This project was quite the mission on its own from start to end. Exterior water proofing was necessary in this case due to the extensive leaking we had found in the basement, that had already created mould issues, which we had to remediate as well.
Now onto our adventures:
A)The waterproofing contractor applied to the city for permits. This step alone can take anywhere between 1-3 months depending on how busy the city is with permit applications. In our situation, since since we were "lucky" it only took a little over 6 weeks for the green light! :)
B) The dig commenced, and workers dug about 6 ft down to the footing/the foundation that the house is sitting on. This is where they laid new weeping tiles abutting the footing to create drainage. But, before that, were not surprised to find that the existing weepers had fragmented over time and were no longer joined together. Not to mention, that there was obvious pockets of space openings due to shifting foundation that needed patchwork on the exterior walls.
C) Water resistant sealant was applied to the exterior walls, and a "dimple" membrane (shown in Brown) was affixed to the concrete to allow drainage of standing storm water into the weeping tile system.
D)This is when "awesome" news came (after a visit by the inspector) that the storm sewers and house sewers were combined system for this aged house. And the contractor needed to separate the storm sewer via pump and sump pit; that was installed in the interior utilities room of the basement.
This was done for two reason:
i) If there was ever a sewer backup, the inspector explained, you would end up with poop water in your new weeping tiles that we had just laid all around the house, and basically it would ruin all that work.
ii) New building code mandates that even if the house had a functioning storm sewer, the city of Hamilton, no longer wants to take storm water. So, essentially we would have to do it anyway to comply with regulations.
The job was completed with gravel being poured in last onto the weeping tile system, to create a channel for flow of water, and extensions of weepers came up the walls near the window (later to be incorporate inside the window wells, that would take rain water down to the weeping tile system).
It took us about a little over 2 weeks to complete the whole job and broke the bank at a cost of $15,000.00. Mind you, this was still the cheapest bid we got from different contractors as this tends to be an expensive job!!
This method of water proofing is still the most preferred and ideal way to water proof your home/rental property given that the durability of the project against any further water damage will surely pay you dividends down the road.
The next cheaper method that could be considered is interior water proofing. That said, it has been described by some contractor as more of a water management system vs. proofing; and it is usually used for case were it is impractical to do exterior water proofing based on the clients needs/budget/timeline.
As always, consult your waterproofing experts on which method is best for you, if you ever find yourself in this situation.
Hope you found that useful.
Until next time....
Cheers.
Shervin :)