Will Waterproofing Help Your House?

Posted on: 12 July 2021

Waterproofing is a common way to prevent or address potential damage to a house. How do you know whether waterproofing services will be worth the investment, though? Let's look at how you can assess the likelihood that doing so will be worth it.

Signs of Existing Trouble

Foremost, you should determine whether water damage is already present. If you see that water is getting in your home's basement, for example, that's a strong sign there's trouble right now. Similarly, the odor of the soil surrounding the basement sometimes permeates the area even if water doesn't get in. You may also see cement or paint falling off of the walls. Metal in the home may rust, too, especially if you have something like metal shelves in the basement.

Significant Runoff

If you see a lot of runoff around your property, there's a good chance you should do some waterproofing. Unless you know the house has been waterproofed recently, the assumption is that the same water flows that are producing the runoff are affecting the basement.

This happens because water has to find a way around the foundation of a house. It doesn't all end up going around the foundation. Instead, a good deal of it will try to go under the foundation, and this can lead it right into the structure.

Hills

Even if you live in a region that's seemingly as flat as possible, the presence of a nearby rise can encourage water to flow toward buildings. This isn't always evident until the water gets inside of them. Particularly if there is a hill above the house that's directing the water toward it, you'll probably want to contact a waterproofing services provider.

Standing Water

Poor drainage can be as bad for a property as water flowing across it. If you see standing water on the property, it is almost certainly trying to find a way into the house. While improving surrounding drainage can help, the wise move is to also invest in waterproofing in or around the foundation.

Non-Professional Work

Some folks elect to do waterproofing by themselves. You might buy a house and not even realize the previous owner had handled the work rather than hiring a professional.

Maybe they did professional-grade work, but you shouldn't assume that's the case. Ask a waterproofing company, such as Central Penn Waterproofing, to visit your place and assess the state of the waterproofing.

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