The basement can easily be neglected when it comes to home improvement projects because not many homeowners find a use for this room. It’s often made into a simple storage room without much flare, making it easy to forget it even exists from time to time.
Yet the basement is one of the most important rooms in the entire house, which is why it must be waterproofed as early as possible.
Think about it: the basement is surrounded by your foundation. Water damage can lead to all sorts of problems from molding to cracks, both of which can have serious consequences to your well-being and the actual structure of your home.
But hey, you might want to make your basement into a proper room that you can use for more than just storage. It’s not a bad place for a home office or pantry… as long as it’s waterproofed, that is.
With that, let’s take a quick look at the benefits of waterproofing your basement and you’ll quickly realize just how important this is!
“I can't change the direction of the wind, but I can adjust my sails to always reach my destination." – Jimmy Dean
Prevents basement flooding
It might seem obvious, but a basement flood is way more trouble than it looks.
First, it’s very hard to drain. Because basements usually have no way to drain water to the outside, you’ll have to do it the hard way. Leaving the water unattended will only let it absorb, which can lead to molding.
Molding by itself is very problematic. It can quickly spread around the basement and to other parts of the house, destroy wooden structures, generate a foul smell, and compromise the health of all inhabitants (especially someone with respiratory problems).
But worse than that, letting your foundation absorb water is an easy way to get yourself foundation cracks. Water can freeze during the winter, which leads to it compressing and then decompressing, causing your foundation to slowly crack. This is a problem that only escalates and gets harder to repair the worse it gets.
And if those are not enough, a flooded basement will ruin all of your stored items. Pretty bad, huh?
Fortunately, all of the above issues can be prevented by basement waterproofing!
Lower heating and cooling costs
Waterproofing your basement has an insulation-like effect, which in turn, helps in reducing energy bills related to HVAC systems. In short, because your basement is well insulated, it’s one less room that your HVAC system has to work extra hard to compensate for.
It might not seem like a big deal, but those energy bills can ramp up quickly when using heating and cooling systems regularly. Insulation can help with that, and insulation is an important part of waterproofing your basement.
Basement floor protection
As mentioned before, basements are not just dark storage rooms. They can and should be used as an extra room. You can turn it into a home office, a gym, a guest room, a play room, a pantry, and so on – the possibilities are endless.
Which is why your flooring should be preserved as much as possible. You can imagine how water and mold could severely damage your basement flooring and ruin any chances of giving that room a new purpose. By waterproofing your basement, you can ensure your floors are always safe.
Prevents mold infestation
We’ve covered this a bit on the first topic, but mold infestation is such a huge problem that it should be given it’s own focus.
Letting water into your basement – even if little by little, not to the point of flooding – is an easy way to get yourself a mold infestation. And once mold sets in, it will only grow… this can damage your foundation, wooden structures and furniture, as well as compromise the health and wellbeing of your family.
Besides, you can imagine how a mold infestation in the basement ruins any chance of using that room, since no one is likely to stay in there for long when it smells of mold. Since mold really likes humidity, waterproofing your basement greatly decreases the chances of mold settling in.
Protects the value of your home
An underrated way that waterproofing the basement benefits you is by increasing the value of your home.
Think of it this way: whenever someone inspects a house they want to buy, one of the most important places to check is the basement because, as established before, this is an area most homeowners neglect.
By waterproofing your basement you will be preventing all of the problems listed above and now, it also becomes a major selling point. If you ever need to sell the place, you can confidently say that the basement is in perfect condition – no mold, no water damage, perfect flooring.
Naturally the most immediate benefit is for you and your family, but a waterproofed basement is of high value on the market!
Like what you hear? Get free quotes from local pros to waterproof the basement before winter!
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