View Single Post
Old 10-16-11, 08:52 AM   #9
S-F
You Ain't Me
 
S-F's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Northampton MA
Posts: 662
Thanks: 6
Thanked 71 Times in 58 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Ryland View Post
Have you dug up around the outside of your house to seal the foundation from water from the outside? sure the soil has good slope, but 6mil plastic and 2" foam can do wonders for pushing the water away from the house and it's easier to dig outside then inside.
I agree that an external perimeter drain is the way to go but it can't be safely done with a rubble foundation. The way those walls were made is by digging a bit pit, building up the wall a foot or so, filling in around it and then repeating until finished. The surrounding soil plays a structural role. You remove it from a wall that's decades old and there is a great chance of the whole thing buckling. Maybe you could do it one wall at a time and jack up the house above the wall from the inside an a bunch of places? I still wouldn't try it unless the whole house was being jacked up and a whole new foundation was being poured.
You could always go to a lumber yard and talk to their engineer to see what he thinks.
S-F is offline   Reply With Quote