Foundation Sealing

There were signs of minor water seepage into the masonry.  This might have been due to the chimney cap, but I wanted to make sure everything was sealed up right.  So I dug around the foundation.  I plan to do this all the way around the back foundation, as I plan to do the steel planter there.

While the area under the concrete was fine, and there is a French drain all around the foundation, it seemed clear that the rock around the chimney had become clogged with dirt, and it seemed that any water that came in contact with that base wouldn't have anything preventing it from seeping in.  Even found an old rusted ash door about 1' down.  There were also some odd locations, evenly spaced along the base of the foundation, where there were small wood pieces that penetrated all the way through.  I could even see those on the backside of the planter. 

So, I used simple mortar to fill those, and then sealed everything with a tar based foundation sealant.  I don't expect the mortar to repel water, just to provide a good surface for the sealant to adhere.

This also provides some sealant between the lead (I assume) drip trim and the foundation itself.  It's probably overkill, but I wanted to make sure it was done right.