Wet Basements Are A Nightmare! Here’s How I Build Mine To Stay Dry

Wet basements are a nightmare! Here’s how I build mine to stay bone dry. First, we spray our foundation with Rub-R-Wall. It creates a seamless membrane that can span over small cracks. Then, we install 1’ foam over the Rub-R-Wall. This protects the waterproofing and gives an R-value of 5. Now let’s talk about drainage. We like to use Form-A-Drain to form up our footings. It has slots that allow water to seep inside, and then a channel so it can run away. I also install 4” drain tile the entire way around the perimeter. This gives me two separate drainage systems, if one fails, there’s a backup. I tie them both together and run them out to daylight. I’ll switch over to schedule 40 PVC pipe in the yard, so the pipe will never get crushed even if someone drives on it. Next, I backfill the foundation with clean crushed stone-this allows groundwater to drain to the bottom and exit out the foundation drain. Finally, we cover the stone in filter fabric- it keeps mud and silt from contaminating the stone after we backfill with dirt. So what do you think- is this overkill or money well spent? @hausplans #build #howto #basement #construction #diy #contractor