The Foundation: Waterproofing and the Slab

This week began with the headache of trying to track down our waterproofing materials which had been ordered by ABC Supply from the CCW factory in Carlisle, PA. After a series of conversations with Mike from ABC who managed to botch up the delivery last Friday, I was considering driving down to Carlisle to pick up the supplies myself as Mike could not assure me of the delivery day/time, and we needed to get the waterproofing done by Thursday (before the building inspector left for vacation for a week). Mike convinced me with a tracking number that the materials were on their way. However, Tuesday morning, there was still no sign of the materials and Mike revealed that he had been given the wrong tracking number. I decided to rent a pick-up truck and drive down to Carlisle myself - a four hour drive each way - to pick up the supplies.

Meanwhile, Rob was working like mad to prepare the foundation for the floor to be poured on Friday (today!). This involved bringing in stone to the top of the footings and laying insulation for under the slab - 2" XPS foam - R-value = 5/inch (for those interested in our green features). In addition, a piece of 6 ml plastic had to be laid over the insulation as a vapor barrier. Our neighbors Justin and Michael were a huge help!

The next morning (Wed) with the help of our neighbor Justin, we began the process of applying the waterproofing materials (really a whole system). Step 1: Rob and I first applied a primer (CCW 702 WB) to the walls by rolling/painting it on, which got sticky after half an hour. Step 2: After this, Rob and Justin applied mastic (a type of putty-type caulking - CCW 800XL) at the junctures between the walls and the footings - green stuff in the pictures below. Step 3: After that settled for an hour, we began the tedious process of applying the sheets of waterproofing (CCW 860), which had an adhesive on the back which stuck to the primer on the walls. Eventually, Rob, Justin, and I got a system down so that we could apply the sheets without getting it all stuck together in the wrong places. We worked until 9 pm to get this done.

Step 1: The primer after we painted it onto the walls

Step 2: Caulking and Coffee

Step 3: The Waterproofing Sheets

Step 3 also: Rob, Justin, and I crouched in the corner applying waterproofing after dinner!

 

 

 

Our neighbor Keb drove over to check out the waterproofing

Also on Wednesday, Van's crew came to lay the wiring for the foundation floor (4" concrete slab) which needed to be inspected on Thursday and poured on Friday.

On Thursday morning, Rob and I got an early start at finishing the difficult spots with the waterproofing - our neighbor Julie came to help with this as well. The building inspector came at 11 am to inspect the waterproofing and the wiring for the floor. He gave us the go ahead to backfill around the foundation after we put the drainage pipes back in place. Julie made us an amazing lunch to celebrate!

After lunch, Rob and I began installing the drainboard (CCW 6200) which goes on top of the waterproofing sheets. This layer consists of thick, dimpled, plastic sheets with a fabric on the outside (which allows water through) - water is supposed to come through the fabric and be routed down to the footing drains by the drainboard. This process required putting another layer of primer on the walls, in addition to priming the back of the drainboard sheets. The product manual actually recommended duct taping the sheets together to prevent soil from getting in during the backfill process. Rob finished putting up the drainboard this afternoon (Friday) and then I completed the process with the duct taping.

Duct tape - who knew?

This morning (Friday), Van's crew came to pour the concrete for the floor (slab). When I came down to the site around noon, we had a floor!

Rob in his workshop!

Rob had placed extra insulation between the slab and the walls, which will prevent a cold bridge

Finally, this afternoon/evening (Friday), Rob was able to get the drainage pipe back in and cover it with stone, and then I laid filter fabric on top (which will keep the soil from getting into the stone and drainage pipe). What an insane week!