Do you need tips for waterproofing basement walls to make sure the job is done right? As a homeowner, there are a number of steps that you can take in order to make sure your home is safe, but having basement walls that are waterproofed is one of the most important.
In this post we’ll talk all about the importance of waterproofing basement walls and how doing so ensures your home’s safety and your investment in home equity.
So keep reading to learn more, because the information you find here could potentially save you money, give you peace of mind, and insure that your investment is sound.
What You Need to Do
Like any other type of home improvement project, making sure you protect your home’s basement walls is a process that can involve several steps. Among the steps you can take, there are:
Making Sure You Have Strong Roof Drainage —
What does roof drainage have to do with waterproofing your walls? More than you might realize. You need to have gutters that run the length of your home’s roof to ensure that any collected rain water is drained properly.
Without these gutters, it’s entirely possible that excess rain will end up leaving your basement soaked and you holding the repair/cleanup bill.
The right kind of rain gutters should have one downspout for every 600 square feet of roof surface. You also need to make sure those downspouts are long enough that they discharge gathered water at least six feet from the foundation.
If at all possible, you will want to use downspouts made of PVC plumbing pipes that go underground and release into the streets. As a green, sustainable alternative, you can connect your downspouts to a rain harvesting system.
Checking the Angle of the Soil Around the Foundation —
The soil around the home’s foundation plays a bigger role than you might imagine. You not only want to make sure it slips away from the house to keep water from building, but you also want to use the right kind of soil as well.
In order to prevent erosion, you want to use layers of clean fill dirt layered with topsoil and grass. Stone and mulch are also effective at preventing erosion and making sure the water is carried away from the home’s foundation correctly, so following this step when working on waterproofing basement walls will go a long way.
In order to prevent erosion, you want to use layers of clean fill dirt layered with topsoil and grass. Stone and mulch are also effective at preventing erosion and making sure the water is carried away from the home’s foundation correctly, so following this step when working on waterproofing basement walls will go a long way.
You also want to make sure you don't have the wrong kind of landscape treatments around the home’s foundation. Brick and stone edges around flower beds can keep water from flowing away from the home and could create backups, so you will need to consider other methods.
Following these two steps alone will make it so that you have the right kind of waterproofing solutions in place to protect your foundation.
Use French Drains to Eliminate Pooling
There are times when it makes more economic and aesthetic sense to install a French drain system rather than simply moving a lot of dirt around to ensure proper drainage.
So what is this? This type of drain in buried under the ground so that it is not visible. It can be formed using landscaping fabric or PVC pipe. Either way, it is filled with gravel through which the water flows.
If you feel as though doing these things might be beyond your ability, then working with a professional might be your best option.
Many times, a simple solution is all that’s needed when it comes to waterproofing basement walls, so look for someone who offers a reasonable price for their basement waterproofing services and you’ll get the protection you need without draining your wallet.
Do you have any experience with any of these procedures? Please share it with our readers in the comment section below!
There are times when it makes more economic and aesthetic sense to 
