Hello,
I have a house (built in 1968, in hot Alabama) with a full basement that has a moisture problem. When a heavy rain occurs, water will seep through the wall/floor joint and run into the basement. Not a flood but enough to justify a repair. I'm thinking I need to install a french drain but wanted to get some other opinions based on the attached photos. I have excavated around the perimiter of the foundation and stopped short of going all the way down to the footer because I found some bricks that were laid at an angle that seemed odd and thought maybe I had gone far enough and didn't need to excavate all the way to the footer.
My questions are as follows:
Have you ever seen the bricks placed at the weird angle on the first or second course coming up from the bottom of the house? Could this be the primary source of my problem and if so, what should I do to stop the leaking?
If the bricks aren't the culprit should I dig the extra 3-4 feet down to the footer and then do what?
Coat with tar? Add some other water resistant material to the foundation? Install the frech drain? If so, I need details on how to lay out the french drain.
I hope I've provided enough info and pictures for some feedback. All advice is appreciated. The photos are from my cell phone and aren't the best.
Thanks, John

More pictures

From what I gather from your photos I think your main problem is that your gutter downspouts need to be extended much, much farther away from the foundation. The downspouts are directing this water right into your basement! An extension of at least 4-6' should do the trick.