Start with the groundwater: confirm from the geotechnical report that every wall the issued Section 07 11 13 dampproofs has no head of water or unusually wet soil, since its scope note sends walls with a head of water to Section 07 12 00, and confirm that the wall sections show where the dampproofing starts and stops, since the section has no note listing what the drawings must show. Then check that the material, the hot or cold method, the primer, the protective covering, the curing of the concrete, the cavity wall treatment, and the penetrations kept in the section agree with the wall details and with Sections 03 30 00, 04 20 00, 07 21 13, and 07 27 10.
Assemble the review package
Gather the foundation plan and the basement, crawl space, and retaining wall sections with the dampproofing extents, the footing and grade details, the exterior wall sections with the masonry cavity wall, flashing, and weep details, the furred wall sections where dampproofing reduces vapor transfer, the stone facing details, the pipe and conduit sleeve details and the trade drawings that place them, the foundation drainage, area drain, and downspout plans, the geotechnical report with the groundwater level and any perched water, the envelope moisture analysis, the site logistics plan where hot work is proposed, and the issued Section 07 11 13 with Sections 03 30 00, 04 20 00, 07 21 13, 07 27 10, 33 46 16, and any of 07 12 00, 07 13 53, and 07 17 00 the project also issues. Follow one basement wall from the footing to finished grade, and one cavity wall from its base flashing up, before assuming the others match.
WBDG publishes UFGS 07 11 13: Bituminous Dampproofing as a public guide-specification reference (accessed November 9, 2026). Use your project’s issued specification and amendments for the actual comparison; the guide specification does not automatically govern your project. The checklist below is an original suggested review workflow, not a reproduction of the UFGS requirements.
Eight checks to run against the issued set
Use one record per location or system. The CSV contains the same eight prompts plus fields for source revisions, observed evidence, the review owner, the decision, and closure references.
| Check | Sources to compare | Question to resolve |
|---|---|---|
| Dampproofing or waterproofing: the groundwater basis | Opening scope note (moisture in the absence of hydrostatic pressure; capillary action and water vapor; Section 07 12 00 where a head of water exists) + PART 2 note (coal-tar pitch “when hydrostatic pressure below grade is high”) + geotechnical report (groundwater level, perched water, wet soil) + foundation plan and wall sections + Sections 07 12 00, 07 13 53, and 07 17 00 | Does the geotechnical report show no head of water and no unusually wet soil at every below-grade wall the section dampproofs, as the scope note requires, are walls with a hydrostatic condition sent to a waterproofing section instead, and since the PART 2 note keeps coal-tar pitch for high hydrostatic pressure below grade, a condition the scope note sends to Section 07 12 00, has the specifier confirmed that coal-tar pitch dampproofing is not standing in for waterproofing on those walls? |
| Extent and where the dampproofing starts and stops | Opening scope note conditions (below-grade walls of occupied spaces, backs of retaining walls and stone facing, inside face of furred single-wythe walls above grade, cavity face of the interior wythe) + no designer drawing note and no termination article + wall sections, retaining wall and stone facing details, footing and grade details + the IBC dampproofing section your jurisdiction adopts | Since the section has no designer note listing what the drawings must show and no article on where dampproofing starts and stops, do the wall sections show its extent at each condition the scope note lists, its bottom edge at the footing and its top edge at grade where the adopted code sets them, and its boundary where it meets below-grade waterproofing, the air barrier, or through-wall flashing, so no surface is claimed by two sections or by none? |
| Material: asphalt type, coal-tar pitch, fibrous asphalt, or emulsion | PART 2 note (Type III asphalt instead of Type II where exposed to high temperatures after application, and coal-tar pitch then deleted; coal-tar pitch for acid or salt resistance) + Asphalt, Coal-Tar Pitch, Fibrous Asphalt, and Emulsion-Based Asphalt Dampproofing articles and notes + Safety and Health Requirements bracket (coal-tar pitch; 29 CFR 1926 and “General Industry Health Standards”) + wall sections | Is one material kept for each condition and named the same way on the wall sections, is Type III asphalt written in where the dampproofing will be exposed to high temperatures after application, as the note directs, where coal-tar pitch is kept for acid or salt resistance, is the Safety and Health Requirements paragraph kept with it, and does that paragraph identify the general industry health standards it names, since the References article lists only 29 CFR 1926? |
| Hot or cold application and protective covering | Application article bracket (hot or cold at the contractor’s choice; cold in confined spaces where hot bitumen would be hazardous) + Hot-Application Method (kettle attendance, heating limits) + Surface Protection note (covering only where backfill is delayed or damage is likely; where covering is used, dampproofing limited to hot-applied materials) + Protective Covering article (felt embedded in the second coating and matched to the bitumen, or board) + site logistics plan | Where the protective covering is kept, has the Application article’s choice of hot or cold application been edited to the hot-applied materials the Surface Protection note limits it to, does the felt kept match the bitumen, asphalt-saturated with asphalt and coal-tar-saturated with coal-tar pitch, is the covering kept only where backfill will be delayed or the surface is exposed to damage, and do the logistics plan and the drawings identify the pits, areaways, and other confined spaces where only cold application is allowed? |
| Substrate, curing, moisture testing, and primer | Surface Preparation note (coordinate patching with other sections; edit the concrete section so surfaces to be dampproofed are cured by water methods) + Surface Preparation article (form ties and repairs under Section 03 30 00, cleaning, ASTM D4263 moisture test and retest) + Section 03 30 00 Curing and Protection + Surface Priming article (creosote primer under coal-tar pitch, asphalt primer under asphalt) + Creosote Primer article (ASTM D43) + Emulsion-Based Asphalt primer rate | Is Section 03 30 00 edited so the walls to be dampproofed are cured by water methods, as the note asks, since its Curing and Protection article names moist curing only for sealers, hardeners, and epoxy coatings, does the schedule allow for the moisture test and any retest before dampproofing, is the primer matched to the bitumen, with the Creosote Primer article reconciled with ASTM D43, which the References article titles a coal tar primer, and since the Surface Priming and Emulsion-Based Asphalt articles state different primer rates, which rate governs for emulsion work? |
| Masonry cavity walls, flashing, and the air barrier | Cavity wall notes (delete creosote primer, coal-tar pitch, and the hot method; fibrous asphalt applied cold, primed unless the manufacturer advises otherwise) + Section 04 20 00 Cavity Walls note and bracket (dampproofing or air barrier; dampproof the cavity face of the interior wythe under Section 07 11 13) + Section 04 20 00 flashing bracket (material not adversely affected by dampproofing) + Section 07 21 13 Dampproofing for Masonry Cavity Walls (Section 07 11 13 or parging) + Section 07 27 10 notes + cavity wall sections | Where cavity walls are dampproofed, have the cavity wall notes been followed, with creosote primer, coal-tar pitch, and the hot method deleted and fibrous asphalt kept, do Sections 04 20 00 and 07 21 13 both point to this section rather than one of them to parging, does the flashing bracket in Section 04 20 00 exclude materials the dampproofing affects, and where Section 07 27 10 places the air barrier on the outboard face of the backup wythe, do the wall sections show which layer goes on that face and how the two meet? |
| Vapor reduction on furred walls above grade | Opening scope note (inside face of furred single-wythe exterior walls above grade where reduced vapor transfer is necessary) + Fibrated Emulsion-Based Asphalt note (also used as a vapor barrier on interior surfaces) + Section 07 21 13 vapor retarder note (need and permeance from a climate-specific moisture analysis under UFC 3-101-01; vapor retarders only where the analysis shows them necessary) + Section 07 27 10 + furred wall sections | Where dampproofing reduces vapor transfer on the inside face of a furred exterior wall, does the moisture analysis that Section 07 21 13 asks for under UFC 3-101-01 call for a vapor retarder on that face, and do the wall sections avoid adding a second low-permeance layer, such as an exterior air and vapor barrier, that would slow the wall’s drying, which the 07 21 13 note warns vapor retarders can do? |
| Penetrations, drains, submittals, and storage | Emulsion-Based Asphalt article (sealed tightly around pipes and projecting items; the only article that addresses penetrations) + Protection of Surrounding Areas bracket (drains and conductors) + Submittals article (materials certificate only) + Delivery and Storage (labels, shelf life, water-based materials kept from freezing) + plumbing, electrical, and site drawings + foundation drainage and downspout plans + Section 33 46 16 | Since only the emulsion article seals the dampproofing around pipes and other projecting items, has the same requirement been added for the hot and fibrous methods where they are kept, for every sleeve and conduit through a dampproofed wall on the trade drawings, is the drains and conductors bracket kept where foundation drains, area drains, or downspout connections sit beside the wall, and since the only submittal is a materials certificate, has product data or the manufacturer’s instructions the emulsion article relies on been added? |
Worked example: a wet uphill wall, coal-tar pitch on a cavity wall, and two layers claiming one face
Illustrative example: a new two-story administration building steps down a sloping site, with a partial basement under its uphill half and brick and concrete masonry cavity walls above grade. The geotechnical report notes perched water against the uphill basement wall after heavy rain, but the wall sections call for “bituminous dampproofing” on every basement wall and show no foundation drain. The issued Section 07 11 13 keeps every PART 2 article, coal-tar pitch and creosote primer included, keeps the contractor’s choice of hot or cold application together with the felt protective covering, and dampproofs the cavity face of the backup wythe, while Section 07 27 10 places a fluid-applied air barrier on that same face. Section 03 30 00 has not been edited for water curing of the basement walls, and the wall sections do not show where the dampproofing stops at the footing.
Ask the geotechnical engineer whether the uphill wall sees a head of water; if it does, ask the architect to move that wall to a waterproofing section, such as Section 07 12 00, as the scope note directs, or Section 07 13 53, with a foundation drain under Section 33 46 16, and to keep dampproofing only on the walls the report shows to be free of hydrostatic pressure. Ask the specifier to delete coal-tar pitch, creosote primer, and the hot method for the cavity walls, as the notes direct, to limit the method to hot application wherever the felt covering stays, and to edit Section 03 30 00 so the basement walls are water cured. Ask the architect and the envelope designer which layer goes on the cavity face of the backup wythe, the dampproofing or the air barrier, and to show the top and bottom limits of the dampproofing on every wall section.
Avoid a false conflict
Section 07 11 13 covers hot-applied asphalt or coal-tar pitch and cold-applied fibrous asphalt or asphalt emulsion dampproofing where no hydrostatic pressure acts, with an optional felt or board protective covering. Walls with a head of water follow Section 07 12 00, as its scope note directs, or Section 07 13 53, or Section 07 17 00 where its basis applies; see the built-up, sheet, and bentonite waterproofing guides. Form tie removal, surface repair, and curing follow Section 03 30 00, cavity walls and flashing follow Section 04 20 00, cavity insulation and vapor retarders follow Section 07 21 13, the air barrier follows Section 07 27 10, and foundation drains follow Section 33 46 16 Subdrainage Piping, so check those before calling a requirement missing. The section has no designer note listing what the drawings must show, no article on where dampproofing starts and stops, and no sealing of penetrations outside its emulsion article, and its only submittal is a materials certificate. Its PART 2 note keeps coal-tar pitch for high hydrostatic pressure below grade, a condition its scope note sends to Section 07 12 00, its Surface Priming and Emulsion-Based Asphalt articles state different primer rates, its Creosote Primer article cites the coal tar primer standard, and its Safety and Health Requirements paragraph names general industry health standards that its References article does not list. Unlike Sections 07 12 00, 07 13 53, and 07 17 00, its notes cite no IBC section; confirm the dampproofing requirements of the edition your jurisdiction adopts, and of UFC 3-101-01 where the project follows it. Groundwater levels belong to the geotechnical engineer and the moisture analysis to the envelope designer. The current guide section cites ASTM C208, C728, D41, D43, D226, D227, D449, D450, D1187, D1227, D4263, and D4479, and 29 CFR 1926; confirm the editions your project invokes.
When requirements disagree, follow the project’s document-control and clarification process. Do not assume that drawings always override specifications, or the reverse. Identify the exact sources and request an authorized decision.
Close the issue across the affected documents
Record the location or tag, drawing and specification references, issue dates, observed difference, and the decision needed. Assign an owner and keep the item open until the response identifies the governing requirement. Check the revised drawings and specification references together; a response email alone may leave the issued package inconsistent.
For the overall process, use the guide to drawing and specification conflicts. Mark an inapplicable checklist row with a reason, and distinguish a verified correction from a question that still needs design information.
Where Groundbook fits
Groundbook’s drawing and specification review helps investigate potential disagreements in the documents you supply. Include the relevant specification sections and drawing references, then verify the cited evidence with the responsible reviewers before acting on a finding.