Rain and water runoff from melting snow are important for watering the grass, flowers, plants, and trees. Without water, things would die and your yard would look horrible. However, depending on your home, you may be at risk for basement water issues. Unfortunately, when a basement becomes moist, wet, or flooded, personal belongings can easily become damaged or destroyed but in addition, the home itself is now at risk for the growth of mold and mildew.
If you have a home with a basement, it is imperative that you do everything possible to ensure you never deal with water problems. Even if you were currently looking to buy a home and you want one with a basement, you have the right and responsibility to ask questions about the basement and any prior water issues. Of course, this kind of information by law must be disclosed but you can still ask as many questions you want.
Many people who have homes with a basement never experience water damage but many do. Remember, even a small leak can have huge consequences. Now, you also need to know that some basement water issues are due to small things that can easily be corrected. However, some water issues are related to structural defects, which is a huge problem that would be very expensive to fix.
For starters, if you have a basement that has never had a water problem before but after a heavy rain it got wet, this could simply be the result of dirt around the foundation pulling away. This happens to all homes, which leaves a small gap in between the dirt and the foundation. The fix is to purchase sand and top soil. You would pour the sand inside the gap, which would help absorb any moisture and then top soil on top of that. The key however is to make sure the dirt is built up higher next to the foundation and that it slopes away from the house. That way, another rain would have no way of seeping down into the basement.
If the problem is a structural defect, chances are good that the foundation has a crack. Keep in mind that every home with a basement at some time will develop cracks. This simply comes with age and as long as the cracks do not expand too much, they would not be considered a structural defect. However, water could still seep in through the cracks so if you start to notice a growing number or cracks becoming wider, it would be beneficial to purchase hydraulic cement compound or a sealant such as epoxy or polyurethane grout that would be injected directly into the cracks.
If the problem is due to a structural defect, then something serious is happening. In this case, fixing the damage would need to be done by a professional, an expensive and time-consuming process. If a structural defect were not corrected, the basement would continue to leak. In this case, a structural engineer would come to your home, analyze the problem, and then make the appropriate recommendations.
Finally, if a structural defect is the reason for the basement water issues, a linear French drain or curtain could be installed, which would go around the home’s uphill slope. This solution consists of a narrow trench, which is then covered with a perforated drain tile along with round, washed gravel. For capturing water and diverting it away from the home, this option works amazingly well.
