Ideas for Fixing Leaking Basement

It's common to see cracks in basement walls for any house that is older than two year due to drying shrinkage, thermal movement, and other causes. Other causes usually are minor and result in few problems. But over time, even minor cracks can grow larger and cause big headaches, such as loss of structural integrity or, more commonly, water leakage. Poured concrete foundations often crack simply because of settling.

If the crack grows or the foundation wall is deflected, the advice of a structural engineer may be required. Common areas for a shrinkage concrete crack to develop are under a basement window, in the middle of a long wall or where the foundation steps down. Once the concrete cracks it is possible for water to leak into a basement through the crack.

Neat Ideas For Basement Renovations

Several suggested methods are:

The most effective is to perform an injection of polyurethane foam into the basement crack. Polyurethane foams are injected into the basement crack in a liquid form. This allows a gentle and slow filling process of the basement crack that will completely fill the crack. After a few minutes the polyurethane will begin to react with the water in the crack to begin foaming.

In most cases homeowners can now have these cracks fixed permanently without the need for costly, disruptive excavation using low-pressure injection of epoxy or polyurethane foam repair materials. Even if a crack is not leaking now, eventually water will find it, said by a manufacturer of epoxies and polyurethane foams for all types of foundation crack repair.

Creating a New Space With Unique Basement Ideas

The Midwest, crack injection has been an accepted way of tackling these repairs for many years, and more and more foundation repair contractors around the country are adopting the technique because it is cost-effective, reliable, and permanent. Another very good method to fix your basement leaking program is DryTrak, which is designed to remove seepage from the floor-wall joint.

Epoxy seals DryTrak to the top of the basement floor.In a baseboard system, weep holes are drilled into the floor-wall joint or directly into the wall if it is a block wall. A system of hollow, durable vinyl baseboard is then epoxied to the floor. Please note that DryTrak is not recommended for basements that may have leaking floor cracks, unleveled floors, or severely cracked floors.

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Basement Ideas to Consider

Being banished to the basement doesn't always have to be punishment! Nowadays, owners of homes with a basement consider the space to be prime square footage. Everything from hobby rooms, play rooms, media centers, music rooms, poker parlors, exercise areas, office space and of course, it's original purpose, storage space, is finding new life in the space "down below."

The definition of a basement is an area that is either fully or partially below ground level. This is not to be confused with the crawl space of a house, since another part of the definition is that a person should be able to stand upright in the area. The amount of square footage in the basement is generally equivalent to that on the ground floor.

In most homes, it's like having another entire level of living space, which can add up to quite a bit! The options for utilizing that amount of space really are limited only by the imagination since the space usually will have electricity and plumbing. The basement can be partitioned off into different rooms or it can be one huge open space.

If this part of your home is "finished" then consider yourself lucky. If not, or if the space is on the remodeling To Do list, there are issues to consider before proceeding with the project. First, it's important to identify "trouble" spots such as lowered ceilings, enclosed boiler rooms, and ductwork.

Second, the space must not leak. Uncontrolled moisture will cause a number of dangerous and damaging problems including the growth of mold. Once the identification and remediation of basement problem areas is finished, the next step is determining a layout for the space.

The task can be overwhelming, and a good way to begin is by determining the activities that'll likely take place in the space. Looking at pictures or at what others have done always helps jump-start the imagination.

Keep in mind that the basement will have little or no natural light so consider this when planning the layout. Slowly but surely this space will spring to life and you'll wonder how you ever lived without it!

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