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Waterproof Basement

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Brooklyn Bridge, May 10, 2012.

  1. Brooklyn Bridge

    Brooklyn Bridge Well-Known Member

    We were thinking of refinishing our basement. Trouble is, there is some water from the outside trickling in when we get a hard rain. We've had some contractors in and were quite surprised at how expensive it is (several thousands of dollars) to get a system that surrounds the basement. That includes a drain, sump pump and water removal along the hatchway.

    Does anyone have experience with getting a basement system installed? Do we really need it? It's not like there is standing water inside, there is some efflorescence, but no water. I can scrub the mold with a fungicide.

    I don't think it would be that big a deal, but we also need a new furnace that is tops on the priority list. I was wondering if the cost of a basement system is worth it, or should I just throw up some drylock and go from there?

    Any help from fellow homeowners would be appreciated.

    Thanks.
     
  2. JR

    JR Well-Known Member

    You need to call this guy ;)

    [​IMG]


    http://makeitright.ca/Mike_Holmes_Online/bio.php


    I'm not an expert on what you're looking for but you probably need to hire a professional contractor do it, and no, it won't be cheap. But to protect your investment, you should probably seriously consider it

    And mold is a serious problem .
     
  3. apeman33

    apeman33 Well-Known Member

    Mold is part of the problem. The other part is the water. If it's running a lot, it will eat away at the concrete over time. And if you live in a colder climate, water getting into cracks and freezing will make the cracks worse. Eventually, the foundation can no longer support the house.
     
  4. Tom Petty

    Tom Petty New Member

    does the water trickle in from below ground and not at ground level, and if so, is it only a single side?
     
  5. Brooklyn Bridge

    Brooklyn Bridge Well-Known Member

    The water seems to trickle in from the front of the house. There is also some evidence of water coming in around the four corners. This isn't anything unusual in a 60 year old house, but I was wondering if we can put a band-aid on it for now and take care of it down the road.

    We also have to get a new furnace. Those two costs combined--yikes.
     
  6. 93Devil

    93Devil Well-Known Member

    Just spitballing a few thoughts...

    If the source of the water is a city water pipe, that could really solve your problem for you.

    Do you have insurance for this?

    I would get an expert to look at this.
     
  7. Tom Petty

    Tom Petty New Member

    was wondering how many walls because there is a cheap fix, but it's labor intensive.
    there's a tar you can apply to the outside of the wall, which means, of course, that you'd have to do some digging. one wall probably would be doable. but four? good luck.
     
  8. Double Down

    Double Down Well-Known Member

    We had something similar to what you're having now. Did a band-aid. Six months went by. Four nights of hard rain flooded our entire basement and did $15,000 worth of damage. I don't rec the band-aid.

    If you have any water in your basement now, you have mold you cant see. Ours turned out to be toxic black mold, which can kill you.

    Again, I don't recommend the band-aid, tempting as it may seem.
     
  9. Michael_ Gee

    Michael_ Gee Well-Known Member

    Installing a proper drainage system to protect the basement, sump pump, etc. is one of the most cost-effective investments a homeowner can make. Call the contractor now, this very morning,
     
  10. Brooklyn Bridge

    Brooklyn Bridge Well-Known Member


    Oh, we can see the mold. We might just go all-in with the furnace and the waterproofing and hold off on anything else for a while.
     
  11. Double Down

    Double Down Well-Known Member

    If you can see mold, I'm saying you have other mold you can't see. So you can treat the mold, but you may be dealing with much worse in a year.
     
  12. imjustagirl

    imjustagirl Active Member

    Not that he needs me to back him up, since he went through it, but this, this, a thousand times this.
     
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