Thanks! Can't believe I forgot repointing. Is stucco the right call on that exterior coat mix?

Eey, If I'm doing all that digging and cleaning, the wall is going to be as strong, structurally sound, and impenetrable as possible when done

I'd probably use a sand/topping mix with latex admixture, but a bagged stucco mix should be fine. It's basically the same thing.

Thanks again!

Couple of things I only learned recently (may be common homeowner knowledge)

Problem 1 - Hunter ceiling fan was only spinning at half speed and only on one speed. Replaced a $5 capacitor and works like new. Took maybe 10 minutes

Problem 2 - Programmed new Liftmaster remotes to go with my Craftsman opener - added two new 100w LED bulbs at the same time, then couldn't figure out why the door would always open but sometimes didn't want to close.

Apparently the bulbs (which would be ON when door needed to close) would interfere with the opener signal. Solution was to add 6 feet of wire to the antenna - effective range went from 20ft to 200ft with minimal effort and zero cost.

I didn't know that one, but same goes for your AC. If the big fan on top of the outdoor unit is running (likely slower than usual), but you don't hear the louder noise of the compressor itself running, it's almost always that cap. It's easy to get to, and some local AC supplier places will sell them to you, or you can get a match from amazon for about $10.

Yeah, evidently when the outdoor fan doesn't spin some companies try to sell you a whole new unit.

Don't bother troubleshooting, just replace the whole thing is becoming too common.

if your outdoor AC unit will not kick on, look at the capacitor. it looks like a soda can and if its swollen on the end it needs replaced

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omg i correct my gf on this all the time. their teachers "need taught"!

posted a while ago about finishing my basement. the first step will be waterproofing. there are some cracks, the house was built in 86. been here 4 1/2 years no water. The previous owner was elderly, here since 1986 and no water, I trust what she said.

However, we did have one chair pushed up against a wall for a while now(2 years maybe a bit longer), near a crack. It clearly got damp and had some bacteria/mold/black buildup on the back of it.

waterproofing guy took a look and said roughly 50 feet of cracks he would expect to fill in with quarts injections, I believe. So, ya, maybe some very slight condensation around some of the cracks at worst is what we have noticed. We are looking to tuck some decent money in the basement and make it homey/livable/host worthy so we want to keep it protected.

I would state the number he gave but I want some unbiased opinions or direction. is it in my best interest to hire him for the cracks? is there a cheaper way that would still do the job right? the waterproofer said there is no warranty but in the years he has been doing it(maybe a decade or so) none of his sealed cracks have leaked. it's a local guy, I know his father, he is a known guy in the community, and I respected what he said, he seemed to be an honest individual when assessing the stuff.

Get more quotes.

Epoxy injection is a fix for structural cracks and/or ones big enough for visible, liquid water. Mold and mildew in a basement where visible water is not present is caused by high humidity from water vapor leaching through the concrete. Epoxying cracks will have absolutely no effect on this and is a waste of money.

And you shouldn't hire a guy who doesn't know the difference between structural problems, waterproofing and damp proofing.

i just went and examined the walls. the structure seems to be there, on point. here is what i am working with(below)

this one here is where the chair sat. it was flush up against that crack for probably two years, mold formed on the chair. You can see this one looks like it was patched, or painted with some sealant.

same as above(this is the worst crack of them all)

below are other pics:

(maybe some water showings here)








To note, I fixed a downspout last year that was clogged. For at least a year, likely two-three, maybe much longer since we have been here(4 and 1/2) there was a clog. The downspout was clogged at the bottom and we were getting a lot of run-off/overflow in one particular area. Irresponsible me let that slide too long(i did look at it but the original fix did not work and then it got ignored for a while). that is now fixed which means that downspout is flowing properly to where it is supposed to. Also, my backyard slopes downward pretty well. When a lot of water comes, it all settles into my neighbor's yard, but it is more of an easement area between three of our yards. And again, no water in the basement since 1986.

so if $1,700 is overkill for injections how should I attend these? Seems like some over the counter, rated well, sealant or damp proofing thingamabobmajig should do, right?

That top pic sure looks like there was water on the floor at some point, and a couple of the others are clearly wet. You can try the DIY if you think you're up to it, or have the guy do his thing. But waterproofing basements from the inside is generally considered ineffective, which is why the guy won't warranty anything.

If it were me and I didn't want to dig up my foundation to waterproof correctly, I'd probably throw something on or in the cracks just for ****s and giggles, but then I'd run a dehumidifier in the summer because I wouldn't expect much from whatever I did.

iirc gregorio tried some damp proof coating on his basement floor a few years back. If he still reads the thread maybe he can chime in with his results.

Here's something I'm wondering about.

In my neighborhood there are tons of houses being torn down and new ones being built. It's not uncommon to see house "skeletons" in various states of construction. But this time of year it rains a lot so all these exposed wood studs and beams are getting rained on. Ultimately they'll be covered with drywall. Why isn't this a problem?

My foundation is block not poured so I don't recall whether the stuff I was looking at was for both, but I didn't end up using that b/c the blocks were painted and I would have had to remove all paint before applying so **** that.

The framing dries out before anything bad can happen. It takes a long period of continuously damp or wet conditions before mold, mildew and rot take hold.

Thanks.

i posted the pictures of the cracks in the basement above

one poster said it looked like there was water on the ground in the one at some point. indeed, getting soaked in the midwest and where the chair sat, it was definitely collecting a small amount of water in the past, it came in today. It was not a lot and we have a lot of rain sitting. it is coming through where the floor meets the wall, not through a crack. potentially related to the crack, and trickling down there could also be the case

we just measured and were told how much lumber we would need to frame rooms. the more research i have done and the more people i have heard, I am less concerned about the vertical cracks. They topped out at a touch higher than 1/16ths inch in terms of thickness and all vertical. This seems to be pretty standard. the guy that's framing our house basically scoffed at the first crack i showed him when i started telling him about the waterproofer suggesting 50 feet of injections.

So, now I am more worried about that small area where it is coming in, where the floor meets the wall. How do I proceed? I'm thinking for the cracks i will slap something in them for ****s and giggles , eh zikzak.

If you are making this into a livable space then you really only have one option. You need to spend the money and have it waterproofed. If you really only get a small amount of water in there when it really rains a lot (like 3+ inches in a few hours) then you could probably get away with installing a sump pit or two. Certainly put one as close to where you see the water coming in as possible. The only guarantee that you never get water in there is having someone that comes in and busts up your concrete floor all the way around the perimeter and installs a drain system that leads to a sump pit. This can also be done on the outside of your foundation if someone digs down to a level below your floor and installs the same kind of system, but I personally don't think that is as reliable. I'm also not an expert FWIW. If you already have a sump pit, then I'm guessing you will have to do the perimeter drain system to be 100% dry. I would also seal the cracks just for peace of mind.

I made this mistake when I finished mine. It had only gotten wet in the past when the septic tank backed up and came in through the drains. I installed a backwater valve to stop the water backing up through the drain and thought problem solved, but I eventually found out that water will still find its way in and it started coming in where the walls meet the floor. So my brand new basement was ruined. Used the insurance money and I installed 2 sump pits myself where the most water had come in because I didn't want to tear out any studs to put in the drain system. My basement has stayed bone dry ever since and it's still music to my ears when I hear one of those pumps kick on. Lucky for me this was enough.

I've had good luck with Redgard for waterproofing. It's like a really thick latex paint, you can roller it on smooth surfaces and trowel it into the corners and the small cracks you're showing.

What did the guy framing it suggest for insulation/vapor barrier? I noticed most of my water problems were not leaks but warm inside air hitting the colder concrete and condensing. I ended up doing foamboard insulation against the concrete with studs in front of that, and used pressure treated wood at the bottom, because all the bottom boards of the old framing I ripped out were dry-rotted. The foam board is about $1 a square foot though, so it adds up fast.

I used something similar to redgard on the concrete floor too, and went with tile because I figured it could tolerate occasional water way better than other things. I have no idea which things I did were overkill or the hard way, but I went from a basement that always smelled of mildew and some drywall spots that felt soft/damp even with a dehumidifier running, to no issues after 7 years without one.

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. p2 dog, p2 please contact me via Skype:littlepupy12345 I really need your help, please

A few pages back, I introduced my project house, which someone ITT effectively summed up as "Strawberry Shortcake's old house." I've posted a couple of before and afters with just carpet/wallpaper removal, and new paint and floor refinishing.

Here's the first big project. You may recall the odd "hot tub room."



And you may recoil in horror at the old master bath:



With it's amazing maroon bidet:



Well those have now been combined into one big master bath (and a hallway)

Looking through the old wall into the previous hot tub room:



And back in to original bath. The pic doesn't do justice to the size of the new shower, which extends into the spot the bidet used to be in, and has dual shower heads. Toilet is behind the white door in a little WC.



The project took well over twice as much time as originally quoted, but otherwise no issues. Really like the new bathroom and love being finally able to move in to the master suite. We were getting tired of living in the library.

I wrote awhile back about redoing a bath for a friend, originally was a demo and prep for tile but i ended up redoing plumbing and tile as well.

Still need to grout but it was a learning experience and fun!