In the back of my house I have an addition that just sits on a perimeter foundation (no basement). I've got some moisture problems and some grading issues, so I'm putting a french drain around the foundation.
I'm trying to dig down about 24" or so below surface (36" or masonry exposed). My plan is to repair the masonry, apply asphalt sealant, layer of 8mm plastic, and then thr french drain (garden fabric, #4 stone, 4" perforated drain pipe w/sock, 1:100 inclination).
When digging, I got to the door and realized that the concrete transition at the door opening appears to be poured and overhands the cap of the foundation by 6-8" (see photos). I'm thinking it's not safe to remove it and I'm going to have to leave all the dirt and soil around and near the door and come out a foot or two. This means I can't deal and plastic there like I wanted. Is this my only option?
Best Answer
If, as it appears from your pictures, this is a solid block poured in place of the blocks that are not there in the door opening, on top of the poured foundation wall, 6-8" overhang that thick is not a particular concern for digging away underneath - it's not going to fall off if you're not taking a sledgehammer to it, even if it is unreinforced.
If it stuck out more, or if it was thinner, there might be a cause for concern. Here, no worries. Or, if I'm seeing things wrong and it's really just scabbed onto the face of blocks (can you see the backside of this in the crawlspace?) but in that case I'd expect it to fall off anyway, so it seems unlikely.
Compact the drainage rock well when filling this area would be the only special attention I'd pay to that.