Hi All, I bought a custom build home in November, which has an ICF foundation and partially finished basement (drywalled on the walls but open ceiling). It is not under Tarion warranty as the builder claimed he lived here. I had noticed some dark patches at the base of several walls in the basement and had these tested, they are damp spots. Recently we have had a warm spell with exceptional amounts of rain and during this time water was seeping in and puddling. This was an unusual amount of rain and melting, however we did have damp spots before that. I removed some of the drywall in problem areas and noted that water is trickling out of the joints between blocks at different heights in different places. The sump is completely dry and goes down approx three feet beneath floor level. Under the slab is washed stone. This was confirmed after small scale excavation around a drain hole for a future bathtub. I am looking for possible actions to try to help diagnose the issue. I have heard about GPR to ensure there is rebar, not sure if this is something we need to worry about yet. I have heard about voids and have stuck a skewer in between the joints in a couple of places, I am prepared to do this across the whole basement if necessary. So far I have found nothing. I am interested to understand how we could possibly tell if water is flowing in from the top of the wall and if this is something we can find out with minimal excavating. Could we dig a test hole to establish what membrane has been used? Would this even help? Would we need to just dig out around the entire house instead? I also know we need to better understand water management, we do not have leaking gutters and have long extensions on our downspouts, since the leak we have extended them longer and now they are about 20 feet from the house. Whatever else happens we will be getting professional advice on this. Does anyone have any ideas? I am looking to do everything we can without having to dig in the first instance because the ground could still be frozen and we may have to wait a couple of months before we can do the digging. Sorry for the long post, if you got to the end of it let me know what you think! AWebs

I forgot to mention that the house is a new build and final occupancy permit was signed off with conditions in August 2017 and then closed in October 2017. The builder is not willing to assist us and has simply stated that he didn't have any problems while he was here.

I forgot to mention that the house is a new build and final occupancy permit was signed off with conditions in August 2017 and then closed in October 2017. The builder is not willing to assist us and has simply stated that he didn't have any problems while he was here.

"Builder" is a relative term. It doesn't indicate any particular level of skill or experience. Get someone who knows what they're doing. Concrete is a porous material and will allow water to pass through even if there aren't small cracks or voids. If the walls were not properly vibrated when poured, every tie that penetrates the wall is a potential easy route for water. Unless it's just an access that has lost it's seal, [unlikely] you will probably need to dig around the whole house. I'd start in the area with the biggest leaks and see what if anything was done to the outside of the foundation as well as perimeter drainage and backfill. Again, get someone who knows what they're doing this time. take pics and document what you find.

If there are no voids detectable, there may be a failure (or absence) of a capillary break between the wall and the foundation.

You're probably going to have to dig.

Start in a couple problem areas close together. But you may need to go whole hog.

Also, when you dig out, have the exterior weeping system checked.

Thanks for the replies

mojoe - thanks, yes he managed to build the house and get it signed off by the city but there is obviously something serious wrong here, I would not use such a polite term as incompetent but there you go

Dilettante - thanks also for the advice

I suspect no waterproofing membrane on the exterior of the basement wall, combined with cracks or voids in the concrete. I don't see how else you would have water seeping in between the blocks above the footer.

Is the water showing everywhere or just in certain places?

If it is sporadic is there a window above? Or possibly a door on the main floor? A leaking window/door/service penetration, etc. could allow water to drain through the porous concrete and show up after leaking from between the forms.

Is the exposed part of the ICF covered? I have seen a driving rain push through an unfinished ICF wall and result in water showing on the basement slab. This was instantly remedied after exterior finish was installed.

What kind of inspection records are available at your local permit office? They should have records of proper WP membrane, weeping tile, etc. being installed. Since the sump pit is dry, it seem like the water is coming from above or the weeping tile is blocked/not connected. If it's a ground water issue, you may consider installing weeping tile inside the footing. This would save a lot of digging (but you would need to open up the basement slab around the perimeter - your call which is the easier option).

It is all around three of the exterior walls in small sections, I have only taken the drywall off in about three places which is how I figured out it is coming from different height joints in different places. The unaffected wall has the garage above, this may be a significant point that I neglected to mention earlier. It could be associated with any doors or windows above but I will need to check on this to be sure (it is basically in about 1 foot patches all around the three walls.) It is definitely not close to any of the basement windows. The exposed part of the ICF does have an exterior finished grey coating, I guess this is referred to as stucco but I am not sure as I am not a builder. There are no pipe ends visible in the sump as you might expect, but according to the plans there should be a pipe (Big O?) around the outside of the base. I will check with the permit office on their records, the property is virtually brand new so everything is fresh. Thank you for taking the time to ask these questions, and make suggestions, if my answers prompt any other thoughts let me know! PS If you have any tips on investigating how it might be coming from upstairs windows or doors let me know!

Side note, how the hell do you do carriage returns on this forum?!

dmaceld: That's my fear but even if there is one it's somehow either compromised or being circumvented. :(

Duplicate comment removed.

Dig a test hole on the outside to find what kind of waterproofing you have. But if you have intrusion on the three walls, it sounds like the foundation will have to be excavated to properly remediate, no easy cures.

smartwall: thanks this will have to wait a while, we're in Canada with frozen ground :|

ICFBdr: I have mapped the upstairs windows to the patches and they do correspond roughly, there are two instances of upstairs window and it being completely dry in line with upstairs windows. One of the basement windows is showing stains below. I can see the top of the ICF and the top of the concrete but water does not appear to be coming in around the window. Any ideas on how I can check for sure? Sorry if these are really dumb questions. I am just trying to rule things out as we go forward and while we are unable to dig.

Before you go digging up the outside (Where is this house located?), let me suggest keeping it simple.
You have already torn open some of the sheetrock. open it up a little further, and then remove a section of the ICF a little larger than the wet spot. Its pretty easy to replace a 2' square with some sheet foam and spray foam. It should help you identify why the drywall is wet. It is possible that moisture is getting in through the concrete, or coming from the sill, where the traditional framing sits on top of the wall. Even if you have to remove a 2-3' wide section of foam from floor to ceiling, it will identify how the water is getting in. I can't promise that you won't have to dig later, but identifying the entry point before you dig is still a good idea.

Scott

MTicf: Thanks for your advice, that's what I am trying to do since we can't dig yet. I'm in Southern Ontario to answer your question :D I am almost convinced that since the finishes in the house are excellent, that the builder would not have missed something significant like putting the waterproof membrane in. Although obviously we don't know for sure without looking. I am just kind of hoping that water is somehow getting on top of the sill and that we can find the source. Will give your recommendation a try and see what I uncover!

AWebs, I would get very skeptical of your builder. You don’t have a warranty because he said he lived in it, yet he sold it within months of completion. That gets him out of any liability. The stuff you can see is high end, the stuff you can’t see should not be presumed to be anything. That’s what a shady builder would do. You should presume that everything you can’t see is junk. Maybe you will be pleasantly surprised.
I’m in rural Montana, with an ICF house all the way from the footing to the trusses. I built the house myself because any affordable local builder didn’t have the knowledge to build properly. I’ve learned a bunch through research. Much of it through this forum. Meanwhile, a house down the street built by a local builder had to have mold mitigated before it was ever complete, and my neighbor across the street has his brand new hydronic boiler overheating and short-cycling. His house is half the size of mine, but his boiler is twice the size of mine.
Let us know what you find.

Posted By AWebs on 24 Feb 2018 12:30 AM
MTicf: Thanks for your advice, that's what I am trying to do since we can't dig yet. I'm in Southern Ontario to answer your question :D I am almost convinced that since the finishes in the house are excellent, that the builder would not have missed something significant like putting the waterproof membrane in. Although obviously we don't know for sure without looking. I am just kind of hoping that water is somehow getting on top of the sill and that we can find the source. Will give your recommendation a try and see what I uncover!

What about plumbing? Do you by any chance have plumbing in the wall above the leak areas? It's a long shot but maybe you've got water leaking from some bad joints. But you said there is no ceiling in the basement so you should be able to see the sill plate all around and get some idea of water coming down onto the sill, if in fact it is.

MTicf: Yes you're right, thanks!