Perhaps you are a brand new homeowner. Perhaps you have purchased a new home within the past six to eight months. Perhaps you have a home you have lived in for several years, but you are also experiencing a leaky basement. If you fit the bill for any of these previously mentioned scenarios, then this post is for you!
A leaky basement is a HASSLE, and matters are only made worse when the water begins to enter through the foundation walls after only having owned the home for as little as six to eight months. You might ask yourself what is happening (or NOT happening) during the construction of your home that is causing this to happen. Couldn’t the builders just have taken care of it while they built the home? The answer varies from location to location, but the most common practice is something called Damp Proofing.
Damp Proofing is the most common form of preventing moisture intrusion while a home is being constructed by the builders. As you may know, these builders follow a set code for how they build the home in order to maintain the quality and continuity of all the important things, like structure, functionality, and style. Most often, though, the codes only require Damp Proofing which, unlike waterproofing, is more of a temporary measure that does not keep the water out of the basement for much longer than six to eight months.
How it works is this: a foundation wall is built up around the bottom of your home, up off the ground. Once this structure is in place, what is essentially just a coat of tar is applied to the outside of the walls. This method not only leaves the wall open for moisture intrusion from hydrostatic pressure or standing water, but it also leaves the footer (and where it meets the floor) completely exposed to moisture intrusion. Damp proofing will harden and crack in less than two years due to acids in our acid rain and lack of UV radiation which is necessary to keep tar pliable.
The cost is lower than that of waterproofing for this process; however, with the cracking that happens shortly after the home begins to settle can bring a whole myriad of other problems. We at Smoky Mountain Crawlspace Systems recommend you purchase an interior or exterior waterproofing solution to get the most out of your investment and offer the most protection for your home. As your home ages, the added cost of waterproofing is well worth the small price difference and pays for itself in a few years.
Next week we will discuss the benefits that waterproofing provides over damp proofing. If your home has begun to leak so early after purchase, or you have never had any moisture intrusion preventative measures installed, now is the time to consider the best route for you and your home, as moisture intrusion can lead to some serious structural damage if left unchecked. It is a problem that only gets worse with time, eventually destroying the integrity of the foundation of your home.
If you are experiencing moisture intrusion in your basement and would like to schedule a FREE evaluation to determine the location and severity of the leaking, give us a call at (865) 299-2315. We will take a look at your foundation and other variables considering the construction of your home to help you determine which solution is best for you and your family. Waterproofing systems that we professionally install are guaranteed to last a lifetime!
