Our house, south of Foremost Alberta, was built about 1950 or so. We have an issue with the walls in the basement. They are crumbling. I can take a broom and sweep off all the rocks and also a white substance that looks like salt. We have had a lot of ground water come in, hence the reason we are now gutting the whole basement.
How do we stop the walls from crumbling? Is there something that we can cover it with, like mortar, or a spray coating of some kind? Should we also dig around the outside and spray or wrap the walls with something that is water resistant. We are having to replace all the eaves troughs and downspouts as the wind tore many off. My husband is planning on trenching around and putting in weeping tile and sending it down hill also.
The floor is also cracked in many spots. Can we clear out the cracked area, make it wider and refill with new concrete? We will also be adding in another floor drain. At one point there was an addition put on and the floor drain is about 2 inches higher than the main floor. Can we raise the main floor? Would this be better than another floor drain?
Thanks for all your help. Debie
The first step is to ensure that water is being diverted away from the house. You mentioned that you are replacing the eavesthroughs (make sure the downspouts direct water away from the house a good 4'. Ensure the grade around the house slopes away from the house as well.
It is best to waterproof the exterior walls and install a new weeping tile properly. There are no short cuts here and to ensure a long lasting water management system it must be down properly. If it is not possible to direct the weeping tile flow out to city services or ditch, then a sump pump could be installed.
There are many companies that can undertake this work, but please ensure that they use best practices and appropriate materials.
Let us know if you require further information in this regard.
Kingsway Construction Inc
Glenn Rosborough
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