Walkout Basement

[Dargo]

I always liked poured walls. I'm glad to see you seal them down there. Some of the people who now pour walls here claim that they don't leak when not sealed. I don't believe that. Anyway, I"ve never seen green mastic. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif Where I live, there wasn't anyone who had the equipment to pour basement walls within 100 miles of me. So I had to go with concrete block.

I used 12" block and my basement has 9' ceilings. I was the grunt who got to seal the outside of the walls with that nasty black mastic. It was July when my house began, and I still remember being down in the 18" over dig covering the walls; and myself. I thought I was going to die down there in the narrow over dig. It was well over 100 degrees down there and there was no air circulation!

Great job. I think I see a 4" ledge for brick? Also, it's nice to have a walkout basement. My lot was not conducive for such, so mine is just a deep hole. Good luck!

 

[NCDeere]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Sealing the walls with a product called Rubber-Wall. )</font>

Is that a company that does that or can a home owner do it?

Thanks.

Bryan

 

[Jagmandave]

I googled and found a link to a company that sells/installs the stuff, they make it in a brushable as well as spray-on form. Seems like a homeowner could brush it as well as the hired help could, but probably need special equipment to spray it..

 

[txdon]

Cityboyfarmer, I understand all the photos except this one . Don't you have to put some rebar in the slab? /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Thanks for the photos, I really like the one that shows the spraying of the sealer on the basement walls.

 

[BX23Seattle]

The rubber wall product I used requires a specialized equipement that heats up the rubber compound and then blast it onto the concrete with lots of force to get it into even the smallest nook and cranny. They went over it a few times to build it up to a decent thickness. Really neat stuff, I picket some off the ground after it dryed, flexable, just like a rubber band.

 

[Cityboyfarmer]

Don,

Rebar is not required in the slab. The concrete is fiber reinforced 3000 psi. A lot of people think you need wire mesh, rebar or some other reinforcing metal. I have dug up slabs with wire mesh and found in nearly every case the weight of the concrete has pushed the wire into the dirt below the slab, so the wire did no good anyway.

None of the concrete contractors down here put rebar or wire in slabs. Not even for driveways. For drives, they use 4000+ psi fiber reinforced concrete. The quality of concrete mixes has improved over the last 20 years.

 

[Cityboyfarmer]

Dargo,

That green sealer is some pretty neat stuff. Goes on thick, then they attach a flat drain tile to the bottom that is designed to channel water away from the foundation. The green rubber wall was covered with a super thick black plastic sheeting that no four of us here could tear by hand. If you look close in this photo I think you can see it.

Anyway, the manufacturer provides a lifetime warranty against leaks.

Yes, that's a brick ledge you see.

 

[Dargo]

That's awesome! I see you are using quality building products and the latest technology. Fantastic job and choices! Fortunately I've never had any water issues in my basement, but I'm convinced the newer products you are using are far superior to what I had available in 1990. Keep up the great work! You'll have a home you will be proud of for a lifetime.

 

[Cityboyfarmer]

Bryan,

I had a company out of Atlanta apply the waterproofing. It requires special application equipment. I don't think it is something a homeowner would want to tackle. The cost was around $1800. Worth every penny of it to me.

 

[Cityboyfarmer]

Dargo,

These are photos from 1998/99. Had to scan them from my photo album on my painfully slow flat scanner. Been living in the house for six years now.