sealing bottom edge of stucco on a styrofoam foundation wall

Hi, I have a styrofoam foundation on my house and on one wall there is a walkway outside at the same height as the basement floor. About 7 feet below the normal grade. The outer wall of the styrofoam foundation has stucco on it and there is a gap of about 1/4-1/2 inch between the bottom edge of the stucco and the outside walkway sidewalk slab. I'm having a problem with water getting into my basement when it rains. Any ideas on how to seal it up would be appreciated. Thanks.

Reply to
autonut843
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Firs, you don't have a Styrofoam wall. You have either a wood, block or concrete wall insulated with Styrofoam.

You can use caulk, roofing cement, blacktop patch, or any number of things to direct the water away. Would be best to have a little bevel.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Mebbee, but mebbee he does, there is such a thing

I swear by sikaflex to seal most anything. just don't get it on your hands, will be there for a while

Reply to
yourname

Really? There have been maybe six houses built from foam. There have been hundreds of thousands built with a solid structure and foam insulation on the outside.

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But he could have one of those foam houses. Some were geodesic domes.

Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

Sounds like a design problem. Get the contractor back and have him fix the drainage problem first.

Reply to
JimL

Hi, here are some examples of what I am talking about. I think there are about a dozen or so different manufacturers, each with their own design. Basically you put up the foam and the rebar and pour the concrete inside the foam.

insulated concrete form

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Reply to
autonut843

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Actually, there are about 50 manufacturers of ICFs. My company does work for five of them

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But, they are not foam walls. They are concrete wall, with foam lining both the interior and exterior to provide superior insulation, good sound proofing, and huge energy savings. Not to mention hurricane and tornado resistance. If I was building a house today, that is what I'd use and save

40% or more on heating bills.
Reply to
Edwin Pawlowski

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No, wrong again.

They are strofoam walls with internal support.

Reply to
JimL

Thanks! Ok, so let's say I go with the roofing cement since I'm familiar with that. Would it be ok to just go about 6 inches up the stucco and about 6 inches out on the concrete sidewalk and fill everything in between with the roofing cement? Or do I need to let anything breathe in there? I've heard that stucco isn't really that waterproof and that is why it has the tarpaper with the chicken wire underneath it. The tarpaper keeps the water that seeps through the stucco away from the plywood, framing, etc. that is underneath. Maybe I heard wrong though, I don't know. Stucco isn't my thing. I just don't know if I'd be making a bigger problem by sealing it up that way or if there is a better way.

If the stucco is in good shape with no cracks, breaks, holes, etc. Is there any reason I'd need to break the lower few inches out to get to the tarpaper layer to put flashing or something else in there?

Thanks again.

Reply to
autonut843

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