilled by hand along the exterior wall handtamping firmly in layers and raising the elevation along the wall so there is a generous taper. Then plant some ryegrass to quickly create a barrier of sod. I know this sounds labor intensive but certainly cheaper than what someone will charge you and the fix is permanent . Anyhow just some ideas from a psu fan :) Also not that it matters but i have relatives in somerville area. According to my christmas card list, somewhere called hammler rd :) have a good evening
Here is a video of Jersey Dry doing an exterior waterproofing. I do not work for them or are affiliated with them. I just found the video and decided to share it.
Bumping this - So has anyone had any work done to there basements because of water issues? French drains seem to be the most popular. My basement is half crawl half unfinished. I have about a 1.5" gap between the basement floor and wall. There are some weep holes drilled already. Certain ones bring in more water then others. Sometimes in the crawl I get some water that seems to be coming from under the floor. I am more concerned with the non crawl area though. I realize both are an issue. All my downspouts are extended 10' from the house.
I know you can seal the walls from the outside but this option is more expensive and requires digging up a paver patio that was installed already when I moved in. I dont wanna go this route. Another option is a french drain outside the house. I read this should not be directly up along the foundation but a few feet away as if there was ever an issue with this and it was right against your house all the water would be against your foundation.
As for a french drain inside there are so many options. Most are the slotted drainage pipe, some are the crate style. Some go on the footer and some say go below the footer? I've watched a bunch of videos the last few days on this. It seems like every other company says one is right and the other is wrong. Im also looking to upgrade my sump pump and get a battery back up.
I know you can seal the walls from the outside but this option is more expensive and requires digging up a paver patio that was installed already when I moved in. I dont wanna go this route. Another option is a french drain outside the house. I read this should not be directly up along the foundation but a few feet away as if there was ever an issue with this and it was right against your house all the water would be against your foundation.
As for a french drain inside there are so many options. Most are the slotted drainage pipe, some are the crate style. Some go on the footer and some say go below the footer? I've watched a bunch of videos the last few days on this. It seems like every other company says one is right and the other is wrong. Im also looking to upgrade my sump pump and get a battery back up.
French drain is the Swiss Army knife.
Yes , building code textbook is seal and membrane properly on the outside.
But a French drain gets the job done. That’s why it’s been around so long and still used.
my house is 30 years old, only times i ever had water was when downspouts were clogged during IDA......i already have downspouts tied into with pvc running over 20 ft from house ...ive found most houses <50 years old the dampness/water infiltration can be fixed with grading/running downspout water far from dwelling...i also drylocked watersealed from inside before finishing and also recently replaced carpet after 25 years with laminated wood and the contractor recommended paining the floor with an epoxy water sealant paint....
i have seen recommendations for quality 1st basements...
i have seen recommendations for quality 1st basements...
Any time I finish a basement (one of our businesses is construction) we do a French drain along the perimeter of the foundation and at least one sump pump (two if we can fit it in different locations) with a water powered backup incase power ever knocks out.
Knock on wood, it has worked really well. Plus you want to make sure you have the right sized gutters outside the home and that the water is draining far enough away.
I bought my house over 40 years ago and got water when we had a 3 inch rain or so.
had an interior French drain done then and not had a problem since
I have heard stories that they sometimes fail.after a long time, maybe clogged somewhere, but this has not happened
in my case
I will add that water almost never reaches the sump pump, the underground trench probably takes on some water but not enough to run to the pump
As far as I know the pump has not had to kick on, fortunate in that regard,
My landscaper screwed me. One of His guy left my hose on for 45 mins running on the side of my house. Got so much water in the basement. Problem is now that water found a way in whenever I get a heavy rain it finds that way in. Was crazy mad. Finished basement too.
All this foundation and membrane type stuff looks crazy expensive. Hand digging a trench with a half dozen guys. What!
I was thinking of maybe one of those interior French drains and sump pump. I’m don’t want to start excavating the outside of my house.
All this foundation and membrane type stuff looks crazy expensive. Hand digging a trench with a half dozen guys. What!
I was thinking of maybe one of those interior French drains and sump pump. I’m don’t want to start excavating the outside of my house.
As I mentioned I have an interior French drain
Supposedly if you want to do it the right way, you expose the walls and drill weep holes in the cinder blocks, which will undo some of your finished basement
Other companies forgo the weep holes so less damage to your basement, but if you have a big water problem you can have the pressure of the outside water on your walls, with the pressure not being relieved
In any case an interior system should keep the basement dry
Interesting thread as I just was questioned by my home insurance company as if my basement was waterproofed. She said insurance companies are looking at this now.
I did experience flooding back in April. The water was entering through the Bilco door steps. I extended the nearest downspout about 6 feet to drain into the driveway and haven't had an issue since.
I did experience flooding back in April. The water was entering through the Bilco door steps. I extended the nearest downspout about 6 feet to drain into the driveway and haven't had an issue since.
That's horrible what they did. Since I moved into my house in 2014 it seems to be getting worse. I never actually got water on the basement floor itself but need to fix the issue before it does happen. For the exterior they either hand dig or use a machine. This is definitely more expensive and invasive then doing one inside. The main problem is the water will still come in now your just depending on the inside one working properly.
Grading is a big factor for the outside. My paver patio that was installed before I moved in does not have proper pitch on the back side of my house. The other side that has an issue my neighbors yard I can tell by looking at is higher then mine. That side would be easier to regrade then the paver side. An exterior french drain is an option as well.
I have one company coming tomorrow afternoon for my first quote.
Don't forget about planting trees and shrubs. Their job is to suck up water and if you are cutting down big trees around your home that also cuts off a major resource for soaking up wetness. My Dad used to do French drains outside the house with drainage pits etc. Drywells are becoming popular and sometimes mandatory in a lot of towns depending on the size and scope of the project.
Backup battery or water line pressure.
Battery gets you a few hours
having a sump pump that you know is used frequently and NOT having a car battery back up is nonsensical...also be aware of the condenstation pump if you have forced hot air heating sustem.in basement ir attic,,.one of them went and cause a headache...the new designs automatically turn your furnace off if the condenstation pump fails...
Water line works if you don’t have a well. Battery is good but I did the gravity drain because power was out for 2 weeks during Sandy. It’s a matter of risk tolerance I guess.
With the water powered sump pump I believe u need to have at least 60psi incoming and a 1/2” water line pipe. When u say “gravity drain” is this on the outside of your home? I think this is the same think as a French drain along the outside, just a different name? Two weeks oof, I was a few days after Sandy and it felt like forever.
Ended up getting an interior French drain installed on Thursday and Friday. I got a bunch of quotes and ended up going with the most expensive one. I got a better deal paying in cash. It was a process as the crew showed up late both days and were here to past 7 the first day and around 8 the next day. The English language was barely spoken by the job foreman and the rest of the crew I could not communicate with at all. Sucked
The ended up jackhammering away from the basement walls and putting 4" triple wall pipe along the footer. They put a mud guard and sock around the pipe. Covered it with stope then topped with concrete. Got a new 1/2 HP sump and battery backup. There is a cover on my sump now so I cant tell how high the water level is. Im not a huge fan of this. With my old set up (the pump was 14 years old) I was able to see if it was about to overflow at least. Hopefully I wont have to worry about it though and it will work as should.
Now I gotta repaint the block walls and floor. Already started scrapping all the loose paint off the walls. Lots of effervescent on the one wall. A bunch of weep holes were drilled so hopefully that does not happen again. I heard a bunch of pros and cons about using a water proof paint on the interior walls. Not sure what to use for this?
I had a quote for a exterior French drain and the price was about 10k over what I thought it may be. The contractor also wanted it to drain near my shed and that is already a low point in my yard. I declined this option.
The ended up jackhammering away from the basement walls and putting 4" triple wall pipe along the footer. They put a mud guard and sock around the pipe. Covered it with stope then topped with concrete. Got a new 1/2 HP sump and battery backup. There is a cover on my sump now so I cant tell how high the water level is. Im not a huge fan of this. With my old set up (the pump was 14 years old) I was able to see if it was about to overflow at least. Hopefully I wont have to worry about it though and it will work as should.
Now I gotta repaint the block walls and floor. Already started scrapping all the loose paint off the walls. Lots of effervescent on the one wall. A bunch of weep holes were drilled so hopefully that does not happen again. I heard a bunch of pros and cons about using a water proof paint on the interior walls. Not sure what to use for this?
I had a quote for a exterior French drain and the price was about 10k over what I thought it may be. The contractor also wanted it to drain near my shed and that is already a low point in my yard. I declined this option.
My friend just did one. Seemed like a decent company . But they were slow as crap took them about 6 or 7 days. I think he paid 10k for a 1,000 square foot basement.
