I am buying a pre-built new home with a basement. What can I expect as far as waterproofing? What can I do inside the basement to help assure I wont have water problems? I want to carpet it and use it for a rec room and home office.
Thanks in advance!!
I treated the basement floor of my 35 y/o house with "Ultra Guard". In the USA I think the brand name is Xypex. It's a liquid with some chemical elements that sucks itself down into the concrete and seals the pours. Even with the older concrete in my house I notice much less moisture and efflorescence on the surface. I'm in a very sandy area with a high water table. The house has no other moisture barrier. Xypex won't seal cracks where water is seeping and I don't thinks it's meant for walls.
I'd concentrate on the outside for water proofing, I believe hydrostatic pressure usually negates inside applications. A de-humidifier can do wonders in a basement.
Remember, the only thing that separates a basement from a swiming pool is the house that sits on top!
Take it from someone who has a seepy basement and a friend who's a structural engineer: Nothing you do can assure you 100% that you will never have water problems in the future. Nature itself sees to this because all concrete cracks eventually, water moves and pushes under pressure, and water finds its own level. And man-made remedies like French drains can clog or be badly built, waterproofing membrane and sealant applications can fail over time or not be properly applied, etc. and etc. Doing something is certainly always better than doing nothing, but it's not an iron-clad guarantee for forever, let alone for 5 or 20 years.
Best thing you can do, then, is to minimize the potential for damage to your carpeting and furnishings because, as someone pointed out in this forum a few days ago, when it comes to basements and water, it's a matter of when, not if. Perhaps the easiest thing to do is to build a subfloor that's raised a few inches off the concrete floor. You can do this by laying plywood over a base of pressure-treated 2x3 or 2x4 studs anchored into the concrete floor, or using plastic-bottomed raised tiles such as DryCor -- which would eliminate the need for studs and let any seepage have a way to get to the floor drains if you have them instead of getting trapped by the studs and start presenting rot and mold problems eventually.
Like someone else posted here a few days ago, with basements it's a matter of when, not if.
AJS
Which brings up a "waterproofing" issue of sorts sometimes overlooked when it comes to seepy basements: Proper grading and drainage. Such as keeping your gutters clean and having downspouts that carry water at least 6' away from the foundation. Such as repairing any cracks in asphalt or concrete sidewalks and driveways near and next to the foundation; same for any gaps/cracks where concrete porches or patios meet house wall. Such as making sure the ground along your foundations is graded well enough to carry water from rain or snowmelt away from the foundation instead of having it puddle up or run toward the foundation.
Stuff like that. Making surface water run away from your house is the only way to keep it from running at your house.
AJS
Contact the builder to see what exterior steps were taken, and what soil condition was . Does it have a french drain [ drain tile system] and dedicated pump. where is the water table. A furnace return in the basement will help in summer to pull out humid air. That Zypez product someone mentioned is interesting as a base coat. An oil coat on walls and floors as a top coat will reduce vapor migration. Plan on a separate Dehumidifier as soon as spring thaw occurs.
*snip* *snip*
With that in mind, you may wish to consider an inexpensive and less-smelly-when-wet alternative to carpet.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.