Complete basement waterproofing and finishing

Challenge

System Design Specialist, Michael Lurie, worked with the homeowners to assess not only what the existing problems were, but what they wanted the final outcome to be. This homeowner had a previously finished basement that was fully carpeted. Over time, with continuos leaking going on, the basement had become damp, musty, and the carpet and walls were growing mold on them. They were frankly sick of it being wet, as it was becoming unusable square footage.

Solution

Sometimes in these cases, the homeowner wants us to simply waterproof the space. In this case, however, the homeowner wanted the space to be permanently waterproofed and then re-finished. Let's take a look at the steps involved...

The first step was to remove and discard the current carpeting. Additionally, we removed the sheetrock from the floor up to 32". The sheetrock above 32" from the floor had not gotten wet at that point, and therefore was unaffected by mold growth. It didn't make sense to remove the full walls of sheetrock as it would have cost the homeowner much more and didn't serve a purpose. 

It was determined that all walls of the basement would be waterproofed and not just the ones that were currently leaking. The homeowner didn't want to take the chance that the water would find its way to the walls left un-waterproofed. The team installed a TripleSafe pump system with a twin liner, and an UltraSump battery back-up pumping system with charging/control box with alarm. They then installed a discharge line and WaterGuard sub-floor drainage system. Additionally, to keep the humidity low in the basement, the team installed a SaniDry Dehumidifier.

Once everything was in place to prevent and divert water in the basement, it was time to finish the basement at the request of the homeowner. The finishing products that we use in basements are made of non-organic materials. This is important, because it means that mold can not feast on them like it can on regular carpeting, sheetrock, and wood.  The team use the Everlast restoration panels on the walls where the sheetrock had bee removed. Lastly, they laid down ThermalDry tile to finish the flooring. 

The final result was a basement that is fully waterproofed with an abundance of safeguards in place to keep the space dry and comfortable. The homeowners can rest easy that their space is dry, and they have gained valuable square footage back to their home.