Most home owners are very reluctant to waterproof their basement. It’s a laborious process that can cost quite a bit. Although it is an investment in your home, it can still sting a bit when you have to put out the money up front. Is waterproofing worth it or is it ok to just put off until it’s absolutely necessary?
In short, basement waterproofing services your basement is more than worth the investment. While it does cost up front, the long-term pay off is excellent. In fact, there are 2 huge benefits to waterproofing. Read on to find out what they are and how they can help you.
1. Waterproofing Gives You a Critter-Free Basement
This is an often overlooked benefit of waterproofing your basement.
Despite common belief, the fact is that having insects in your basement is not normal!
Your basement shouldn’t have spiders, millipedes, termites, cockroaches, water bugs, or, as residents of NJ and PA have seen in the last few years, “stink bugs.” These pests are dangerous, carry disease and cost quite a bit of money to get rid of. Exterminators usually require multiple visits to your home to make sure that the pests do not return.
How does waterproofing help?
Most of these insects get in the basement through small cracks or holes in the basement walls. They can get in the smallest of spaces. Even if you have a tiny sliver of room between the window and the basement wall, things are getting in!
Waterproofing your basement seals the walls. It basically provides a “force field” against bugs. They can’t get in if there are no openings. This improves your health, avoids constant trips from the exterminator and basically gives you the piece of mind that your home is safe from bugs!
2. Waterproofing Gives Your Foundation Muscle
Whenever the home is exposed to a lot of rain, snow, or run off, it is put at risk for structural problems.
This water mixes with the soil and puts pressure on the foundation plus carries acidic agents that weaken the foundation.
Waterproofing is like giving your foundation some big, strong muscles.
It strengthens it, allowing it to push back…driving excessive water away and keeping the cracks and crumbling at bay. Waterproofing gives the foundation a membrane-shield that repels water and keeps the acidic compounds out of the walls!
This alone makes Waterproofing worth while because repairing a foundation is insanely expensive!
