The foundations of a house are critical pieces. After all, they’re the basic structures that support the whole home, including everything in it. They bear all the weight and transfer that load to the ground. Everything is built upon those foundations, so it’s important to preserve them so that they remain secure for the longest amount of time possible.
One aspect that goes a long way towards achieving that goal is waterproofing the foundation area. Keeping the foundations dry preserves the structural integrity of the other supporting structures. It also ensures your basement will not be damp and will aid in keeping the whole house healthy and comfortable to live in.
How foundation waterproofing is done
Keeping the foundations dry involves a number of different steps. In order to ensure that these are carried out properly, you need to take into account the following items:
- Local climate
- Type of soil in your yard
- Water table conditions
- Geographic location
- Foundation depth
- Surrounding topography
Once those features and aspects have been fully assessed, a proper approach to waterproofing can be formulated. A basic three-pronged approach is the minimum necessary to ensure dry and secure foundations that will remain so for many years to come.
1) Correct grading of the ground around the building
Proper positive grading of the surrounding soil is necessary to direct surface water away from the walls and foundations of the home.
Firstly, negative grading i.e. where the ground slopes towards the building structure instead of away from it, must be remedied.
Fixing negative grading requires either adding or removing soil from around the foundation of your home. You may have to do a bit of both to achieve a continuous declining grade away from your home. The ideal suggested drop required is 1 inch per foot.
2) Treating and repairing structure cracks and fissures
This ensures that water and moisture won’t be able to enter the structure through the external walls at ground level and below.
3) Proper Drainage
Rainwater needs to be routed away from downspouts enabling it to flow safely away from the home. If necessary, sump pumps may also be needed to remove water that is already in the basement area, routing it far away from the home to available drains.
The ideal time to carry out these measures
Many of these measures are ideally done during construction of the house. That’s why getting things right in the first place is so important. However, there are times when problems arise and need to be addressed after the building is complete. It is quite common for such issues to arise even many years after construction.
When this happens, there’s no choice but to timeously fix the problem. If left unattended it can become more costly and time-consuming to correct. Leaks can also impact many other parts of the house, so failing to properly sort them out can be disastrous in the long run.
Planning waterproofing projects
Planning it all out ahead of time can give you a sufficient safety margin for completing the entire project, allowing you to compensate for any setbacks that could arise during the process.
For this reason, you need to make sure you earmark a good chunk of time for the required work. Getting it right takes time, and factors such as climate and weather conditions can affect the anticipated timeline. You might also have a harder time booking contractors during busier parts of the year.
Wear and tear over time
Eventually, wear and tear and exposure to the elements will tend to affect it and compromise even the best built home. That’s why it’s important to get proper waterproofing done when the need arises.
To achieve this, you should enlist the help of only the most experienced and reliable foundation and basement waterproofing professionals in your area.
Let us show you how quickly and economically it can be done
Contact us and book a no-obligation assessment and quote for the work you need done. The sooner you can get your waterproofing job done, the sooner you’ll have peace of mind.