A healthy debate is always good, especially if there is some positive that comes out of it – personal illumination on an important topic, that directly and positively impacts something in your life.

When the topic is home basement flooding, and what route to take to best protect your home investment in the event of a water leak, or flood, there are many factors at play when considering what to do about it. And is there anything more important than protecting your home?

Most important, right off the hop – don’t rely on your average Google search for answers to queries. Google is a good place to go for cursory understanding of basement waterproofing, but always call on licensed pros to come to your home and give you an honest assessment. Canada Waterproofers will come to your home for no charge.

exterior waterproofing of a Toronto home

interior waterproofing and concrete floor of a Toronto home

DON’T MESS AROUND WITH BASEMENT WATERPROOFING

Your home is far too important, far too sizable an investment – from the financial perspective, especially if you are balancing a hefty mortgage, plus the perspective of minimizing any emotional impacts that come with your basement being swept away in a flood.

Water pooling, stains on the walls and floor, musty odour, rotting and rusting – it’s bad news all around. Even with small water leaks into the basement, the longer term, more insidious, impacts include those on your health, and the health of your family – mould and mildew can lead to breathing problems, eye irritation, skin rashes, headaches, fatigue, fever, and coughing.

A pro from Canada Waterproofers will do a full analysis of the inside of your basement, the outside foundation area of your home, the state of the window wells and eavestroughs, even how the earth is graded up against the home’s foundation, and whether there is anything else close to the home that is storing excess water, that might be contributing to increased water pressure up against the basement walls (called “hydrostatic pressure), which in turn lead to basement leaks.

They will even take a look at how close your home is to any neighbouring homes, because that will impact their basement waterproofing recommendation. There are many factors that go into a professional assessment.

TOP 5 REASONS TO GO WITH EXTERIOR WATERPROOFING

• Absolutely the best, most complete way of protecting your home from a basement leak or flooding, involving the excavation around the exterior perimeter of your home, down to the base of the home’s foundation, cleaning the walls and replacing cracks, applying aqua bloc foundation, installing fiber mesh around the perimeter for reinforcement, installing drainage membrane on the walls, installing a new weeping tile or drainage system below the basement floor. Gets to the root of the problem.
• Exterior waterproofing prevents water from seeping deeper into your home, causing untold damage to walls and floors. Helps keep the structure of the home strong.
• It’s more expensive (starts at around $100 per foot and can go to $1,000 per foot, depending on the size and difficulty of the job), because there is more work and material involved, but it stops water from leaking through the foundation of your home, which can cause the foundation to weaken, and that saves you more money in terms of repair costs in the long run. Put a dollar figure on peace-of-mind.
• Exterior waterproofing techniques are constantly evolving and improving, translating into a more protected, safer home.
• Relatively fast and efficient process – could be one day, or one to two weeks, depending on the job.

TOP 5 REASONS TO GO WITH INTERIOR WATERPROOFING

• It’s more inexpensive than the exterior option (anywhere from $75 per foot to $250 per foot).
• Close proximity to neighbouring homes, restricted space, the presence of an outside deck, or the looseness of the soil around the exterior of the home, all might make the excavation work associated with exterior waterproofing impossible. The process of installing an interior waterproofing system doesn’t involve the high level of disruption like with exterior waterproofing.
• Insulating the basement wall, part of the process of interior waterproofing, will prevent condensation from forming behind the wall, as long as spray foam insulation is added on top of the membrane when the waterproofing is complete.
• Interior waterproofing pumps out water that has already entered your basement, as opposed to exterior waterproofing, which keeps it out – but it’s still a very effective method of keeping your basement dry and safe.
• It’s a comprehensive waterproofing system with several back-ups built in – including a battery back-up for the sump pump, which collects water from the pipe/drain system installed around the home and pumps it out to a safe location away from the basement, which gives the homeowner peace-of-mind knowing the basement is being kept dry in the event of a power outage.

Some Canada Waterproofers’ clients have opted for both options, for even extra coverage. Contact a licensed pro today, for an assessment.