Outside waterproofing ideas for damp basement

We moved in knowing there was a damp basement, with a sump pump. Inside we painted on a sealer to the concrete walls and floor, run a fan and dehumidifier 24/7. Outside we've repaired any damaged or poorly installed gutters to run off, as far away from the homes foundation as we could.

Our house was built in the mid 70's and the previous owners have some granite slabs against along the foundation.


No landscaping around the house (which is my main goal) and maybe someday use the basement for something other than a liter box and tool storage.



I'm looking for any advice on the best ways to waterproof from the outside. Sealer? Plastic? I'm willing to do everything there is to try for a less damp basement and to be able to plant things in front of my home! Even dig!

 

Some more pictures if it helps?? Thanks for any advice in advance!!!

 

Usually it's best to excavate, fill any voids in the foundation with stucco, apply a foundation sealer and lay a drain tile and gravel along the footer. There are different products that can be used to fine tune it.

Excavating is a lot of work so most do it only as a last resort. The builder should have done this when the house was built before the foundation was back filled.... and it's possible he did but it has since failed.

 

Waterproofing is definitely not possible within anyone's budget. It would have been an extreme effort when the house was built, but now you can't start over. To some degree you can manage the water and moisture, but a lot depends upon the water and moisture around your house. Since you grow plants, we know your soil is moist. Moisture vapor passes right through concrete, including the footings below your walls and the basement slab. The physics of moisture is it flows from wet to dry, so any attempt to seal on the inside will just create a dam where the moisture will build until it matches the outside. Then one small imperfection and it continues through to where you will need to manage it.

The first thing to look at is the landscaping, the lay of the land. If your lot is in a valley with few options to drain it away, then water may persist being a problem. If your lot sits up high and you can drain the surface and dig down as Marksr stated and drain around the perimeter of the house. But drain to where is what you need to decide.

Here is a good reference link to get you started,
BSD-103: Understanding Basements — Building Science Information

Bud

 

Keep in mind that water always runs downhill.
Go outside and take a careful look at the ground.
Does it slope towards the house?
Where does the water off the roof go?
Are you on a hill?
What type of soil do you have?

You want a situation where the rain landing on your property does not run towards the house.
The water coming off the roof, should land at the lowest point round your home and it should run away down hill away from your home.
Once you know what is happening outside, then you can solve the problem.

I live in a house that has been extended into the hill behind.
When it rained water used to rise between the utility room floor tiles and run under the garden door. We solved the problem by digging and re routing the water coming down the hill, now it runs round our home and not through it.

 

Thanks! Our house is on 20 acres of FLAT land. There is a stream and some swamp lamp but it's not close to the home but it's very moist soil. There is no slope towards the house but would help to make a slope of dirt away? Or what would you use? I also added more gutter length to run the water 20 or so feet away from the house.

 

Thank you so much, do you know of a product name/type you would recommend? I'm not afraid to get my hands dirty, lol and that sounds like a good plan even if it is A LOT of work!

 

We all seem to be moving in the same direction.

What is needed is a hole in the ground to ascertain ground water level.

Dig down until you hit water. Measure the difference between the height of the water and the floor in your basement.

Don't be too alarmed, if the water table was up near the top of the soil either your basement would be full of water or your home would have lifted up and toppled over.