What can you tell about the condition of this basement by looking at this picture?

3/5/2018 at 1:18:59 PM

Didn't really need to look at the picture if the house is built in 1890 and it's a brick Foundation there will be plenty of seepage through the mortar by now. The best way to fix this is to dig out the perimeter around the entire Foundation from outside and then put a waterproof membrane all the way down to the footings. I recommend you call a concrete repair company. Crack Masters are pretty good and they do several of my projects. This can be an expensive project unless you do the Excavating digging yourself. Hope you get a good company to help you out

3/5/2018 at 7:45:07 PM

If water has entered into the basement it is probably due to mortar cracks in the brick. If it has happened once it will happen again. Over time this type of foundation will deteriorate if you don't address the problem. The only way to get rid of this problem is to install a waterproof membrane around the outside perimeter of the building. While you are at it check the weeping tile that is located at the base of the footing, make sure there is adequate water drainage through it. Install from the grade level height of the building to the bottom footing.

Hope this information helps you out

3/5/2018 at 7:45:18 PM

If water has entered into the basement it is probably due to mortar cracks in the brick. If it has happened once it will happen again. Over time this type of foundation will deteriorate if you don't address the problem. The only way to get rid of this problem is to install a waterproof membrane around the outside perimeter of the building. While you are at it check the weeping tile that is located at the base of the footing, make sure there is adequate water drainage through it. Install from the grade level height of the building to the bottom footing.

Hope this information helps you out

3/6/2018 at 9:46:50 AM

I made a mistake with my original post. Apparently the foundation is a mix of brick and stone. I went there to see the basement from the inside and it seems like one of the walls has really deteriorated. The other walls seem in better condition. Also there seems to be block foundation at the front of the house.

Is it possible that exterior waterproofing cannot be done?

There is a lot of space for digging around the perimeter of the house, but will digging disturb the foundation walls and cause them to fail?

Also what kind of cost is he looking at for exterior waterproofing of 4 walls? Is it going to be over $50,000?