DEAR TIM: My last house had a basement that leaked water. I’m building a new home and want my basement as dry as the Atacama Desert. I’m confident that my drain tile was not put in correctly at my last house. What are the best practices when installing drain tile around a foundation? What materials […]
DEAR TIM: My garage is at the bottom of a hill and is tucked into the soil on three sides. I do get some water leakage through the concrete block walls in the spring and during heavy rains. The asphalt floor is always damp despite running a dehumidifier all summer. Do you have any solution […]
DEAR TIM: My new house foundation was just poured on a sloping lot. I stopped by just after the forms were stripped from the foundation and I think they poured the foundation too deep. The ground on one side of the house is about 5 feet higher than the top of the foundation. I think […]
Foundation Footing Detail - It's All About Great Soil & Steel "That's what a house footer does. Its job is to provide a nice flat and level surface to set foundation wall panels and to spread out the weight of the entire house onto the ground." Tim Carter - Look below DEAR TIM: I stopped […]
Dianna Morrow has a common problem. She's building a new home in Hardy, VA. Here's what she sent: "The waterproofing spray on my foundation was applied with lots of overspray above grade. The builder has tried grinding it off, painting over it and some other coating that cracked terribly. What options to cover/correct this do […]
Robyn has a house in my hometown of Cincinnati, OH. The corners of her concrete foundation are cracking off and she wants to know how to repair them. Here's her testimony: "The corners of my foundation are slowly falling off. I know I have foundation problems, but I want to put this big chunk back on […]
Judy Lazo has basement walls that are flaking away in Haddon Township, NJ. She can tell the story better than me; "I own a home that my ex and I bought in 1997. There was never a problem with water in the basement and still isn't. There is a french drain and sump pump. Around 1999, […]
DEAR TIM: What type of stone would be best for filling this cavity that is a planned two-car garage addition? It is approximately 7 feet deep. The local concrete supplier sells recycled concrete for a really good price. It is very similar to crusher run. Due to the design, compacting will be next to impossible. […]
Gary Ennis Jr. lives in what appears to be suburban Woodhaven, Michigan. But when it rains, he's got water in his garage. Here's his story: "I have a two-car detached garage that has water come in at the floor when it rains. I have installed a drain system around the outside but still have water coming […]
Craig Stockman is a little late to the party with his question. He lives in Billings, MT and should have come to me about two weeks before the foundation contractor showed up at his house. Read what Craig wrote: "I had a foundation poured for an addition to our house. What I was wondering was […]
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