Installing Waterproofing Under Slab in 1700s Home, Newburyport, MA

Thursday, May 25th, 2023 by Travis Kellogg

Challenge

A new homeowner in Newburyport, Massachusetts, had just purchased their home and had already planned on doing some renovations to their late 1700s home. The first project they were going to embark on was to add waterproofing to the basement and a new workshop area. The homeowner reached out to EFS to see if we could create a solution for them. Our Design Specialist Kenny visited the home and met with the homeowner to walk through the home. Kenny and the homeowner talked about their goals for the project. The homeowner wanted to make sure the basement wouldn't have water collecting on the floor. But the homeowner also wanted the entire slab of the basement to be demoed and replaced.

Solution

Kenny recommended first demolishing the old slab and then installing our Pre-Slab WaterGuard and SuperSump before pouring a new concrete slab.

Our installation team first began by chipping out the entire basement slab using our jackhammers and chipping tools. While 2 members of the team were chipping concrete the other members were lugging chipped concrete up to the truck to dispose of it at a waste site. After the slab was chipped and all of the debris was lugged out of the basement, the team began to install the Pre-Slab WaterGuard and SuperSump into the basement. We installed 60' of WaterGuard around the basement to collect any water that tries to enter the basement. The team also installed our SuperSump and integrated it with the perimeter drainage system. Once integrated the team then tested the drainage and the sump pump by pouring water into the WG to make sure it will empty out into the sump pump. After the test was complete, the team called the concrete delivery company and scheduled the delivery of concrete. The team waited until the concrete truck arrived. We then pumped concrete onto the basement floor and made sure to eliminate any air pockets in the concrete. The team made sure to make sure the concrete didn't cover the sump pump. After we poured all of the concrete was poured the team had to wait a few days for it to cure. Our team waited a couple of days before we could do the final cosmetic touches and then finished with the final walkthrough with the homeowner.

The homeowner was very happy with the project. They were now able to install a workbench in the basement where they could continue to do DIY projects and renovations for their home.