The basement is often the most humid place in the entire house. It is usually located completely underground and it is difficult to keep a basement well ventilated. If the problem is bad enough, it can cause permanent damage to the structural elements of your home.
So waterproofing a basement primarily means creating more livable space in your home, but also significantly increasing the value of your home.
What are the symptoms of a damp basement?
There are several things to look out for: do you see damp spots on the wall? Do you find salt circles or mold? Does it smell musty?
You can't live in a damp basement. Not only is it unpleasant, it's anything but healthy. But there is a solution: have your basement waterproofed!
The two diagnoses for a damp basement
It is very important to have a specialist look at your basement. There are two diagnoses that require two different solutions to waterproof your basement.
1. No infiltration
Is there no infiltration of moisture from outside, but you still have a moisture problem? Then lack of ventilation is probably the big culprit. With a ventilation system and special basement paint, this is quickly solved.
2. Infiltration
Is there moisture infiltration from outside? Then a specialist must determine what exactly is going on: is it groundwater? Is there a leak somewhere? Is it about penetrating moisture?
Usually the solution here is to waterproof your basement. But how does such basement waterproofing work? There are two options for that.
Waterproofing the basement with the classic lining.
After a pump is placed in the ground, a bubble wrap is placed. Waterproof concrete is poured on top of that bubble wrap so that it can hold back the moisture. With this method, you lose eight inches of height, due to the concrete.
Waterproof the basement with Aquaconsult's unique process.
This second method of having a basement waterproofing done is unique to Aquaconsult. We again place a pump house in the floor where the water is collected and after several measurements, we fit the floor with a laser. Then we place certified ceramic tiles that are 60 x 60 x 2 in size. What's nice? You can choose the color of the tiles.
There are three major advantages to this method of basement waterproofing: first of all, you lose less height than with traditional casing. Here we are talking about maximum 5 centimeters, while with the casing you lose 8 centimeters. Also, it is much more stylish. Something that is certainly suitable if you want to turn your basement into a real living space. The last advantage is the price: the cost of a classic casing is much higher than that of ceramic tiles.
Are you suffering from a damp basement? Contact the experts at Aquaconsult now for a free moisture assessment and we will be happy to help you.