Foundation, Basement, and Crawl Space Repair Services in Dekalb, Illinois
Whether your basement floods when there are heavy rains or in the spring during the snow melt or there are long cracks along your foundation, you know there could be a real problem. We are here to provide assistance when your home has any type of crawl space flooding, foundation settlement, or buckling basement wall problem. We use methods and products that we have thoroughly tested over the years that we stand behind. We have a team of experts in Dekalb that are trained to properly investigate your home and evaluate your problem to create a specialized solution to that problem that will ensure your home is safe and protected. When our team installs a basement waterproofing system or a repair solution, it is supported by years of experience and trusted products.
It is critical that as soon as you’ve found an issue with your craw space, basement, or foundation that you reach out to an experienced repair company. We say this due to there are a number of potentially dangerous issues that will arise with these issues such as mildew, weakened structure, and even permanent foundation damage. No matter if you’re needing our basement waterproofing services to protect your home, foundation repair products to prevent your home from sinking, or crawl space services to control water in the crawl space, our experts are here to help you.
Basement Waterproofing
Your basement is a very important area of your home regardless of if you’re using it as storage or if you have a finished space down there. Due to this, it is important that the entire space is free of standing water and excess humidity and flooding are controlled. Since water is able to get into the basement using a variety of different paths, there are a variety of repair options that we can use to keep the area safe. The primary places that we see water leaks is through cracks in the foundation walls, whether these are in concrete or at the joints where the blocks meet, at the cove joint, where the foundation walls and floor meet, and at any windows that may be at or below grade.
Regardless of where you’re having the problem we’ve got solutions that will collect, transport, and remove the water from your basement. If you have leaking cracks, the first thing to do is installing a wall crack repair method to prevent the crack from growing and leaking. If the water is leaking at the cove or even at your windows, having a custom drainage system installed will help remove the water from your basement. In some extreme cases, occasionally with old homes that have stone, block, or brick foundations, we can install one of our entire wall solution that is comprised of a full height heavy duty liner that will collect and divert water. Sometimes people already have a waterproofing system in the basement but it struggles to keep up with flooding water, we can replace it with a new, more powerful sump pump to make the system as good as new. We aren’t just installing systems, we can also help you improve the drainage in your yard to help keep water from sitting next to the home and seeping in.
Structural Foundation Repair
Your foundation is easily one of the most important parts. It not only holds the home itself but it also forms the basement walls. If you’ve got foundation problems, usually, they will present themselves in the form of diagonal cracks in your outside brickwork, long cracks that run along the foundation or along the basement walls. You may also notice that your windows and doors will stick when you open or close them or there may be cracks at the corners of them. You may also see an issue where your basement walls are coming into the area. You may not think these problems seem serious at first, they are all indicators of a sinking or settling foundation and they should be evaluated by an expert for particular problems to determine what type of a repair needs to be installed.
It is good that many foundation problems are caused by similar things and our professionals are very good at noticing these issues. We can utilize a repair solution designed for your particular problem to permanently repair and stabilize the foundation or walls. If you have a uneven foundation, we can implement a series of foundation piers to level the foundation. Depending on how bad it is and where it is, we will use either helical piers or push piers. Both are very strong and can stabilize your foundation. If your basement walls are bowing, depending on how badly the wall is bowing, it can be solved with some possible options. We can utilize a series of wall anchors, these are 2 large steel plates connected by a long, steel rod, or c shaped braces that are installed vertically against the cracks to push them back in line and prevent further bowing, or carbon fiber staples to strengthen weak spots and prevent the wall from bowing. If they are correctly installed, these products can repair the buckling wall and stop it from coming out of alignment again.
Crawl Space Solutions
In our area, there are many homes that are built with crawl spaces in addition to basements. For a long time, they were constructed with vents which was intended to increase fresh air flow through the space and keep it dry. Unfortunately, the opposite is usually what happens. Having open vents allows water to get in when it rains or snows and the vents prevent proper evaporation which results in the humidity level staying too high which can facilitate the growth of mildew. Up to 50% of the air in your home has come up through the crawl space so ensuring this area is closed off from the elements and controlling excess humidity can improve the overall air quality in your home.
We have been working on crawl spaces since 1979 and we know the proper way to seal them off and control high humidity. This is done using a process called encapsulation which is the installation of a series of vapor barriers, sometimes accompanied by insulation products, and are thick plastic and vinyl sheets as well as vent covers and a sturdy door that can seal the area completely and stop any unwanted moisture from entering. Encapsulation will also stop pests and animals from moving in your crawl space which will help keep any items there safe and allow you to use it for storage. After your crawl space is protected, we can install an air filter and dehumidifier to improve the indoor air quality. This will reduce the excess humidity to a proper level as well as remove pollutants from the air.
Additional Services
We also provide a variety of services to help upgrade the basement and crawl space areas of your home. We carry basement windows to improve the air flow or provide additional light in the area. After we install a waterproofing system, we can install our wall system as part of a pre-finishing service that is waterproof as well as resistant to the growth of mildew. If you are building a new home, we can install a system of new construction waterproofing systems to prevent any potential future water problems. Even if you’ve have a waterproofing system we did not install in place, we can perform our preventive maintenance service to ensure it continues to work at peak efficiency.
Contact Us
If you are interested in any of the solutions above, please fill out the form on our contact us page, visit our frequently asked questions page or give us a call at 630-206-1177 and set up a meeting with one of our experts.