Leaky basements can be prevented or remodeled

While most of the time you can choose and plan for remodels, there are emergency situations when a renovation is less of a choice and more of a necessity.

If you find your basement wet and moldy and your foundation walls cracked, you have no choice but to look into a foundation renovation. Foundation problems that lead to leaky basements most commonly happen in older homes but are definitely not limited to them. Leaky basements can be the result of improper soil grading of even the newest homes.

The time to ensure that your home has no water problems is during construction. Basement walls should be properly waterproofed on the outside by applying a liquid asphalt emulsion or even a rubber membrane that extends down the foundation wall and over the footing. One of the most common ways water can access your home is at the joint between the footing and the foundation wall. Perforated plastic pipes called drain tiles also can be installed at the bottom of the wall to collect and redirect water away from your home.

If proper care was not taken during the construction of your home, the best repair is to dig down on the outside of your home and install the necessary waterproofing to the exterior.

This, of course, is difficult, disruptive to your landscaping and expensive. Since many people cannot or will not take such drastic action, many products have been developed to try to address the problem from the inside of the home — with varying degrees of success.

If your home is on a slope, the basement may only leak during the wet season as water drains down the hill and backs up behind your foundation wall. If it is leaking year-round, then the problem is probably hydrostatic pressure. Hydrostatic pressure is the process of water building up in the soil around your foundation. It pushes up against your rock or concrete foundation wall and causes the wall to become waterlogged. The pressure can sometimes cause cracks in the foundation, making a way for water to leak into your basement.

Another way basements leak is through capillary action. Capillaries are tiny crevices inside basement walls. If your basement is made from cinder blocks or other cementious materials, water can seep in and build up inside the wall where it may eventually seep through to the interior through the small crevices and seams.