Your basement is an important part of your home. A dry basement can increase your living space and the air quality of your home. This article will show you four practical reasons to consider waterproofing your basement. But first, let’s cover the more obvious reasons to waterproof your basement.
If your basement floods after a heavy rain, or you experience standing water on a regular basis, it’s a no brainer that you need to get your basement waterproofed. For some basements, the need for waterproofing isn’t so obvious. That brings us to the question, how do we know that our basement needs to be waterproofed when we don’t see any signs of water in our basement?
Most signs of moisture problems can be seen such as efflorescence. Efflorescence is a whitish yellow powdery substance that pushes its way through your foundation wall. Efflorescence can sometimes be mistaken as mold, but it’s actually salt deposits formed by moisture pushing the salt in the concrete of your foundation out. Sometimes you can’t see the affects moisture is having on your basement, but you can smell it. If your basement smells musty, moisture is finding its way into your basement. If your basement has any sign of moisture, you should consider waterproofing your basement. Here are four more reasons to consider waterproofing your basement.
Storage Space
If you have a basement, at the minimum, you want to at least use your basement for storage. But some basements are so damp and/or musty that you can’t store anything in them. A dry non-musty basement will increase your storage space substantially.
Air Quality
The air quality of your home is super important especially if someone in your home suffers from allergies or has asthma. Wet basements are a breeding ground for mold and mildew which can cause allergies and asthma to flare up.
Increased Home Value
Your basement could be the deciding factor if someone buys your home. If your basement is obviously wet, potential buyers may try to offer less for your home. If you ever decided that you wanted to finish your basement, you would need to first correct any moisture problems or risk the chance that your finished basement could become water damaged or become a mold paradise. A dry finished basement would not only increase your home’s value, but greatly increase the liveable space inside your home.
Prevent Foundation Damage
Hydrostatic pressure causes your foundation to begin to crumble and can undermine its integrity. Exterior basement waterproofing would be your best defense to prevent further damage.
If you are convinced that you need to get your basement waterproofed, the last question is who to hire? It’s important to read reviews all over the web not just Google reviews. Secondly, true basement waterproofing takes place on the exterior of the foundation. Finding a versatile company that can waterproof both the inside and outside of your foundation would be ideal. When possible, the best way to keep your basement dry is to prevent water from coming in to start with. However, most basement waterproofing companies only offer interior basement water management. Interior waterproofing should be considered a last resort.
Most basement waterproofing companies offer free quotes. If you see or smell signs of a damp basement, give your local basement waterproofing company a call.
About The Author
Jon Lewis is a the owner of BasementWaterproofingNearMe.com, a basement waterproofing blog and directory. Jon is an average homeowner that has greatly researched the topic of basement waterproofing and has attempted his own DIY basement waterproofing.