Right on, John. 

I like this discussion-- and favor
Redirecting the water after examining
its source(s) relative to the building and soils and topography. Is grade flat or does it slope? Yep, different
Conditions and loads/ shapes call for different ways to address all the
problems. 

For example, our house sits on a slope, the site's soil is 100% clay, we have minimal frost in ground here, and it's dry all summer and wet all winter. The clay dries to an appreciable depth then absorbs winter rainwater, or irrigation to an equivalent volume. 

After I made deep,  a tributary of rock filled trenchs  up hill and around the perimeter and downhill to deep
French drains, the basement is
bone dry and the house no longer heaves. 

Michigan has sandy loess (sp?) and my solution probably wouldn't work well. I like the idea of a bentonite strata on the exterior, with some kind
of drain lines. Other items have been addressed in this discussion. 

The fantasy solution: invite all these knowledgeable and fun folks to your house, with all their thinkers and tools turned on and have one heck of a
work party. 

Mary
TRNB
 
hands-on impresario
Tegel  Design +  Planning

Begin forwarded message:

From: John Leeke <[log in to unmask]>
Date: June 27, 2009 8:25:03 AM PDT
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: [BP] Basement issues
Reply-To: The listserv where the buildings do the talking <[log in to unmask]>

Fill your cellar with clean gravel-stone fill before it caves in, and be satisfied with a crawlspace.**

They now make high-efficiency boilers or furnaces the size of a suitcase, so you can stick that in a closet along with the new electrical panel.**

Total cost: $1,000 for the fill. The new boiler will be so efficient that you can take out a loan from your credit union to pay for it, and the energy dollar savings will make the loan payments.**

**Disclaimer: a man with experience is far more valuable than one with an opinion, results may vary according to your specific situation, in case of trouble return this ticket, don't put water-repellent on your screens, play in your own yard and don't do anything your mommy told you not to.

John
www.HistoricHomeWorks.com

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