My first though on waterproofing is why is it needed, is the ground surrounding the structure saturated during a period of time during the year, does the basement extend below the water table. Prior to even considering putting a lot of time, energy and money into waterproofing, one needs to carefully prepare the site to drain away any potential sources of water. Simply waterproofing alone is just a band-aid on the real issue. Additionally waterproofing may cause other issues like structural damage from the hydro-static pressures that will be placed on the structure. Water proofing should be considered as an incidental membrane around the foundation in the event that the real drainage system becomes overloaded for a very brief period of time. If you are counting on the waterproofing to prevent all water from entering your home due to inadequate drainage design and implementation, then you should also plan on your basement getting wet.
Waterproofing your basement is such a broad term. There are so many different methods that make-up basement waterproofing aside from a membrane on a newly poured foundation. For example, waterproofing also includes installing sump pumps for areas with high water-tables, repairing leaking cracks and sealing voids in areas such as bulkheads, pipe penetrations and stone foundations.
Since we serve the Raleigh area of North Carolina, we experience hurricanes and heavy rain storms. We even have tornadoes on occasion. Waterproofing is critical for every step of our projects. We are constantly in search of better materials to ensure we are providing state of the art waterproofing protection. If I had to narrow down one concern, it would be trying to convince owners to invest in waterproofing themselves. For example, crawl space encapsulation and dehumidifiers.
What is essential is:
- Proper grading away from the foundation wall
- Ensuring that gutter downspouts drain away from the foundation
It is basic and simple and often overlooked. Over time, the ground near the foundation walls may settle - so this needs to be watched for and remedied.
Waterproofing basement walls is, at best, a bandaid. The real problem is outside.