You have a good handle on your costs, right? If you can, based on per lineal foot of basement wall, tell me what your costs are to waterproof the exterior, and then 2×4 studframe and insulate. If you can’t break it down to the unit plf, then tell us what your $s are for a basement of some given size in sf.
These are costs you have with a poured concrete foundation, and costs that are included in the package price if you go with one of the precast concrete panel foundations.
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Replies
Is the foundation poured yet? And how good of a waterproofing do you want.
Can waterproof for pennies a sqft or $10s/sqft. Pennies will last till I'm off the property or the first rain. $10s will last your life. Best to start the water proofing BEFORE you POUR.
SamT
How about two coats of a brush-on product by Chemrex called Hydrocide 600? That is what we are all using here.
A precast foundation is waterproof and doesn't require an exterior application of membrane, film, fabric, etc.
And what am I getting for your $10/sf? Let's say I have a simple 30x50 rectangular box foundation, 9/0 walls, and you will waterproof up to the 8/0 height. That is over $12K in waterproofing costs, and about 1.5 times my cost for the poured foundation (costs figured at $200 per CY).
Are you a builder, and paying $10/psf for waterproofing? Or are you in the foundation waterproofing business?
I have had Tuff-n-Dry contractors do me jobs using the spray-on membrane and drainage fabric, and done it by just buying Chemrex Hydrocide 600 from my concrete supply house and brushing on two coats.
Do you have a link to the modular foundation you're talking about? I'd like to check it out.
Superior Walls. Do a Google. Available in selected areas in the NE and midwest, through seller/installers who buy from the franchisees. The website will have slide shows of installations.
They are catching on well in my area of New York's Adirondack region, especially for more high-end homes.
$10s/sqft was off the top of my head and is a WAG. For that you get a soil engineers report, enough steel in the wall to prevent cracks, formadrains, a drain bed under the slab, admix to prevent shrinkage, correct pouring techniques, surface treatment after the pour, proper curing, good draining backfill, and all topped off with a clay cap underneath finish grade. You are responsible for good roof drainage away from the house. Barring acts of god, like a sinkhole, or a 7.0 earthquake, this won't leak for darn-near-ever.
A lot of that $12K is not used just in the "waterproofing treatment" you see applied to the outside of the walls. That part is cheap and anybody can do it, and it will be garunteed till the first rain if that is all you do.
As I said, to properly waterproof a basement, you have to start before you pour, actually you start planning all to-air drains before you excavate.
I am always amazed at people who will spend $250K+ for a home and want the cheapest foundation they can get.
SamT
Edited 3/26/2004 4:38 pm ET by SamT