Basement Waterproofing Challenges
Performing DIY waterproofing fixes, repairs, and overhauls for your basement can be seriously challenging. There are always a number of factors at play, which will affect what kind of solutions you can choose. The critical role that basements play in each household is also some added pressure for the common homeowner or tenant to do the waterproofing task correctly.
Check out some of the common challenges when it comes to basement waterproofing below, so you can be prepared ahead of time in case you encounter any of them.
Leaky foundation walls
It can be daunting to tackle anything as crucial as your home’s foundation walls. However, they do wear out or crack over time–depending on the material–and as such, leaks are a fairly common problem for foundation walls.
It’s only natural for concrete to develop cracks over time, and this is especially true in high-pressure situations like walls that are underground and subjected to a number of forces at all times. Masonry will also wear out, especially where the mortar used to join the pieces together has weathered away.
Mold and mildew
The presence of moisture in your basement makes it a spawning ground for mold and mildew, which pose a serious threat to the health and well-being of your basement’s occupants. Their presence can also discourage many a DIYer from doing his or her task.
Good thing there are a lot of options and ways through which you can get rid of mold and mildew in your home’s basement. Of course, once you’ve gotten rid of them, you need to make sure that they don’t pose a problem again in the future–and that can be achieved by keeping your basement dry and leak-free.
Exterior considerations
There are times we neglect external factors when coming up with basement waterproofing fixes for the interior of our basements. Don’t forget that the stuff going on outside matters as well, and in varying degrees.
Consider a variety of factors, including the way your downspouts direct water away from your home’s foundations as well how you grade the soil around the house. These all contribute to helping keep your basement dry over time.
You might also be considering getting an external drainage system that goes around the perimeter of your basement. These do work and can be effective depending on the installation and the placement, but keep in mind that these are tough to service without dredging up the surrounding soil.
DIY basement waterproofing comes with a good number of challenges, and even experienced DIYers can get confounded by these issues. What more if a beginner is to do the job? However, if you’re armed with an understanding of the problems, the know-how and skill set needed to perform the fix, and a toolbox that can help you execute, then you should be good to go.
For worry-free basement waterproofing solutions, consider getting professionals to do the job for you. There are always service providers that will give you free assessments and on-site inspections to start the process, so you will only be charged when the actual fixes or repairs start.