I need help on ideas on how to stop water infiltration. I have found that the culprit is my prefab basement bulkhead step. The water makes its way in at the base of the step where the structure meets the foundation wall at the seam. Can anyone help me with ideas to stop this water problem. I planned to excavate around the step all the way down to the footing by the steps and sealing the corners where the foundation wall and step meet, especially the base of the step with everything from waterproofing materials to concrete. Can anyone tell me if this sound like I am on the correct track?

The precast steps and the foundation probably move at different rates, so the joint between them must be flexible. I suggest excavating to the bottom of the steps unit, and back maybe 18 inches in each direction. Don't bother to ptach the joint between them with cement...it will only crack and open up again. Instead, apply about 18 inches of foundation dampproofing heavily to both the foundation and the steps unit, and then embed a heavy sheet of neoprene flashing into each side. The neooprene will flex and allow relative movement between the two, and should stop your water entry. You can probably get a roll of neoprene flashing at a roofing supply house.

Thanks Richard that sounds much better of a solution then mines. I had not considered the fact that the units could be moving at different rates. After I have placed the neoprene flashing shoulg give it another coating of the foundation dampproofing? Is the flashing self adhesive? And how soon can I backfill?

The flashing is not self-adhesive, but it will stick in the dampproofing coating. There is no need for an outer coat of dampproofing. You can backfill right away, but it might be a good idea to backfill with pea gravel.

Another possibility is to use a Bituthene wrap. I like the primed 'peel and stick' with mastic better than the brush on because it's cleaner and you can be assured that it is a completely sealed barrier. You can find these products and a concrete/masonry store, maybe even building supply or something like that. If you are working with a large area, this might work because the roll is packaged as 200sq/ft and includes the primer. Otherwise, I have used brush on (60sq/ft pail) for small localized areas.