I think I'd be satisfied just making sure I had good drainage away from the house. I imagine it's more moist in the Carolinas than in Northern Idaho. Anyway, I don't think the moisture barriers hurt, but if there's underground water, no amount of water-proofing will keep it out, forever. I've read some horror stories about building earth-sheltered homes, where insufficient attention was given to where the water wants to go. Make it so the water wants to move away from the foundation, and your foundation will be bone-dry. It's more about making it so it's easier for water to go somewhere else than being waterproof, because you're not building a submarine. With the plan of rock and drainage pipe going in around the perimeter, you should be golden, as long as there's a place for it to drain TO. Very nice to have buried power lines. They do that in some of the newer housing developments. Overhead power lines are an eyesore. Buried lines are less prone to weather, but I wonder how hard it is to work on. Definitely worth the investment if you're building something new.
I think I'd be satisfied just making sure I had good drainage away from the house. I imagine it's more moist in the Carolinas than in Northern Idaho.
Anyway, I don't think the moisture barriers hurt, but if there's underground water, no amount of water-proofing will keep it out, forever. I've read some horror stories about building earth-sheltered homes, where insufficient attention was given to where the water wants to go. Make it so the water wants to move away from the foundation, and your foundation will be bone-dry. It's more about making it so it's easier for water to go somewhere else than being waterproof, because you're not building a submarine.
With the plan of rock and drainage pipe going in around the perimeter, you should be golden, as long as there's a place for it to drain TO.
Very nice to have buried power lines. They do that in some of the newer housing developments. Overhead power lines are an eyesore. Buried lines are less prone to weather, but I wonder how hard it is to work on. Definitely worth the investment if you're building something new.