Why Do I Have A Wet Basement and My Neighbor Does Not?
Why Do I Have A Wet Basement and My Neighbor Does Not?
I was out meeting with customers one day when a gentleman asked me, "Why his neighbor has never had a leaky basement in 20 years when he has had numerous occasions dealing with a wet and flooded basement in just the past 5 years." It just made no sense to him. I told him that there could be several reasons and even though you live side by side each home is unique and it could be one or more of the following factors:
Roof Lines and Overhangs
I noticed right away that they each had a different roofline. His home's roof had a lot of sharp pitches and valleys with very little overhang on his soffits. This drained the rainwater into small concentrated locations and dumped the water off close to the foundation walls and into his worst problem areas. Whereas the neighbors had a hip roof that emptied the rainwater onto four equal sides and his soffit overhang stuck out three feet or more helping to keep water further away from his foundation walls, further from his basement.
How Is Your Gutter?
His neighbor also had high-quality gutter installed many years prior. They were the 4" gutters. They carry more water and are less likely to plug up with leaves, sticks and those whirlybird seeds from maple trees. The gutters were also covered with a leaf guard. These are a good idea and help to keep leaves out but they can send some water shooting over the gutter edge if it rains really hard.
What is the Condition of Your Foundation?
The condition of the foundation walls are an important factor but you will usually need to do some excavating in problem areas to inspect the walls. They are one of the main defenses against water intrusion. Cracks and holes in the foundation are big problems and will need professional help. A qualified contractor like my company AAA Reick's Landscaping and Waterproofing LLC can repair these issues.
Other Factors that Contribute to a Wet Basement
Other factors are the quality of the materials used and the integrity of the company and crew that built the home, did they care? Did the guy backfilling the foundation pack the soil and create a good slope away? How well has the property been taken care of through the years? Are paved areas like sidewalks and patios near the home in good condition?
There are still more contributing factors that lead to a wet leaky basement that I will blog about later. After over 30 years in business, my company AAA Reicks Landscaping and Waterproofing LLC is more than qualified to handle all of your waterproofing needs. We are licensed bonded and insured.