YOUR BASEMENT RENOS WILL NEED TO HOLD WATER
Scrutinize unfinished underground spaces to prevent potential moisture problems
When it comes to an unfinished basement, it’s easy to let your imagination run wild. Picture it: a great media room, with a roaring gas fireplace, big-screen TV, stateof-the-art sound system ... and don’t forget the bar. Or, if you’re parents to some young kids, it can become a great place to play while mom or dad get some work done around the house.
Don’t let that dream become a waking nightmare. Before starting construction, there’s one very important element you need to think about before you renovate: how does your basement handle water?
An underground space will naturally be more damp due to the surrounding groundwater. When it comes to water, where there’s a will, there’s a way. And when it gets in, the results won’t be pretty.
When it’s time to tackle your basement renovation project, here are some things to do to keep things nice and dry.
BEFORE YOU START
If you’re in a new build with an unfinished basement, I’d hold off on finishing the basement right away. The extra space is tempting, but rushing into a project without accounting for water could lead to extensive water damage — and costly repairs.
You want to let your basement go through a few freeze-thaw cycles. It’s important to keep an eye out for any cracks or leaks. It’s easier to spot problem areas before covering the foundation material with drywall — and much cheaper to fix.
For any cracks you find, mark them with tape. Keep an eye on those cracks to see if they expand. If they don’t grow year to year, you can likely fill them from the inside with an expanding foam.
If your foundation hasn’t already been waterproofed from the outside and you find instances of big cracks, call in a specialist to cover the foundation with a waterproof coating.
After several freeze-thaws and some major rainstorms, if you aren’t finding any signs of water, you’re probably in good shape and ready to take on your renovation. But for added security, it wouldn’t hurt to bring in someone to scope your drains to make sure that tree roots haven’t penetrated, or have other issues that could cause the drainage system to back up, causing flood damage.
PREVENT BACKUP FLOODING
The best way to stop a flood is to prevent one from happening in the first place. You want to keep outside water as far away from the foundation as possible. For example, if your rain gutter ends right by the dwelling, that water will seep right back into the ground next to your foundation. Make sure your downspouts are extended a few feet out from the house and that the property is graded so that water flows away.
Have a plumber connect a backwater valve to your sewer line. If city sewers get overwhelmed during heavy rainfall, it may cause sewage to flow back toward your home. A backwater valve stops that reverse flow, because it only allows water to flow away from your home. Code in your area may dictate that this must be installed in all new builds.
I’ve also made sure to connect my sump pump to my backup generator. In case of a power failure, I want to make sure that it keeps water pumping away from my house.
FINISHING YOUR BASEMENT FLOOR
You want to stop condensation build up from coming in through the concrete flooring of your basement. Concrete is porous, so you’ll eventually have moisture sneak in through the slab.
When moisture gets in, you need a subflooring system that stops damage to your flooring, lets that moisture properly air out, and keeps mould from developing right under your feet.
A lot of subfloor systems feature panels that neatly connect together with insulation on the bottom to create that thermal break to stop the temperature of the concrete meeting the air in your basement and creating condensation.
When you’ve taken the right steps to stop moisture in its tracks, you can put down just about any kind of flooring you want.
Finally, when you’re doing work on your basement, make sure you’re getting the proper permits. Once you’ve taken care of all that, you’re ready to make your dream basement a reality.