I'd be interested in your individual thoughts and experiences with waterproofing systems for concrete walls.
As many of the regular readers with good memory recall, I am building a Victoria's Cottage design on a relatively steep hillside on the Oregon Coast (Neskowin). The fact that it is a hillside on the Oregon Coast is important because rain is no stranger there, ergo I need to make sure that I properly deal with ground water, especially on the sides(s) that are retaining earth behind them. I was thinking/planning on using the
Delta-MS dimpled membrane product for this (http://www.deltams.com) but before I jump headfirst into this, I thought I would see if anyone here has used this or similar strategies and with what success (or words of caution).
I will try and post a picture of the stem and retaining wall pour as this happened late last week and yesterday we got soaked while removing the forms.
Thanks as always for your sage words.
Mike T
I had a neighbor that had a foundation waterproofing business. He died recently, but here is a link to the similar product that he used. You might use the info for a cost comparison if you're interested.
http://www.mar-flex.com/residential/geo_mat_products.php#geo_mat
Also make one or more uphill sideways sloped terraces or ditches to drain water around your site before it gets trapped behind it.
The permaculture people call those swales. And they are interesting for reasons other than just (just?--that's really important) keeping water away from your foundations. Maybe not quite the same as drainage ditches, but when you think like water, you don't want to think like eroded ditches heading down your slope.
I first read about them here. Later learned that the self-proclaimed real permaculture people loathe Hemenway and his book--I liked it a lot ;) . But swales do affect the microclimate--especially moisture--around them. Also Christopher Alexander is a big fan of, if not swales, at least little retaining walls everywhere.
http://www.amazon.com/Gaias-Garden-Guide-Home-Scale-Permaculture/dp/1890132527
Here's an article on greening of some arid, heavily salted, land in Jordan.
http://www.permaculture.org.uk/mm.asp?nolinks=y&mmfile=news_greeningthedesert