Basement waterproofers (Benton: how much, house, to buy)

[dana10]

I don't know who to trust to use and like a previous post I too interviewed a basement proofer and don't know if I can trust them. Anyone have one they used and solved their basement problem. Thanks in advance!

[jarhead8286]

I did some research on Angie's List and called Harbor Basement Waterproofing for an estimate. They did not try to sell me the most expensive method, but instead started with fixing the cracks in the foundation and digging/filling with Bentonite. After the first heavy rains (last Nor'Eastern that we had), I immediately knew that the problem was resolved.

Harbor Basement Waterproofing Inc. - Home

[Kbinspections]

There are a bunch of things you can do first before you waterproof your basement. have you done anything to prevent water penetration?

[Egobop]

I am not sure if you are handy or not, if you have the time or how much of a water problem you have in your basement but there are a number of things you can do on your own to water proof your basement.

I finished my basement on my own with the help of a few friends here and there. I did my basement with wood framing and sheet rock for the walls and ceiling so you know that I want to make sure that I do not get water in the basement.

Before I started my basement project, I noticed that there were a few small cracks on the walls where a little bit of water would come in after rain fall. This was not enough water to flood my basement but it was enough to make me realize that I had to take care of this problem before I started to finish the basement.

The first thing I did was to take a trip to a local Home Depot where I bought a gallon of hydraulic cement. I then chipped away at all of the cracks in the cement walls in order to make them a little wider at the surface of the wall and about an inch deeper than the surface of the wall. I then added the hydraulic cement to the cracks and waited for rain. The next rain fall came and I still had some water coming in. A few of the cracks actually did not let water run into the crack but did leave a wet stain where the hydraulic cement was.

On the next dry day I took another trip to Home Depot and decided to buy a large bucket of tar. As soon as I heard the weather would be good for a number of consecutive days, I took my shovel and began to dig a hole outside of the house next to the foundation where the largest crack was on the basement wall. I dug down slightly further than the foundation and around five feet wide. This took a few hours for me to do with just myself and one shovel but I am a determined person and wanted to get it done.

After digging the hole, I used the hydraulic cement on the crack on the outside of the cement wall the same way I used it on the inside of the wall. After the hydraulic cement had dried, I used the tar to cover the outside of the cement basement wall as wide as a dug my hole against the foundation. I used a liberal amount of the tar.

Before filling in my hole with dirt, I ran my water hose and filled the hole that I dug next to the foundation with water. I checked inside the basement and there was NO water at all as well as NO wet spots on the wall. I filled in the hole while the water was still in it (messy, messy) just as a way to try and check if the pressure of the water mixed with the earth would make any water spots on the wall in the basement. There was no water or wet spots on the wall.

I did this with all of the cracks on the walls in my basement and have never had water issues since. I did this approximately ten years ago. Before framing I used one of the cement paint sealers on the walls and floor of the basement. When I installed my insulation in the framing in the basement I installed the insulation that is made with a water vapor barrier. I also used heavy plastic sheets on the back side of my framed walls (I used a large staple gun to staple these on) as a further water vapor barrier.

Since my basement has been finished I have had absolutely no water issues and it does not get the damp, musty smell many finished basements have. I know this post is a little long but if your leaks are not severe where your basement actually floods with water, you may want to try the methods I described. It is a lot of work but I am sure it would save you quite a bit of money in the long run. I also prefer to do repairs myself so that if I have a problem in the future, I already know exactly what was done (since I did it) in the past.

I wish you the best of luck with sealing your basement whether you decide to go it alone or hire someone to do this for you.