@whatever crew

[Thumpin'Ram]

I have a bilco cellar door that I wish to get rid of, so I had a contractor frame out a vestibule with an actual exterior door. I stressed the importance of waterproofing because the plan was to eventually put in a drywell/sump pump and remove the bilco.

This is with the bilco door still in place and closed! It offers no water resistance. I suspect they didn't use any sill gasket material.
Is it reasonable to ask them to rip it out and do it again? I'm thinking this is amateur hour and there's no way it's done to code, as this was just a few drips of snow melt (no hydrostatic pressure at all). If they refuse to redo it with a gasket, should I just fire them?

@whatever

edit:

here's a bilco door (not mine) for those who don't know

 

[mollywhop]

well there's your problem

 

[imbored]

oof

 

[imbored]

but also in

some of my most favorite threads

 

[borazhasleftthebuilding]

its gotta be removed

just gonna rot and leak

and rot

 

[BlasterMaster]

that sucks bro

 

[borazhasleftthebuilding]

wood touching concrete = rot

 

[TomDlgns]

I have a bilco cellar door that I wish to get rid of, so I had a contractor frame out a vestibule with an actual exterior door. I stressed the importance of waterproofing because the plan was to eventually put in a drywell/sump pump and remove the bilco.

This is with the bilco door still in place and closed! It offers no water resistance. I suspect they didn't use any sill gasket material.
Is it reasonable to ask them to rip it out and do it again? I'm thinking this is amateur hour and there's no way it's done to code, as this was just a few drips of snow melt (no hydrostatic pressure at all). If they refuse to redo it with a gasket, should I just fire them?

@whatever

what's on the other side of the door?
what was there before?

you need to drain the water somehow, you can't just add some walls and let the water sit on the other side.

how many quotes did you get? were they way off or close?

 

[borazhasleftthebuilding]

what's on the other side of the door?
what was there before?

you need to drain the water somehow, you can't just add some walls and let the water sit on the other side.

how many quotes did you get? were they way off or close?

cellar stairs

the cellar stairs were covered by cellar door

try to follow along

 

[smell my finger]

your problem is that the door is leaking

 

[TomDlgns]

cellar stairs

the cellar stairs were covered by cellar door

try to follow along

no!

 

[borazhasleftthebuilding]

no!

you are correct that something needs to be done to drain away the collected water

 

[Thumpin'Ram]

you are correct that something needs to be done to drain away the collected water

The longterm plan was to put in a drywell or sump pump and remove the cellar door.

I'll ask them to redo the sill interface.

 

[borazhasleftthebuilding]

The longterm plan was to put in a drywell or sump pump and remove the cellar door.

I'll ask them to redo the sill interface.

cant put a bulkhead above the stairs?

 

[TomDlgns]

The longterm plan was to put in a drywell or sump pump and remove the cellar door.

I'll ask them to redo the sill interface.

what are you going to do about the water on the other side of the door?

 

[Thumpin'Ram]

cant put a bulkhead above the stairs?

There's actually two full bathrooms in the basement that I'd like to provide access to, for pool users..like a poverty version of a pool house. I wanted to make the entrance to the basement more accessible as well as energy efficient.

 

[Ron]

Make them do a curb and add a drain/reslope the exterior part of the vestibule

 

[saabguy]

what's on the other side of the door?
what was there before?

you need to drain the water somehow, you can't just add some walls and let the water sit on the other side.

how many quotes did you get? were they way off or close?

what's on the other side of the door?
what was there before?

you need to drain the water somehow, you can't just add some walls and let the water sit on the other side.

how many quotes did you get? were they way off or close?

 

[Thumpin'Ram]

what are you going to do about the water on the other side of the door?

I'm confused why everyone is confused..maybe these are regional terms? I want to put in a drainage pit (drywell or sump pump) on the exterior side of the door

 

[BStork]

Hey man, I'm no contractor, but I'm pretty sure your door isn't supposed to be leaking.

HTH.

 

[borazhasleftthebuilding]

There's actually two full bathrooms in the basement that I'd like to provide access to, for pool users..like a poverty version of a pool house. I wanted to make the entrance to the basement more accessible as well as energy efficient.

no

i mean like this

 

[borazhasleftthebuilding]

no

i mean like this

if you do this, theres no water problem

 

[Newt]

Torch the house and start again imo.

 

[whatever]

uhhhh yea you need to waterproof the basin down there with a outdoor rated waterproofing. or use something like red guard and tile a tub in.

take some photos looking down from the outside.

you need to put the sump pump / drain in prior to all this.

 

[Thumpin'Ram]

no

i mean like this

oh yeah, that's a possibility. Good idea.