We’ve said goodbye to summer in all of its warm and sunny glory. We’ve ushered in fall, viewed the stunning leaf-show, and watched them let loose from their tree hosts one by one. We notice the dead branches and heave a sigh; winter is coming soon. Continue reading →
Why is my basement damp? This is a question that no homeowner wants to ask themselves. Unfortunately, if the question has to be asked, the best thing you can do is to find the answer; pronto! Below are 4 reasons why you may be wondering about the dampness along with some solutions on how to combat the troubles if they affect you. Continue reading →
They say that when it rains, it pours and residents of Maryland are certainly no stranger to that epitaph. As rains and storms have worked their way across the country in recent days, residents face heavy rain and tides that are higher than usual, resulting in coastal flooding. For this reason, some of us might be in trouble when it comes to our basements, or our man cave. Continue reading →
It’s no secret that wet basements can lead to bugs and even rodents. It’s bad enough when you run into many-legged creepy crawlies like centipedes, silverfish, and beetles outside in your yard. But it’s doubly bad when these unwanted insect critters show up inside your home. Maryland’s rich ecosystem allows a variety of such creatures to thrive in all seasons. However, in colder weather these insect pests are notorious for sneaking into the dark, damp, and hidden recesses of your home. This is especially true if there are cracks or crevices in your home’s foundation, which represent an easy way in for a variety of opportunistic house “guests.” Continue reading →
Radon is a colorless, odorless element which seeps slowly but surely through solid rock, clay, soil, and concrete, although it prefers to move through cracks, joints, and open air. Radon is a radioactive noble gas, and although this seepage is best measured in picocuries per liter – a picocurie being one trillionth of a curie – breathing in as few as 4 pCi/L of radon on a regular basis has been directly linked to lung cancer. And throughout hundreds of counties all across the United States, 4 pCi/L is the least you should expect. Continue reading →
Efflorescence is a crystalline deposit appearing on the surfaces of masonry, stucco, or concrete. It is whitish in appearance and is the result of water moving through a wall or other structure. In some cases it might indicate that water is being driven out of the efflorescent surface from within. In reality, the whitish appearance is actually the result of salt deposits. These are water-soluble salts that come from a variety of sources. In order for efflorescence to be present, there must be water present to dissolve and transport the salts. Continue reading →
The first hollow block design was patented by Harmon S. Palmer, an American mason, in 1900. Following Palmer’s innovation, mass production methods allowed for the proliferation of concrete block structures throughout the nation. Although the hollow block design allowed for a convenient way to affordably construct buildings to withstand the elements in nearly any geographic region, there are some drawbacks to hollow block, or concrete block, constructions. Continue reading →
Depending on where you live, your local water drainage system is either not worth a second thought or it’s the first and last thing on your mind every spring when the weather turns warm. Continue reading →
A properly constructed basement should be fairly waterproof from day one. Water and concrete do not get along very well, and there’s a considerable amount of construction work and engineering that go into making sure they have as little contact as possible. As such, you might not understand why you would want to waterproof your basement later on when the original home builders already put so much effort into doing just that. However, there are at least 3 good reasons why you might want to hire a contractor to put in some extra work. Continue reading →
A damp basement is usually due to moisture that has penetrated through walls and floors. This can happen due to a combination of accumulated condensation on colder wall surfaces and improper or inadequate basement drainage. Over time, unchecked basement moisture can lead to problems like mold and even flooding if it is not addressed and corrected. Some typical causes of a flooded basement include: Continue reading →
