When To Call In The Basement Waterproofing Pros
on Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Current info about Waterproofing is not always the easiest thing to locate. Fortunately, this report includes the latest Waterproofing info available.
You can see that there's practical value in learning more about Waterproofing . Can you think of ways to apply what's been covered so far?
One of the most common mistakes homeowners with basements make is to wait until serious damage has already been done before they call their basement waterproofing peeps of choice. (Most don't even find peeps of choice until it's too late!) You can avoid this fate by knowing what to look for the signs that basement waterproofing peeps might be people you want to talk to.
Let's talk signs and signals.
-Is your basement wet? This might seem obvious, but if you feel like it's damp, moist, musty, mildewy, wet, or otherwise humidificacious in your cellar, you should call the peeps. Post-haste.
-Are there signs of water damage in unexpected places? If you've got a metal desk with one rusty foot for no apparent reason, or there's a single spot of dry rot in your paneling, or a water stain that never goes away on one part of your rug, it's time. Peeps must be called, because that basement needs waterproofing.
-If your basement walls are discolored after rain, it's a sure sign that there's a leak somewhere. This might be fairly subtle depending on what your walls are made of, so take a careful look after a heavy rain.
-Efflorescence: this is a white, chalk-like deposit on your basement walls. The buildup of efflorescence is a sure sign that water is getting in -- often in such small amounts that it's never visible to the naked eye at any one time. It evaporates and leaves the deposits behind -- a certain sign that it's time to call the basement waterproofing peeps.
-How does your basement smell? Wetness, especially in confined places, has a very specific odor -- and must and mildew are even more obvious to even an untrained nose. If your olfactory senses are telling you there's a problem, don't hesitate to get your waterproofing peeps out there ASAP.
So what do you do if you think that your basement needs waterproofing, and you don't know any peeps? Simple: find some. More specifically, call around and talk to several contractors and find one that you can work with. The important things to know are few, but critical:
-Are they licensed, insured, bonded, and certified? These are all important -- licensing refers to a State contractor's license to do the work; insurance means if something happens to them on the job, you're not on the hook; bonded means if they mess up your house doing their job; you're not on the hook. Certification is the least important of these, but means that the workers are proven experts with the equipment they're going to be using on your home.
-Do they have references? Any company that's been in business for an appreciable length of time should be able to give you the number of a few satisfied customers who will be willing to say good things about them. If they can't, you might want to go elsewhere.
Don't limit yourself by refusing to learn the details about Waterproofing . The more you know, the easier it will be to focus on what's important.
You can see that there's practical value in learning more about Waterproofing . Can you think of ways to apply what's been covered so far?
One of the most common mistakes homeowners with basements make is to wait until serious damage has already been done before they call their basement waterproofing peeps of choice. (Most don't even find peeps of choice until it's too late!) You can avoid this fate by knowing what to look for the signs that basement waterproofing peeps might be people you want to talk to.
Let's talk signs and signals.
-Is your basement wet? This might seem obvious, but if you feel like it's damp, moist, musty, mildewy, wet, or otherwise humidificacious in your cellar, you should call the peeps. Post-haste.
-Are there signs of water damage in unexpected places? If you've got a metal desk with one rusty foot for no apparent reason, or there's a single spot of dry rot in your paneling, or a water stain that never goes away on one part of your rug, it's time. Peeps must be called, because that basement needs waterproofing.
-If your basement walls are discolored after rain, it's a sure sign that there's a leak somewhere. This might be fairly subtle depending on what your walls are made of, so take a careful look after a heavy rain.
-Efflorescence: this is a white, chalk-like deposit on your basement walls. The buildup of efflorescence is a sure sign that water is getting in -- often in such small amounts that it's never visible to the naked eye at any one time. It evaporates and leaves the deposits behind -- a certain sign that it's time to call the basement waterproofing peeps.
-How does your basement smell? Wetness, especially in confined places, has a very specific odor -- and must and mildew are even more obvious to even an untrained nose. If your olfactory senses are telling you there's a problem, don't hesitate to get your waterproofing peeps out there ASAP.
So what do you do if you think that your basement needs waterproofing, and you don't know any peeps? Simple: find some. More specifically, call around and talk to several contractors and find one that you can work with. The important things to know are few, but critical:
-Are they licensed, insured, bonded, and certified? These are all important -- licensing refers to a State contractor's license to do the work; insurance means if something happens to them on the job, you're not on the hook; bonded means if they mess up your house doing their job; you're not on the hook. Certification is the least important of these, but means that the workers are proven experts with the equipment they're going to be using on your home.
-Do they have references? Any company that's been in business for an appreciable length of time should be able to give you the number of a few satisfied customers who will be willing to say good things about them. If they can't, you might want to go elsewhere.
Don't limit yourself by refusing to learn the details about Waterproofing . The more you know, the easier it will be to focus on what's important.
This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at 12:48 PM and is filed under Waterproofing. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can