Basement Waterproofing

Every home is unique, and each project calls for different solutions. We can customize solutions specific to your repair needs. Your inspector will take into consideration your repair goals, the severity of damage or problem areas, square footage, and your budget. It’s not just a “one size fits all” fix. So, what works for your neighbor down the street may not necessarily be what your home needs.

Contacting us for an expert opinion is your best bet. We will not try to throw Band-Aids on the problems, push you to buy “everything but the kitchen sink,” or offer sub-standard quick fixes.

Here are some telltale signs of basement problems that are not mended by a do it yourself fix. You should instead seek reliable advice if you notice:

• Any kind of water seepage on basement walls and/or floor
• Bulging foundation walls
• Failing or inefficient sump pump system
• Lack of efficient interior and exterior drainage

Along with top-notch solutions installed by a reliable team when you choose to work with us, what you are really paying for is peace of mind and a safer home.

Not only will this benefit you during the time you live in the house, but it will have a lasting impact for the future resale of the house. You are investing in the health and wellness of the structure.

When having your home inspected for real estate transactions, even partial fixes or temporary bandages could raise a red flag along with water or structural damage. You’ll have to spend more time and money trying to address the issues, so why not make an educated decision and sound investment with us and our trustworthy repair solutions?

While we can’t control the weather or the soil outside your home, we can control what’s inside your house. That’s why the best waterproofing system involves interior drainage.

Our waterproofing system has three parts. To fix the issue with leaking or standing water, we need to catch the water, get the water to a sump pump, and send the water away from the home.

When we waterproof a basement, we drill “weep holes” into the bottom courses of the block walls (which does not affect their structural integrity) to relieve the pressure and water that may be build up inside. This water is intercepted by the BasementGutter™ system, which then directs the water to one of our trustworthy sump pump systems. The sump pump then pumps the water out of and away from the home through discharge lines. These lines can be directed to drain far away from the house, as well as out to the street.

Our patented, top-quality solutions are tested and proven to work to keep water out of your home for a safer living environment.

Cheaper, quick fixes like paints and wall coatings are only temporary bandages that will not address or tackle the root of the problem. Yes, you can apply a special sealant to your walls and floor, but it will pop and flake indicating a lingering moisture problem. Water also follows the path of least resistance. If it cannot enter through one location, it will find another way in.

So, don’t waste your time and money on fast fixes. You need our quality permanent solutions. We use reliable, custom equipment and state-of-the-art technology to install these various systems.

Contact us! We will be happy to schedule an appointment for you with one of our highly trained inspectors. Inspections are free and no obligation to you, and our specialist will complete a thorough evaluation of your home. We also are proud to work with realtors, commercial property owners, and other various affiliates.

If you are concerned with repair needs and insurance coverage, be sure to check with your insurance carrier, as all policies are different.

Here are some helpful tips for selecting a reputable contractor, courtesy of Today’s Homeowner. We are proud to meet and exceed expectations on these points:

• No Contract Labor: Make sure the people performing the repairs work for the company.
• Financial Commitment: Does the contractor own or rent his equipment?
• Supervisors on Site: Is the company large enough to provide full-time supervision, or will the crew be dropped off at your home to do the work?
• References: Make sure references are not hand-picked.
• Warranties: Warranties are only as good as the company that offers them. A reputable company that has been in business for at least 25 years should be your best bet.
• Insurance: Ask for current insurance certificates.

Water intrusion and damage can be detrimental to your home for a variety of reasons. Along with ruining any stored belongings, leaking water can lead to mold growth and unpleasant odors, and even result in flooding conditions.

These issues also result in unhealthy conditions that affect the rest of your home. Because of the stack effect, air circulates through your home from top to bottom, like a chimney. So, whatever is in your basement and/or crawl space (mold, moisture, odors) is in the rest of your house.

While building code calls for vented crawl spaces for air drying purposes, this is harmful to the home. Hot and humid air enters the crawl space during the summer, which contributes to high levels of moisture and humidity in the crawl space and home. This can lead to sagging, soft, buckling floors above, and result in problems to hardwood floors. Similarly, cold air is vented during the winter, making the above floors feel chilly and overtaxing your furnace. (Additional resource: Liabilities of Vented Crawl Spaces, Their Impacts on Indoor Air Quality in Southeastern U.S. Homes and One Intervention Strategy)

Leaking water also affects your home’s structural integrity. If you have block foundation walls, water can easily saturate and seep through the porous material and find its way inside through any crack or gap. If water has nowhere to go, it starts building up inside the walls. Coupled with hydrostatic pressure, this results in an unsafe mess for your foundation walls and basement floor.

Your home is a significant investment, and it is important to ensure its health and safety today and for the future. The longer you neglect these issues, the more costly future repairs will be. A wet, nasty basement also affects the value of and ability to sell a home.

Angie’s List estimates the return on investment from basement waterproofing to be around 30 percent. But the health and structural benefits, not to mention peace of mind, are priceless.

Various factors impact your home’s appraisal value, but structural integrity and any water problems are important areas you need to be aware of. When selling your house, it is important to disclose any past or current damage. Ohio homeowners must complete the Residential Property Disclosure Form, and some items on the checklist are structural problems, settling, moisture and water problems, and flooding. (
Source: Nolo)

There are many things that you can do to mitigate or remove a musty or unpleasant smell in your home, of course, but the methods which are most effective depend on the situation in which you have found yourself.  

Repair All Damage 

The first step in removing any smell from your home is repairing the damage that has allowed moisture, humidity, and pests to enter your home. This means lifting and leveling any sunken concrete slabs, reinforcing bowing walls, repairing damaged pipes, and resealing basement windows or crawl space vents and doors. This will give you a clean slate from which to work.  

By preventing water and moisture from getting into your home and repairing the damage that has been done to your property as a whole, you will cut off the source of the smell. This work is key to ensuring that the results you get from cleaning up the pests, mold, or growths which are causing the smell are permanent. After all, you don’t want the smell to come back!  

Remove Pests and Moisture  

Once the structure of your property has been repaired and the integrity of your plumbing system has been assured, it will be possible to take appropriate measures to remove the mold, fungal growths, or pests which have created the bad smell in your home. Depending on the nature of the problem this can be a fairly lengthy process.  

Pest removal, chemical removal of mold, and dehumidification may all be needed, alongside a deep clean, depending on the nature of the damage in your home. This is why it is important to talk to a professional about the smell of your property and what you can do about it. Experts have all the information and tools they need to return your home to full health.