Jim - 10/16/2011 00:15

imho basement drainage and waterproofing is not the place to pinch pennies when building a new house. And being on a hill may not be much help depending on local soils and hydrology.

briefy I would put drain tile around the inside and the outside of the foundation , plastic perforated tile with a cloth sock to prevent silt filling it up. Surround this tile all around with 4" of washed gravel (no fines) 3/4 rock,  The inside loop should go to a sump pump. The outside loop should go to daylight if possible on a hill - or to a properly sized sump pump system if not on a hill. Make sure the drain tile is properly sloped for the water to flow where it is supposed to and (at or below the footing). Some contractors often just throw the tile in the hole with little regard for slope and call it good enough.

The outside of the foundation should be sprayed with a proper (=expensive per gallon) long lasting elastomeric compound by a well regarded experienced professional who doesnt skimp on materials to get the low bid. Apply a dimpled membrane over the spray or a fiberglass "drain board" which I like because it also provides a bit of thermal insulation (R5) but most important lets water get down to your tile rather than sitting against the concrete looking for a place to get in. Drain board or membrane should extend from the footing and tile up to the top to the foundation or soil line.

Then back fill 2/3 of the depth of the foundation with regular gravel and the top 1/3 with soil. Make sure the final grading is away from the house.  Also - install several floor drains inside the basement and garage.  Basically BTDT. Wet/damp basements are very difficult and expensive to correct later. Might as well do the job right when you can which is the brief time you can see the footings.  Economize somewhere else up above the soil line. Good luck.

Jim at Dawn