I’ve just had a foundation for an extension poured here in sunny Southern California. It’s been raining or threatening to rain ever since. It started just as the finish troweling was done. The concrete’s no longer at risk, but now I have this platform for water collection adjacent to and level with the bottom of my existing bottom plate. I am concerned that water may get under the existing bottom plate and damage the engineered hardwood floor that’s inside the middle room on that side of the house.
I’m looking for suggestions about keeping the water away from the plate. I’ve considered everything from trying to drape the whole side of the house (about 40′) to putting sandbags along the bottom, to trying to caulk along the plate, to doing all three. Any help about what will work best will be most appreciated.
Thanks.
Richard in Fountain Valley CA
Replies
Caulk and drape. Sandbags might hold water in.
wk
what he said, and..lay a cotton or other natural fiber rope along the joint with the free end hanging as low as you can get it..capillary action and gravity will wick the water away.
edit. oh yeah, wet the rope first to kick start the action..
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
Edited 2/20/2004 3:40:09 PM ET by SPHERE
Thanks for responding. I went with caulking and draping, and I'll consider the wicking if much water gets under the plastic. And, I'm returning the sandbags I spent over an hour looking for.
It hasn't started raining yet, but I feel a lot better about the preparation now.
Richard in Fountain Valley CA
Are you saying that basements are poured with no drainage in California?
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me thinks he was talkin SOG..now ya got me thinkin again..and that hurts..<G>
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Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations.
There are hardly any basements at all, at least here in Southern CA. Most single families are on slabs or crawls. It wasn't until after WWII that earth moving equipment became cost effective for residential construction, so older buildings almost never have anything underground. Newer multi-unit buildings will often have underground -- or really maybe just 6' below grade -- parking. Most of those have proper drainage, but some depend on pumps, and some of those will flood in a big rain. A friend of mine moved out of a condo like that a few years ago.
-- J.S.
What's a basement? :-)
I grew up in Michigan, so I actually do know what a basement is, but I haven't seen one more than a couple of times in forty years out here in CA. This is a slab and the requirements are that it be six inches above grade.