waterproofing basement or not?
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:cry: I have a basement problem and it did not seem to fit into the forum for Basements! Over the past 2 years I have noticed water stains on my basement walls. approx. 2 ft up from the floor all the way around the basement and as high as 4 ft in one particular corner. At times, there is water on the floor...but only close to the wall. It never seems to flow to the center of the basement. I also have found that my eavestroughs are in need of repair, which, I am doing this weekend. I intend to add more dirt around the house to increase the grade, but I am concerned and confused about how much good that will do. I have noticed, this month, that water has pooled outside the home, in the area where the trough has broken loose. I can fix that. However, I was considering having a waterproofing company do some work. Most of them want to dig a trench around the interior floor, fill it with rock, use a hard plastic form to redirect the water, cover that with rock, then refill the area with concrete. These services range from 4200 -11000 dollars. The higher priced one suggests to also hand excavate around the exterior of the house , tearing up ALL my landscaping, pulling out all of the shrubs, fill any exterior cracks in the foundation, (which I haven't noticed inside), put mastic/tar around the foundation and cover that with plastic, install new subsoil tile drains packed in gravel, filling the trench with rock for drainage and then do the same tear out and replace on the interior basement. I just wonder...IS ALL THIS REALLY NECESSARY??? when we purchased the home 30 years ago...we saw no evidence of basement water damage. But now...I see it in all the walls!! I do not want to spend thousands if I can help it, but I do want my basement to be dry and free of mold, efflorescence, bugs and any thing else that shouldn't be there. I am leary of the salesmen...because they all have a pitch and a goal...TO GET MY MONEY!!! Can you give me any guidance or clues or direct me to some sites or people that can help me to determine if all that work is necessary??
We had to get sanders
Our basement was in bad shape because of leaks so we had a Dallas insulation company come in seal it up for us as well as the rest of the house to save on home heating and cooling it's dry now and were going to be finishing it next year.
Marci,Unfortunately, you're
Marci,
Unfortunately, you're getting pretty good advice. The proper method is to dig the trench outside, spray the concrete with waterproofing material, lay gravel and install a tile. This insures proper drainage and that any moisture that does develop from say, a heavy rain, gets blocked by the waterproofing. If this method is done properly, you shouldn't need anything done inside.
If the basement walls are not finished, there is material that can be used to seal it.
Ask for references and check them out. Get someone that had their basement done a few years ago and ask them if they've had any problems. Make sure the work is guaranteed.