Basement Finishing Projects With Waterproof Problems

Once you have your new basement design and floor plan finished and have your approved building permits in-hand it's time to get the construction ball rolling in real-time!

The first step with any basement finishing project is to make sure that the environment in the basement is DRY! So, if you have any moisture or water problems existing in your basement you are going to want to have those problems corrected 1st!

Dampness on walls (not water running down them), is a problem that is usually very easy to correct. Ground water tables can cause a build-up of water to accumulate around the outside perimeter of your basement walls, this causes hydrostatic pressure. Hydrostatic pressure from a build-up of ground water can be caused by a number of different circumstances.
* Poor drainage from improper grading
* Clogged down spouts and gutters around the house
* Natural springs in the yard
These are the most common origins of accumulated amounts of trapped ground water. Most of these can be simply fixed with little effort.

Once the problem has been identified and corrected from the outside of the home, the problem should "dry-up" once and for all. I always "Drylock" ( a "brush-on waterproofing compound) the problem areas of the exterior walls with a heavy coat of this product. This will keep any additional moisture from ever returning to the "inside" of your exterior walls.

Masonry walls or "block units" will always be more susceptible to moisture problems because of there porous physical construction. Concrete walls or "pan-poured-wall" will almost never have a moisture problem because they are not porous at all, and leave no way for ground water to penetrate into the basement.

A true "water problem" as opposed to a "moisture problem" is a different animal all together! A water problem is diagnosed by the home owner discovering standing water on the floor someplace. Standing water or puddles of water are usually a serious problem. This means that you MUST INSTALL a waterproof SYSTEM around the interior perimeter of the basement walls!!!! Water will always find the path of "least resistance"! This means even if you have water in your basement only once in 2-5-10-years, eventually it WILL FIND IT'S WAY BACK IN AGAIN SOMEDAY! I always recommend and install a full Perimeter Waterproof system for those clients with standing water, and i guarantee this system for life!

This is the only way to ensure that once you finish-off the basement, your investment will be kept safe and DRY!

Once all moisture and/or water problems have been properly corrected, you can proceed with the basement finishing project. Only about 2% of my basement finishing clients over the last 17 years have needed a Perimeter Waterproofing System! About another 10-15% needed to have the Drylock Solution applied to the walls to "moisture proof" them from future ground water moisture. The other clients needed no such work at all!

Most newer homes built after 1990 have had "footer drains" installed around the interior and exterior perimeters of the basement wall footers when they were originally constructed. These homes usually have 1 or 2 "sump pump pits" installed in the corners of the unfinished basement. These "sump-pump-pits" can have a sump pump motor installed into them by the home owners at anytime. Most builders do not include the pump in the pits that they have installed....GO FIGURE! It is the home owners responsibility to install their own sump pump motors to safeguard themselves in case from excessive ground water accumulation. If you have an existing pit, GET THE PUMP INSTALLED NOW!!

Any basement can be remodeled that has an existing moisture or water problem, so long as the origin of those problems has been properly corrected. Waterproof Perimeter systems should be installed by a trained professionals ONLY!

Looking for more information about basement finishing visit: http://www.1Basement.com

Here's to "Living Down Under"!

Edward Case