Keeping water and moisture at bay from the basement is one of your top-most priorities as a homeowner. Depending on the age of the property and other factors you may be preparing for a basement waterproofing project. But did you know many of these projects go horribly wrong? Yes, after spending thousands of dollars you might have to deal with the problem of moisture, dampness and mold infestation in your property sooner than you’d expect. How do you avoid them? Let us take you through some of the red flags in waterproofing a basement. These are small mistakes that you need to avoid –
- Trying to DIY – We all love to try our hands at things. Thanks to YouTube and tons of articles on this subject, you are likely to have gained enough knowledge at waterproofing to try and attempt the project yourself. While this might work in certain cases, majority of waterproofing projects require professional approach. Knowledge, waterproofing supplies and tools are important for the project but what can’t easily be substituted is hands-on approach. If you haven’t done it in the past your odds of getting it right in the first attempt is extremely low.
- Hiring ‘Cheapest’ Contractor – Of course you want maximum value for money for your project, of course you don’t wish to break the bank. But when you are choosing the cheapest contractor for basement waterproofing, you are definitely making compromises on the final outcome of the project. The contractor that quotes you ‘jaw dropping prices’ will have to cut the corners to make the project economically viable. At the end of the day you will only get what you’d pay for!
- Talking To Just One Contractor – You may have been referred the name of a contractor by your friend or colleague. They may have strong reputation in the market but you shouldn’t hire the first contractor you come across. There are two strong reasons not to do so. First by talking to multiple contractors and asking for quotes you will be able to save substantially on the project. Second and more importantly by talking to three or four contractors you will be able to understand the exact scope of the project. Even the most reputable company in this business can make an error of judgment in understanding the root cause of the problem. You can’t afford to go wrong in this aspect for a desirable outcome.
- Landscape and Water Runoff – Any basement waterproofing project is bound to fail if the underlying reasons of the problem remain unresolved. The cause behind moisture in your basement lays outdoor in majority of the cases. A mismanaged water runoff may be the reason behind your leaking basement. Similarly if the soil surrounding the structure hasn’t been sloped in the right way it will absorb moisture and lead to a leaking basement. Thus it is important that when your waterproofing project is being executed the contractor fixes the problems outdoors to achieve the intended outcome in your basement.
- Waterproofing by Painting – This is often sold off as the cheapest and the easiest means of waterproofing. You are likely to take this up as a DIY project. Waterproof paints might offer you a cheap and immediate fix to the problem but moisture is likely resurface within few months of your effort. This can prove to be counterproductive as paintjobs often conceal the real indicators of the problem increase the future costs of fixing them.
To sum up you need to avoid these mistakes when you are undertaking a basement waterproofing project. Get in touch with a reputable contractor with expertise to offer you bespoke services and fix the root cause of your problems.
Summary – In this write-up we look at some of the common red flags you need to avoid while undertaking a basement waterproofing project.
