I am trying to find the best all around solution to minimize damp and water infiltration for a client’s basement. The must smell is always evident upstairs. This is a 1800’s farmhouse in Vermont with many additions. The existing basement is approximately 24×36 with about 6′ clearance and a 24’x12′ offshoot crawlspace. All walls are mortared stone and in excellent condition all things considered. The floor is all cut marble slabs.
I recognized that the best solution is exterior, involving digging and waterproofing. This is not possible due to a 10′ deep wrap-around porch on two sides, a slab built addition on part of the third, and a patio and adjacent (two feet away) barn on the forth. If I removed the pavers and used part of the other side I could get waterproofing on approximately 30′ of the perimeter. Not ideal!
I can pull up the marble slabs, remove some grade, bring in stone and put a slab on 15 mil plastic. All this done through a hatchway and with columns every few feet (all hand work) is also a very expensive proposition….but possible.
I can add a french drain uphill of the buildings (80′ from the house to clear the barn) and then tucking in close along one side to remove some ground water. This is the most feasible idea thus far.
Is there any spray on solution from the inside that is effective if the stone and mortar are in good shape?
The water source is below ground. Gutters move water away from the building above grade (10′ to discharge and decent slope). Getting them piped away underground is also possible.
Thank you for any ideas.
Replies
The first step is to attend to grading. The ground should slope away from the house for a distance of 20-50 feet (depending on soil composition, etc), with no areas of standing water within that range. Downspouts should be routed away from the house.
The grading is good around the house. The water source is underground. Any thoughts on a spray foam solution? I was thinking that it may work to apply some drainboard layer against the stone walls as stand alone or spraying over them. These could drop into a perimeter channel that goes to a sump. As much as it would be brutal manual labor, it seems that excavating some material from the floor, providing stone, VB and a slab is necessary to reduce the moisture level. Please give feedback if you have done a project of this nature.
Nothing you put on the inside of a foundation wall will help much. The water will most likely find a way to push through it.
Based on what you said, the french drain might help. Anything you can do outside is best.