How do I waterproof a basement?

You can buy 5 gallon buckets of snow seal that they use on top of travel trailers. Roll on with paint roller.

The average person cannot do this. The old way was to dig down outside the basement wall to the very bottom of the basement, and coat it in wet stick tar with a mason's brush, or steel trowel, and then take 6 mil plastic and stick it to the wall. Allow a foot above ground. The plastic sheet, (comes on 50 ft and 100 ft rolls, usually 10 feet wide, is stuck to the wall after coating the entire wall, and letting it roll into the ditch you have dug. Then use a couple of yards of gravel on top of that plastic, (about 3 inches deep along the bottom of the trench, and put all the dirt back in. It will take a couple of years for the dirt to settle to where it was, and you will have a 3 inch slope from the house out. (Called positive drainage). This is cheap, but a lot of hard work, and can last up to 100 years. The companies, cut the concrete floor out inside, and it requires diamond saws, (The water cooled blade is about $1500.00 dollars alone), and a lot of specialized trades, such as concrete workers to put in expansion joints, plastic pipe, and concrete to replace what was removed. You could do the entire house for about $100.00 if you're not lazy and willing to work to dig the trench. You might can find locally some one with a small Bobcat with backhoe attachment, to dig the trench for $1800.00 dollars or so, and do the work of coating yourself. BE SURE TO CALL THE FREE NUMBER IN YOUR AREA, FOR THE UTITLITY COMPANY TO COME AND MARK WHERE THEIR UNGROUND UTILITIES ARE, BEFORE ANY DIGGING! i'VE DONE THIS SEVERAL TIMES WITH A MATTICK AND SHOVEL

After reading what I posted, I realized I didn't tell you to dig the trench 30 inches wide, so you will have room to stand and work. I also take a construction trash bag, and cut out for arms and head, and slip it over me when I am applying the wet stick mastic. Big rubber gloves that come at least halfway up my arms. You will need an 8 ft. step ladder. Do one wall at a time if you hand dig. Make sure someone is with you, to prevent problems. You may find after doing the main wall that is leaking, that that is all you have to do to stop your basement from leaking. Or you may have to only do 2 walls. I have gotten away in the past, that only one wall had to be done. (usually the wall that faces the back yard for some reason). I wish you success..

"It Depends" is the whole of it. If your basement takes on a lot of seepage and floods the only way to seal it may be from the outside. This usually requires digging around the entire basement to put apply a moisture barrier. As well as putting in drains to keep water away.

There are interior roll or brush on barriers to reduce moisture but if there is too much water trying to get in from the outside the interior sealer will fail.

I am not a pro on basements, just life's lessons.

It totally depends on your situation, water levels, and drainage. I'd concentrate on getting the water away from the basement. Good luck, I truly hope you find a solution.

Very extensive Excavation Labor and Machines rentals is the primary expense and reason for that estimate.

It is only slightly high in your regards, and pending the factual unseens and circumstances of those Buried Treasures That all contractors sarcastically refer to, the estimate may actually be low, and undersell of their labors and not experienced of the actual hidden costs.

I would estimate $17000 because I am a worker not a gambler.

Better it is to give a rebate after than to fall short sooner, I always say.

However, the actual materials of Tar, 8 bags of Finishing or Topping Cement, and Shipping grade plastics or Tarpaper, are not really that expensive atall, less than $1600 to $2200 dependent on the actual Spread and Lay of the land and whether you excavate on hand.

You can't buy good weather...

Now granted if you have a Hill that leads water to the home, this is a major removal that may need a dump truck rental for 5 days, at an expense of $40 to $60 a day [Sadly, You can't just toss soil in a U- haul] plus fuels and that would reduce my estimate to 16.5G.

So really because excavation always creates that hill if you don't have a dump truck nearby, you are talking $2800 on materials and necessities, just to begin the project, if you have all the tools and blades.

If you do not have a recopricator saw, you may be talking $300 on that and masonry bits, whether you buy or rent it.

After that comes assessments of any piping and the essentials to 'Control Flow'.

Always remember: a leak is always a place where a drain should have led to a pipe with a shut off valve and a means to empty that into the sewage, but didn't so lead.

That is what you would need to prioritize too.

These can run you between $600 to $1600 atop the preexistent $3100 materials & Tools.

Not sure if you work, but for myself, taking 12 hours off of work costs me a crazy amount of money, and as I am semiretired this semi costs me a semi-truckload of materials every month...

For 17 grand a day, I will try my best to refrain from profanity...

So basically atop that you add another 30% for the 'Unseen factors' you get $3100×1.3=$4030 as the estimated maximum materials budget and this of course does not include: Pressure washer, crane nor fuels nor eats nor drinks, but Unseen factors only.

Unseen factors include rain and other elements of suprise that may undo efforts or arise additional materials necessities, such as: Defective Materials or Patching only half the Leaks, to find a New Leak after the fact. [ Hence why you excavate entire and pressure wash the entire, cement the entire and tar the entire too, put in some plumbing and so do whether it seems to need it or not, trust me, in 30 years you will be happy you did the extra efforts]

Do keep in mind (speaking of extra efforts) this may take you 12 weekends or 3 whole weeks to fully excavate singlehandedly, on average it takes 180 man hours, Or 15 crane or front end loader hours.

Hours theirs include you getting it to the jobsite and in place.

These hours fly by fast, as: It is Fun.

That said, you likely will want to rent a Front end loader. Not Cheap. Call around. And Cover the Children's ears when you are on the phone.

You will need at least 50 gallons of Gasoline just to fuel it onsite for the first day with 10 portable 5 gallon tanks.

No, Exxon don't deliver gas...

Sorry.

So, you probably need these 10 tanks too.

That is another $80.

It is always smart to have those ready and filled before you even rent the crane so you can make good use of the crane hours.

Cranes do not sleep.

Can't fill a concrete mixer at the pump, that's sure.

I wish we could but we can't. Legally. EPA would crawl on my back for Deisel in the mix.

First mistake anybody Novice does with a front end loader is? Not make a mound. You need to climb a ladder, maybe in the rain too if you do not build a mound large enough to fuel it easily.

Breaking a Leg onsite creates a costly delay to excavation.

These suck gas like 300 lb Gorillas or anteaters suck ants.

You do not want to climb in and out of that front end loader to then climb that ladder 50 times a day...

So you build your mound by hand, excavate the first foot by pitchfork and hose and shovel and hoe, to reduce your hours of rental by 3 hours you spend 16 hours on a weekend.

You want to pack that mound like a brick so you can walk up and down safely, in any weather.

It is a good Idea to have 80 to 140 bricks handy, so you can make steps to the front end loader to fill it with gas, quick like.

After that malarchy is done you can then excavate about 6 to 16 tons of soil, a day.

Again depending on the actual length of the site, the scale of the job varies.

Regardless you can be talking $1400 to $2200 on the Machine Cost, reliant on how fast you move that soil.

Can't move it too fast, you crack the foundation or break the front end loader.

Can't move it too slow, you break the bank.

Sure as heck can't bump the house.

So...our estimate as is, is swiftly approaching the $5400 to $6000 marks.

You should consider a shed to put all these extra things in: 10 Gas tanks, bricks, concretes, mortars, saws, tools, etc.

That can range between $600 and $1400.

Consequently, That's about what the security deposit on the front end loader will be anyways, so you may or may not get a shed, depending on the condition you return this front end loader back...

I hope you do, but hope does not restore a front end loader to original pick up condition.

So...we are at $7400 for a diy machine excavation, max with installation of pipes, valves, sewage, constructing mounds, steps, and Maybe a shed too, [you gotta wholly construct after you need it most, which is your pay as a husband, provided you do get your security deposit back...]

Is all this hassle worth a savings of $2600+Shed?

Not if you already have a shed...

[I am betting you likely already do, as to the actual reason why the estimate was so generously low...

Otherwise he is doing it by paid hands rather than machine, and these will be eating an amount of food equal to a shed sized pantry anyhow, no real difference in the Machine Estimate to Manpower estimate, the difference is how fast the job does]

Now, if you wanna enslave yourself rather than buy that mancave whatever you wanted with the excesses, you are likely charging yourself $9200 rather than $13800 as inclusive the 180 manhours equivalent of wage for a General Laborer.

However, once you do get it excavated it is nearly done. All you need to do is find the actual leaks by pressure wash, drill em out with your masonry bits, place your pipes and drains, tar around those pipes, place your shutoff valves, tarpaper and plastic and tar the entire, then fill in the trench and grade the soil to an extent you have a slope away from the house.

It is alot of work guy, even by machine it is loads.

[I'd oversee it for $3200 wage, with 14 guys each paid $260 each day and likely do all of the pipes vintage styled out of concrete weself, beforehand to save enough money to blast some stump out, 300lbs, so the job can blast out in 2 phases each a day or less and do a wide pour of 3 to 6 cubic yards, after placing the drains, pipes, crushed stone and cinder blocks to close the deal by finally tarring that bad behemoth with 350 tar gallons poured in between the concrete and plywood forms after that all was set and cured. The whole

Damn thing'd last 180 years for 18 grand.]

I wish you all skill and patience in this: No small undertaking atall whatsoever.

God Bless & Be safe.

In summary:

If you do wanna negotiate with the guy offering to do the job for 10 grand, press him for at least an 80 years guarantee on the job, but if he starts atall haggling, he does not know what he's doing, and as suspect to go cheap, you go get someone else.

Same applies to any: a Good job on any home will endure, and they must know a timeframe of that durability to do a good job.

Guarantee although it is always less than the life or estimated durability, is always a guage of the actual materials quality these intend to use much more than Price they Quote is a guage.

As any other guage, is a tool we use wisely, also, you too must use that guage wisely too.