concrete foundation questions

[oreo123]

I am not involved with this. It happened / is happening next door in a home over 650k.

Around December it was about 10 degrees. Bulldozers were in, forms installed and concrete foundation was poured. Less than 24 hours - I think it was like 16 hours the forms were removed. We saw the humidity / steam from 75 feet away & it was below freezing. Other neighbor thinks that he heard a popping noise for a couple of days afterwards - could that have been the foundation cracking??? What is the correct length of time for forms to be left in place in the northeast in winter - I thought it was like 3 days?

Next around 3 months later the garage floor for 2 cars was poured against
existing foundation. Its maybe 8 feet above cellar floor.

The house foundation floor is above the water table. However there is water coming through into the cellar where the floor meets the walls almost everywhere. The grading is sloped away from house, there is maybe 6 inches of earth, and then its all sand. No one in neighborhood has sump pumps and these houses are higher than half the other neighbors houses.

Today I met new potential buyers who were allowed to bring things in before the closing. They asked me about the hardwood floors which I could see starting to cup. I install hardwood and I noticed it within 10 seconds. The floors are maybe 3 months old. We got humidity meter out and checked it in our house where it registered 6 percent. In this new house cellar the floor joists in first floor measured in the cellar were over 16 percent (off our scale).

Question 1: is it possible to seal a foundation?

Question 2: potential new homeowner doesn't want the drain with pump in
cellar floor. They want a french drain. What are the odds of this working?

Question 3: had anyone ever had a new foundation done by lifting the house? And what is a wild guess for the cost to pick up a 3100 sq foot house on 2 levels?

Myself if I bought it I would hold back that amount at closing and
if the builder couldn't make it dry for a year than I would want that done.
There is no way that the cellar could ever be finished with the water and
humidity which is a shame because it has ceilings maybe 9 feet high.

TIA.

Oh ya - there is yet another house next door and we looked in that cellar.
Its wet. And its not sold.

[Rich]

First - cold weather pouring. You are right you should keep the concrete at at least 50 degrees for 3 days or more if possible. This can be done with heaters, concrete blankets, straw, etc. The forms can be stripped buy they do hold the heat in better than without.
Answer 1: Yes it is possible to seal, waterproof..etc. For any house I think a membrane and drain board with a perimeter drain is a good idea. Yes it increase the cost by about 3000 for the foundation.. but well worth the money. Sealing after the fact could be done with hydraulic cement in the cracks and a dryz type product.
Answer 2: A french drain and a sump would be the best way. French drains out to the corners of the slab draining back to the sump. I've never had good luck with french type drains except in window wells and the like.
Answer 3: I've seen a 2000sf house lifted and moved about 10 miles. It wasn't cheap to lift or move. Couldn't even begin to guess the cost. I know to move a 40' tree about 50' it cost me 4000. And it takes about 3 30' trees to make a house :)