Advice on Water-Damaged Basement Walls
The brickwork in our basement has been deteriorating for years — clearly from water seeping in. So far, we’ve gotten two very different opinions about what needs to be done. One focuses on outside work: digging down 3-4 feet around the building to repair and waterproof the foundation wall. The other estimate focuses on replacing…
The brickwork in our basement has been deteriorating for years — clearly from water seeping in. So far, we’ve gotten two very different opinions about what needs to be done. One focuses on outside work: digging down 3-4 feet around the building to repair and waterproof the foundation wall. The other estimate focuses on replacing and sealing the basement windows to keep water out & then simply applying thoro-seal where the outside wall meets the ground.
Has anyone dealt with this problem and is able to share remedy as well as company used?
I’d put a french drain in the garden & see if that ameliorates the problem. If it does, parge the inside walls.
As my experiance of doing this kind of work first thing is to take care from the outside of the foundation wall by dig down to footing level,scrape off lose part of the wall wash & clean, repointing motor joins with waterproofing cement.Apply flashing cement or sandells product to waterproof foundation wall.Interior walls need to repainting with DRYLOK masnry paint.If you want to get an estimate from us please call us at 718-633-1500.We are licensed and insured.We can give you quality job at reasonable price.
Thank you.
Hamid
M.Hamid.Construction Co.
To clarify — we have never actually seen or felt water coming through the bricks — it’s just that the mortar and sealant are crumbling. So, maybe the big foundation work isn’t necessary? Today I got a 3rd estimate from M. Hamid who said waterproofing foundation from outside was not necessary but just cleaning/repointing/sealing the brickwork inside. The other estimates were from Harrington/Russell (recommended same as M.Hamid PLUS window replacement) and from Transcend Construction (recommended the outside foundation work). Thanks for your comments!
I had the same issue at the back of my house and did a variation of option 1. I hired masons who dug down to a depth below the level of the cellar floor, pointed, tarred, sealed really well. That was around 1993 and I never had a problem with it again. As long as it was dug out, I had them build steps from the back garden into the cellar.
We have the same issue. Did you consult with an engineer? Who are the contractors that gave you quotes?
You definitely want to waterproof from the outside and at least as deep as the floor level in the basement. We encountered a similar problem in our basement which was only a few feet below grade in the back. We dug out and created a sunken patio off the rear of the building to keep the water away as well as to create a feature space in the yard. Once we removed the dirt we found that there were whole sections of mortar missing between the bricks that were large enough to fit your finger through.
If it’s from seepage as you say I agree with jock…first way
The first is the way to go.