Finishing Your Basement? Waterproof It First!
For the most part, basements usually aren’t finished to the same degree as the first or second story of the average modern house. After all, they aren’t meant to be a third floor of living space so much as a place to store the furnace, the things you don’t use very often, and possibly the laundry machine. Finishing the basement with carpet, drywall, and paint is an excellent way to add value to your home, but at the same time you should probably have an expert inspect your walls before you go covering them up. Continue reading →
Whether you are best served by interior or exterior basement waterproofing depends largely on your unique situation. Your location as well as the type of home you live in are both factors in determining whether you require interior or exterior basement waterproofing. Each waterproofing option has its pros and cons, of course. In the end, the type of waterproofing that works best for you will be decided by the type of problem you are experiencing. Cost may also be a factor, as interior waterproofing is often more affordable than exterior waterproofing. 
When you’ve got a basement, it’s fairly obvious that there’s a lot of room for things to go wrong. Any of the four walls could crack under lateral pressure and allow water to seep in, plus when you dig deeper the groundwater doesn’t have to go up nearly as high to get above your foundation slab and start doing damage to the structure and to all your belongings. 
Usually when residents of Maryland and other New England states hear about another hurricane beating down on Florida and the Bahamas, the normal reaction is to sympathize with the people living in that part of the world, and get on with the business of daily life, thankful for the fact that this sort of thing never happens in this part of America. 
Water is the last thing you want to see seeping into your basement or foundation. It can damage your furniture and belongings, it can stain the walls and carpets, it allows mold and insects to thrive, and it can even have an erosive effect on the concrete itself. It’s a fairly good idea, then, to waterproof your basement, but what exactly is involved in this process? 
When is the best time to waterproof your basement? You might think that such an enterprise is best undertaken in the warmer months, once the snow and ice have melted and warmer weather has returned. In reality, however, the best time to waterproof your basement is during the winter. Once spring time rolls around, all that thawing snow and ice can threaten to inundate an improperly waterproofed basement. And although April showers do indeed bring May flowers, they can also bring unwanted moisture to your basement. 
If you’ve never lived in a house with a raised foundation before, the crawl space is an area that exists between the base of a building’s first floor (which is a few steps up from the ground) and the concrete foundation which is level with the ground. The crawl space serves as an excellent way to get at the various wires and pipes which are normally hidden away behind the scenes, but there’s something of a problem: when you have the ability to crawl under your house, there’s a good chance that you’re not the only one. 
Water covers around 70 percent of the surface of our planet. It carved out the Grand Canyon and the Upper Mississippi River Valley. Frozen water flattened the Great Plains, and water vapor can form massive thunderstorms which generate thousands of lightning bolts. Water is the universal solvent, because most every solid can dissolve in it. It’s no wonder, then, that our buildings are designed to keep water as far away as possible. 
Basement flooding can be catastrophic. Few things are as damaging to your basement as a flood. Dealing with basement flooding can be frustrating, emotionally exhausting, and very, very expensive. This is true even in the case of an unfinished basement, but when a basement that has also been used as a living space is flooded the expense can be even greater, as flooring, furnishings, and other upgrades can be costly to replace or repair. 
Do you suspect that you may have a drainage problem? If the answer to this question is yes, it’s possible that the thought of attempting to repair the issue on your own may have crossed your mind. After all, plenty of home projects are great DIY opportunities. And doing it yourself can save you a ton of cash. While things such as painting, landscaping, and refinishing cabinetry all make great do-it-yourself projects, repairing drainage problems does not fall into the category of home repair and improvement tasks that can be completed without the use of a qualified professional.