plastic and basement

[Philip J. Cavalcante]

Ok I have a leaking basement. House was built in 2006 new and never lived in. I figured the basement was leaking due to the fact that all the water from the back of the roof was poring on the right side of the house (thats were the leak is). My client is asking me about some plastic that was left on the house. It comes from the seal-plate and goes down in the ground about 3ft along the back side of the house. The black sealant is also in place. Any thought about the plastic?

[Larry D. Kage]

Is it PWF construction?

Have any pictures?

[Philip J. Cavalcante]

No pics, i was thinking the plastic was from the curing process and just never removed. however i just came back from the house tonight and they were removing all of the insulation and its all wet so theres more problems then the first inspection revealed.

[ROBERT V. YOUNG]

Please post a picture for it is hard to evaluate something unseen.The back of the total home would be great.It can come down from the roofing right into to basement if the conditions are right and not show itself in the walls for one,to from between the sill plate ,to basement foundation problems ,to siding problems etc,etc ,etc.Hard to make a judgment without photos.PS I have been building and doing brick Restoration for over 33 years so pic,s are a must to make an observation to try to get a focus on the area of concern to make a solution possible.I do wish you success in trying to get a solution to your problem at hand.

[ROBERT V. YOUNG]

The plastic could be a water barrier not a damp proof ,but should be around the total perimeter of the homes foundation.It will go from grade to footing.Very thin clear plastic with black tar behind it that was sprayed onto foundation walls. plastic on top to act as shield to prevent tar from drying out and appears black from tar behind it.
If its a brick or stone vainer- a thick black plastics is placed upon the foundations top to accept the bedding for the first course of brick or stone to act as a gasket so martor will not stick to foundation.Some times it comes in a roll 3 feet wide 100 feet long and drapes over the foundation as to protect anything below it from getting masonary on what ever is behind or under the work in progress,windows, ledger boards, angle iron etc.. In some cases I have seen it left intact after the work has been completed,for it should be cut away after work has been completed .It is left draped over the foundation from the sill-plate {it is not to be placed upon sill-plate but sometimes is} down 3 feet,the width of the plastic.The foundation guys are running late putting in French drains,or the back yard has not been graded yet for the home is built on land that slopes and the void is filled after the brick work had been completed leaving the plastic barrier bumped up against the foundation wall.Not good build practice.
As I mentioned pictures are a great help for the situations are endless.