Hello everyone,
I am currently planning whether and how to waterproof my basement walls. The house was built in 1963 and has the following features:
Current moisture status:
My planned approach:
Waterproof all exterior walls with Remmers MB 2K from the outside and additionally insulate them.
My concern:
Since the horizontal barrier is relatively high (30 cm (12 inches) above ground level), I fear that a complete vertical barrier could put a lot of pressure on the wall and trap moisture rising from below through the strip foundation.
This might push moisture more strongly against the horizontal barrier and, in the worst case, cause it to rise into the ground floor. So far, the moisture level in the ground floor is acceptable.
My question to you:
Is this type of waterproofing sensible in my situation, or could it even be counterproductive?
Or is the current condition sufficient for a utility basement?
I would really appreciate your experiences, advice, and evaluations!
I am currently planning whether and how to waterproof my basement walls. The house was built in 1963 and has the following features:
- Wall structure: 35 cm (14 inches) hollow concrete blocks
- Basement use: utility basement
- Foundation: strip foundation
- Horizontal barrier: present, approximately 30 cm (12 inches) above ground level (see photo, green = horizontal barrier, brown = ground level)
- Groundwater: consistently about 40 cm (16 inches) below basement floor (visible in the sump pump)
Current moisture status:
- 3 sides: 15–25 on digital moisture meter (scale up to 100 → dry)
- 1 side: 40–70 on digital moisture meter (significantly wetter)
- Basement humidity: 50–70 %
- Plaster at the base of walls: loose on all sides (related to moisture?)
My planned approach:
Waterproof all exterior walls with Remmers MB 2K from the outside and additionally insulate them.
My concern:
Since the horizontal barrier is relatively high (30 cm (12 inches) above ground level), I fear that a complete vertical barrier could put a lot of pressure on the wall and trap moisture rising from below through the strip foundation.
This might push moisture more strongly against the horizontal barrier and, in the worst case, cause it to rise into the ground floor. So far, the moisture level in the ground floor is acceptable.
My question to you:
Is this type of waterproofing sensible in my situation, or could it even be counterproductive?
Or is the current condition sufficient for a utility basement?
I would really appreciate your experiences, advice, and evaluations!