Let’s Get Smarter About Our Basements

Recently, I was watching a popular TV show where a specific work crew is hired to address and fix “over-sites” from a poor Home Inspection. The house was built on a wet footprint and was in need of some kind of water mitigating system for the basement. This was a good step forward as the basement was finished improperly which in turn lead to unhealthy air quality with mold growth everywhere. However, this “General Contracting” crew fell way short in their approach to a dry basement solution. Their 1960’s style French Drain pipe with a sump left the homeowner only partially protected at best. Their 50 year-old solution never addressed humidity or power loss, and actually increased the risk of soil gases such as Radon (a carcinogenic gas ) to enter the basement.

The days of dropping a 5 gallon bucket and pump through your basement floor and claiming you have a dry basement are over. This is not your Grandfather’s cellar. The innovations made in drains, sump pumps, vapor barriers and dehumidifiers over the past 15-20 years have taken the “dry basement” concept to a whole new level. And here is the kicker, are you ready? There actually is an industry that specializes in the health of your basement/crawlspace. We even have a Professional Association supporting the Manufacturer’s, Suppliers, and Contractors who dedicate their livelihood to the cause of a Healthy Dry Basement.

So next time you smell that musty, damp smell from your basement and think that it might be time to fix the real issues, ask yourself these questions:

• Do I want my plumber installing my next sump pump?
• Will my painters recommending “paint” really work on my basement walls?
• Is a-little re-grading and gutters enough to protect my new $40,000 finished basement?
• Can my chimney guy really fix that smell in my crawlspace?

So let’s all turn a new leaf this year, and let the basement professionals do what we do best. Create a healthy dry basement/crawlspace for you and your family.