House foundation assistance needed
Need some advice for my foundation walls. The pictures show the existing wall condition. I’m about to call some GC’s in to take a look but welcome any opinions/feedback that I need to consider as I look to “fix” these walls.
[IMG_LeftWall](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s3/:brownstoner:8fz9:img_leftwall.jpg.jpg) [IMG_RightWall](//muut.com/u/brownstoner/s3/:brownstoner:ErCY:img_rightwall.jpg.jpg)
ixnaycb20
in General Discussion 9 years and 1 month ago
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12 replies
shazzam_
in General Discussion 9 years ago
If the opposite of the walls are in contact with soil and there is a high moisture in the soil you may want to escalate and install a weeping wall membrane which should stop from getting moisture against the foundation.
shazzam_
in General Discussion 9 years ago
If the opposite of the walls are in contact with soil and there is a high moisture in the soil you may want to escalate and install a weeping wall membrane which should stop from getting moisture against the foundation.
lesbiman | 9 years ago
I have a home upstate that was unfortunately built on a rock ledge that forced water into the basement. Every moderate amount of rain would result in water seeping through the cinder block and cement floor. Additionally, my garage is under the house and the vapor barrier (if there ever was one) on my garage floor was not effective- water was weeping up through the floor nearly constantly. The house had a big mold issue when I bought it, partly due to all the water coming in the basement and garage. I had a dehumidifier running near constant to keep the moisture level down in the summer. Wasteful for sure, and I worried about return of the mold (after gutting the house and remediation).
After researching this topic and getting “expert” opinions and estimates from various businesses offering “solutions” to the problem, I stumbled on a product called “sani-tred”. When applied correctly the claim is that the product soaks into the cement (from channels left due to water evaporation during the curing) and effectively seals the cement from the inside. I bought the product an d prepped the entire basement- not an easy task mind you. It included having the old epoxy flooring sand blasted off to get clean cement. And immediately prior to application I had to dry the cement using a dragon torch to heat the cement and cinderblock to dry it out. The product must be applied to very dry substrate. It is now at least 7 years since application and the basement remains dry and the dehumidifier only goes on when the days are very humid due to natural penetration of the air humidity. I am very satisfied with the result. It’s not for the faint hearted though- preparation is very crucial and very labor intensive. The application is not so hard but it has a time limit to how long it can be applied once the components are mixed and subsequent coats have to be applied once it is immediately dry. I worked my butt off over a weekend but the results are certainly worth it. Just another option.
SimpleTwig | 9 years ago
This is a common issue in masonry foundation walls here in Brooklyn, and the problem is either at your roof, including the chimney area or the front/rear joints between the paving and building, with only a slight chance that the moisture is weeping up from the slab/ground. It is about moisture and water making its way into the masonry. At the party wall, most townhouses are made with 2 courses of brick with a gap between the two, connected every few courses with perpendicular bricks. This creates a quick way for water to make its way to the buildings foundation walls. There is no point in doing anything in the cellar until you fix all your water infiltration issues. Around the chimney should be stepped copper flashing, the gutter should have roofing membrane underneath it, if you have coping stones on the party wall they should have a drip edge or be covered completely from roof to roof with membrane. When the smell of moisture disappears from the basement or cellar, then address the surface with a cementitious paint product to clean it up, make it look nice and still allow it to breathe. Also, seal from the interior and exterior all pipe penetrations through the foundation wall. Good luck.
EJR | 9 years ago
This actually seems like pretty minimal wear as far as Brooklyn basements go. A stone/brownstone mason is the right trade for this job. The masons who seem to be popular on these boards are Excellent, A. Malek, Progressive Contracting, etc.
I just used Progressive Contracting for a large job (rebuild stoop, clean facade and install new walkway) in addition to repointing my rubble stone foundation in the cellar. I was very pleased with their work. They suggested also sealing the walls with drylock, but I opted not to do that. It will lock out the moisture for a while, but it is really a temporary fix since it’s waterproofing the inside not the outside, and it could damage your foundation since the moisture will have nowhere to go. The only way to really waterproof something, as resident2 and others have said, is to do it from the outside.
In any event, I highly recommend Progressive and can discuss further if you’d like. Let me know.
dorkofwindsor | 9 years ago
not going to lie, drylok etc (any interior coating) are going to be useless. The vapor pressure is there 24/7/365. This is what you need -i had it done to the walls of a wet corner, and voila, it worked. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dK-592f7AA Amin did mine. Not sure how long it will last, water always wins, but its been a few years.
agdipierro
in General Discussion 9 years ago
And install a dehumidifier
ixnaycb20 | 9 years ago
Thanks for the help. These are front and rear walls. I think sanding and re-pointing is good advice. With respect to geo area – this is in Dyker Heights and its not terribly damp but I’d like to have this space as dry as possible. Appreciate the guidance.
Any good recommendations for someone to do the work?
resident2 | 9 years and 1 month ago
Are these the front / rear walls? or the side walls that are attached to neighbors next door?
If they are walls that on the side is dirt and soil; you will get a bit of moisture. Try to keep water from leaders, drains etc running away from the outside of the wall, pitch any pathways etc away from the house. If you want to keep it really dry then that becomes expensive, you will need to dig down on the outside, waterproof the entire foundation wall on the outside and then back fill it again.
If they are walls that are connected to neighbors; are they having plumbing problems or I have even seen water from the roof flashing coming down between the party walls and seeping out in the cellar.
As for the flaking and sandy pointing, it will keep coming unless you finish it in some way. The expensive way is to sand blast, clean it all off, point it and seal it with silicone or some such fixative. A cheaper way is to cover it with Sheetrock, but be sure to leave a vent for the moisture to breath.
This is a cellar, if you want to use it for work space of recreation space; then i t will be worth spending some serious money, but if all you are using it for is storage etc., don’t sweat it unless it really is damp, but then sometimes that will depend on the geology and topography of your area. Are you near the Gowanas? or in some parts of Red Hook or Boerum Hill? You will have a damp cellar, on the other hand if you are in Crown Heights or Clinton Hill, you should not be having an overly damp cellar, unless as noted at the beginning; your leaders, drainage and pitch are wrong.
GreenThinker | 9 years and 1 month ago
You could power wash/wire brush the walls as clean as possible. Fill any patches with mortar and seal it with drylock.
ixnaycb20 | 9 years and 1 month ago
A fair amount of dust and material is flaking off the wall. Also noticing a bit of moisture. Id like to do something to get these walls back in top shape along the lines of drylok or concrete but would love ideas/thoughts.
CarmenR | 9 years and 1 month ago
What is wrong with the walls?