Reply to How much to waterproof and finish a basement (basic finish, not luxury...)

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]Our house sits down gradient from the road, so we could not change that and we get water spots on the walls with moderate to heavy rain.  We waterproofed with B-dry in 2007.  We got lots of estimates, and they were on the lower end at $8k for about 500 feet and two sumps. However - we cannot evaluate whether or not the system actually works to stop water from seeping through the walls.  [b]Why, because B-Dry puts a hard plastic liner over all your walls so if water does get through it will go directly into the drain.  If you take it down they will void the warranty.  Nice for a finished basement, but no protection for the integrity of the walls and structure.  So, b-dry will probably make sure that absent a catastrophic flood that comes up through the sumps, your finished basement still stay dry.  But, your walls may eventually cave in from the hydrostatic pressure.......[/b]

A true building inspector/engineer type will tell you first defense is to waterproof from the outside, chances are the barrier from the home's construction is gone.

And, we had quotes (before we foudn out our newly purchased home had a wet basement) from 15k for basic finish from a contractor no longer in business, to 30k for a nice job from Case.  I know others who have used case for basements and they did a great job, but you pay for it.[/quote]

Let's talk more about this. We've gotten quotes from two companies to put in interior drains and a sump pump. But one company doesn't do a liner -- the guy says the same thing you do here, that it's not good for the structural integrity of the home. The guy from the other company does want to do a liner, he says it's the only way to really keep water out and he dismisses the concern about structural integrity. Both of these guys are from reputable companies that get good angieslist reviews, and I can't figure out who is right.

Can you point me to any information from an unbiased, reliable source on this?[/quote]

I'm not the PP but I have done some waterproofing work on a previous house and interviewed A LOT of companies before picking one. I understood PP to be saying that it is not the liner that is a concern, but the fact that interior waterproofing lets the water into the walls and that can raise structural concerns. I agree with this. I can't point you to an unbiased source but after interviewing many waterproofing companies I came to that conclusion myself. If water is getting in, you have two possible solutions - find a way to keep it out, or let it in and then manage it to prevent damage to furnishings. I went with an exterior solution because I felt that letting the water in seemed to raise a lot of possible issues (structural damage, mold - although BDry does say they have something to prevent mold). By the way, we had a structural engineer look at our basement to make sure there was no damage from years of water intrusion and I know he was not impressed with BDry's system but I don't remember why. Talking to a structural engineer might be one route for you to go to get a better answer. But personally if I were you I would interview some companies that do exterior waterproofing and see what they have to say. Remember that some companies only do interior work so of course that will be the solution they present to you. [/quote]

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