Want a finished basement but might have water problem through foundation

2/25/2018 at 9:16:39 PM

You are right to address the water issue before proceeding to finish the basement. Crackmaster is the expert in sealing cracks from the inside and they would be worth a call. There are also a number of things that can be causing the water to come in besides the cracks. Is water being directed towards the foundation rather than away? Are the down spouts being directed far enough away from the house. Is there a particular water source against the house that can be addressed?

2/25/2018 at 9:57:32 PM

Thank you for replying, you're right about the downspouts, water does build up around that area of the house and i have been slowly trying to work the water away from the house. I just don't know if the rain is building up there now meaning the grading went down and the rain water isn't draining away. I have to wait for a good rain storm to check it out. So another question would be even if that is the problem should I still seal basement walls now that I know water could get in? Thank you again!

2/25/2018 at 11:59:06 PM

Hi Marc I would recommend you call crack Master or another company that deals with complete concrete foundation repairs and cracks. I'm originally from London Ontario and been to St Mary's many times and I do believe there's a crack master in London however I have not been there in over a decade. It is well worth having them repaired from the inside before you do any basement development. The best way is always to dig it out around the entire foundation on the outside perimeter and installing waterproofing membrane. This however will cost you 10 times the cost of having someone repaired from the inside. Wish you the best. Jeff

2/26/2018 at 9:37:13 PM

The only way to effectively and permanently deal with moisture and water is from the outside. The idea is to stop it from entering the building envelope in the first place. If you allow it to enter then you are simply managing the water not eliminating it.

In very simplistic terms, it is like have a leaking roof and you putting buckets or plastic sheets in the attic to funnel the water to the bathtub you need to keep the water outside of the building envelope.

Cheers

John Kuehnl-Cadwell

Master Electrician

Datawise Solutions Inc