Basement Waterproofing

Your basement is an important part of the home whether it is being used as storage or if you have a finished space down there. Because of this, it is important that the entire space is dry and any flooding is prevented. Since water can get into a basement through a variety of possible paths, that means there have to be a number of repair solutions and products that we can use to keep the water under control. The main places that water leaks in is at cracks in the walls, whether these are in concrete or at the joints where the blocks meet, at the cove joint, which is where the wall and floor connect, and finally at windows that are at or below the soil.

Regardless of where the problem may be, there are solutions that are designed to collect, divert, and eject water from the basement. If you have leaking wall cracks, the first thing to do is installing a wall crack repair method to control the crack growth and leaking. If water is entering at the cove or even your windows, installing a custom drainage system will remove the water from the basement. In some problematic instances, typically with stone, brick, or block foundations on older homes, we can install one of our entire wall solution that is a floor to ceiling heavy duty liner that will collect and divert water. Occasionally there is already a waterproofing system in the basement but it cannot keep up with the water, we can install a new, upgraded sump pump to help the system keep up with the demand. In addition to installing systems, we can also evaluate the drainage in the yard to help keep water from pooling at the foundation and seeping in.

Structural Foundation Repair

The foundation of your home is quite possibly one of, if not the, most important areas of the home. It not only holds the structure itself but it also is the basement walls. If there are foundation problems, they will generally show themselves in the form of stair-step cracks in your brickwork, cracks that run along the foundation or along basement walls. Sometimes, you will see that your doors will stick when you open or close them or even cracks at the corners of them. You may also have a problem where your basement walls are bowing into the area. You may not think these problems seem problematic when you notice them, each of them are indicators of a sinking or settling foundation and they should be evaluated by an expert for particular problems to determine if a repair needs to be in place.

It is good that many foundation problems have very similar causes and our professionals are very good at noticing those problems. We can utilize a repair product designed for your specific problem to permanently repair and stabilize the foundation or walls. If there is a sinking foundation, we can implement a series of foundation piers to stabilize the foundation. Depending on how bad it is and where it is, we will use either helical piers or push piers. Both types are very strong and are able to stabilize your foundation. If your basement walls are bowing, depending on how the severity of the bowing wall, there are some different options. We can install a system of wall anchors which are 2 large plates that are connected by a long, steel rod, or tall braces that sit vertically against the problem area to push them back in line and stop further bowing, or carbon fiber straps to strengthen weak spots and prevent the wall from bowing. When properly used, these products can correct the bowing wall and stop it from coming out of alignment again.

Crawl Space Solutions

In the greater Chicagoland area, there are many homes that were built with crawl spaces instead of basements. For a long time, these were constructed with vents which was intended to increase fresh air flow through the space and keep it dry. Unfortunately, this is rarely what happens. The vents allow water to enter the space when it rains or snows and then it never leaves which results in the humidity level staying too high which can foster the growth of mildew. We have found that up to half of the air in your home enters through the crawl space so ensuring this area is protected from the outside and keeping the humidity levels low can increase the overall air quality in your home.

Our team has been working on crawl spaces since 1979 and we know the proper way to close them off and control excess humidity. This is done using a process called encapsulation which is the installation of a heavy duty liner, occasionally installed with insulation products, which are thick plastic and vinyl sheeting as well as vent covers and a heavy duty door that can seal the area completely and stop any excess moisture from entering. Encapsulation will also stop bugs and animals from getting in the crawl space which will keep any equipment there safe and allow you to use it for storage. After your crawl space is protected, we can install an air quality control system which is a dehumidifier and air filter. This will reduce the excess humidity to a proper level as well as remove pollutants from the air.