French Drain and Foundation Waterproofing System

Matt and Brian talk about Poly-Wall's Arroyo drain board and Bryan walks us through how he does his own French drain system!

Huge thanks to our sponsors Polywall, Huber, Cosella Dorken, Prosoco, Marvin Windows, Roxul, & DAP for helping to make these videos possible!

[markphilpot]

Regardless of the fact this is a high dollar house, that French drain job with all that exterior wall detail insures that basement has a near zero chance of leaking! That is high end work on a high end house! Very good job, first rate! Do it once and do it right!

[terraedwards]

There is so much miss-information on French drains on the Internet but not this, finally someone doing it right, great job!

[siriosstar]

I'm not a fan of french drains because of sediment clogging, but i must say, this is one of the best french drain jobs i have ever seen. Very high quality work.

[tommydjohnsonjr]

Perfect! I love that there were more than products featured. The step by step process is a great addition to the normal product review. The length of the video was longer, which is perfect because you had great content. I hate a rushed video that leaves me with more questions than answers

[NevrrPresntt]

My favorite comment now that i saw somewhere else :
Waterproofing takes up only 1% of the construction cost but if not done correctly can be responsible for up to 95% of damages.

[breebw]

Wow. this is great. I love the dedication to doing things right. The guy Bryan obviously knows his stuff.

[AJohnson]

There’s a saying that the more you know, the more you know you don’t know. Matt is a treasure trove of information. Somehow as soon as I have a question he’s already made a video on it.

[VertigoGTI]

Liking the FD system, I did something similar in 12/17 after being fed up with 2"-3" of water in the basement every time we got a heavy rain. FD was set 7' away from foundation, 6.5' deep (about a foot lower than the floor of the basement). 62' was cleared and 3 tunnels were done (driveway, walkway, water/sewage/gas lines). A $600 budget kept me from using adhesive, had to use fabric anchors every 18" to wrap up the burrito. True test was on 8/17/18 when we got over 5" of rain in a day, which would've resulted in at least 4" in the basement last year. Not a single drop this year.

[StoneHouse]

Ohh La La!! I’m going to retro fit this on my 1806 stone house! Thanks Matt!

[Recklessdigging]

Here is how to make the best French drain system ever. Tools needed for this job. Block saw, brush, drill, hammer, shovels, and a rake. First step is to find where water is coming into the house. On this house where the block meets the slab had a gap. I filled it with water proof epoxy. Let dry then put black tar base water proofing over it and also put it along the block where it meets the footer. Put pipe down and cover up. Always make sure the pipe is going down hill so water will fall.

[AF-O]

This is invaluable information. You excel at finding the best builders and subs.

[thelankyjim]

Great video would love to see more on a remodel version of this...buying in CO. Looking at how to improve house, add Radon mitigation, waterproof and condition attic and crawl space...

[goblingreen]

I am really impressed by Brian's methods. Bombproof. Very attentive to detail. Great job buddy.


BTW, were you ever a pro-wrestler? You should have been.

[solardiver]

GREAT subject and video. I built an underground home (3 sides and top covered with earth) 38 years ago. I wish we had these technologies back then.

[lowellnash]

I've built on some unique projects. But - it seems that there aren't a lot of Generals and subs that care to do things right. This is a great example of a great contractor. Thanks for the video and detail. The steps, the products, and why you wouldn't use other products were all great. Thank you!

[Padoinky]

I truly miss the luxury of having a walk-out basement - here in Dallas, basements are few and far between, which is unfortunate, as a basement offers a nice controlled environment that comes in handy during the sweltering 100+ degree summers, as well as offering storm-cellar safety during the frequent spring storms

[jeesjees]

In Finland we install the dimples on the inside, because of possible condensation against the cold ground. I guess in a warm and humid climate it's reversed.

[sorconsbuildingmaterialsin]

Dimple membranes called as drainage sheet are one of the most versatile and effective materials for waterproofing of the buildings. It is (HDPE) High Density Polyethilen based and provides speed in your construction projects, sustainability and environment friendly solution.

[CynicalDad]

French drain with clean out!?!?!?
Badass.

[davidan]

Excellent video. I tried myself in my house and the results were fantastic!