Why do basements leak and when should you fix them?

Basements leak for a reason, the basement wall can no longer keep out water trying to get into your house. This can only be caused by water filling up the side of your house and building pressure that pushes against your basement wall causing leaks. Once your basement starts to leak, it is very important that you resolve the problem immediately with an experienced waterproofing company. Because right now you’re in stage one of a leaky basement. This is the most affordable time to fix your basement water problem once and for all. Right now it shouldn’t cost you more than three to five thousand dollars to fix your basement.

If you chose not to fix your basement, your basement will advance to stage two. This stage is caused by water sitting right next to the foundation wall or sometimes on the wall if you have a cider block wall because the cider blocks are hollow. Water that is right next to your wall over time starts to break through your wall much faster. For when they built your house. It was not built to withstand a ton of standing water within its concrete blocks or to be a dam that keeps standing water outside your home. The main purpose of basement walls is to keep the floors above you standing, which are supported by the basement footer that runs the entire length of the wall around the house. If you don’t fix the problem at this stage, you are seriously compromising the integrity of the footer and basement wall. This stage can cost you between four and eight thousand dollars.

Now most people fix the problem at stage two. But if you’re stubborn, your basement wall will show you who’s boss by telling you it’s time to fix your basement once and for all. Stage three is when your wall starts to crack. Sometimes there are several cracks, and your wall may even start to move and bend. Once your wall has moved more than an inch, your footer that is just below your basement wall no longer supports that section of your wall. This is very dangerous as your wall can collapse at any moment. Its footer is poured at the time of construction very thick and wide to support the entire house. And now the thin basement wall supports that section of the house. If you’ve waited that long to fix the problem, your basement repair can cost you ten to fifteen thousand dollars, no matter the size.

Basements that are not fixed during stage three are on the verge of collapse and serious steps are taken to fix them, if they can be fixed at all. Most of the time, entire basement walls have to be replaced and the family has to move out of the house for a week or two while construction is finished. This is where most waterproofing companies make their money. You can spend anywhere from twenty to eight thousand dollars fixing up your basement depending on how far you have let your basement go.

My advice is to fix your basement right away to avoid the cost and danger of flooding. As well as the health risk that comes with a damp and moldy basement. Most indoor mold problems are caused by a leaky foundation.