Basement Waterproofing

Basement waterproofing is one of the least glamorous, but most important renovations that has to be done on homes. Yes, it’s that time of year again – you are crossing your fingers, praying your basement makes it through the winter and spring without flooding like your neighbours’ did last year.  You can only imagine waking up one spring morning, going down to the basement to do a load of laundry, only to notice that your entire basement has flooded.  Yes, it could happen! – The best time to start thinking about it is now.  Here are some short term and long term, expensive and inexpensive ways to prevent basement flooding that will calm your nerves this winter and save you lots of time and money during the spring.

The first step is to take a quick walk around your house and look for any discolouration, cracks, or holes.  If you notice any of these things, be sure to take care of it right away.  When a problem is visible on the outside, it is creating much more damage on the inside.  Walk around the perimeter of your house after a large rain storm and see if there are pools of water gathering anywhere.  Defending your foundation should be your first priority.  Make sure to regularly remove any plants or weeds that are close to the foundation of the house, as the rotted roots could create a water tunnel towards your home.  Keep an eye out for your gutters, making sure they are cleaned regularly and not damaged.  Make sure the downspouts are extended as far as possible away from your home during all seasons.  Re-grade the perimeter of your home when needed to make sure that the earth is sloped at least 4 feet away from your home.  Do this every couple of years as the weather may alter this slope or the earth may shift.   Just to keep peace of mind, install a sump pump which should help control water leakage and normal amounts of rainfall from building up in the basement.

The most important precaution is to waterproof your basement during renovations.  Of course if this was not done by your contractor, there are many “do it yourself” patching products that are available to mediate the problem.  Remember that the biggest precaution is to do your research before hiring a renovations company when doing any type of basement renovations to guarantee that the work is done properly the first time.