Foundation, Basement, and Crawl Space Waterproofing Services in Valparaiso, Indiana
If your basement has excess water during heavy rains or in the spring time when the snow melts or you’ve got large cracks in the foundation, you know there could be a real problem. We are here to assist when your home has any type of crawl space water, foundation settlement, or bowed basement wall problem. We use time tested products and methods that we stand behind. We have a team of professionals in Valparaiso that are trained to properly investigate your home and evaluate your problem and implement a specialized solution for your problem that will ensure your home is properly protected. When our team installs a basement waterproofing system or a repair solution, it is supported by years of industry experience and trusted products.
It is critical that if you’ve found an issue with the foundation, crawl space or basement that you contact an experienced repair company. We say this as there are some potentially dangerous issues that will accompany these issues including mildew, structural damage, and even permanent foundation damage. It doesn’t matter if you are needing our basement waterproofing services to stop water damaging your home, foundation repair products to stabilize your foundation, or crawl space services to prevent damage to your floor joists, our professionals are here to help you.
Basement Waterproofing
Your basement is an important area of the home regardless of if it is being used as storage or have already finished the area. Because of this, it is important that the entire area is dry and excess humidity and flooding are controlled. Because water is able to get into your basement through a variety of different places, that means there have to be a variety of repair solutions and products that we can use to prevent damage to the area. The main places that we find water leaking is at cracks in the walls, which are usually in concrete or at mortar joints between blocks, at the cove joint, where the walls and floor connect, and at any windows that may be at or even below grade.
No matter where you’re having the problem we have solutions that are designed to collect, transport, and eject water from the basement. If you’ve got leaky wall cracks, the first step is implementing a wall crack repair procedure to control the crack growth and leaking. When water is entering at the cove or even your windows, having a custom drainage system installed will remove the water from the basement. In some of the more extreme cases, typically with older block, brick, or stone foundations, we can install an entire wall solution that is a floor to ceiling liner to collect and divert water. Sometimes people already have a waterproofing system in the basement but it is unable to keep up with the water, we can replace it with a new, more powerful sump pump to breathe new life into the system. We aren’t just installing systems, we can also improve the drainage in the yard to assist with preventing 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 supports the home itself but it also is the basement walls. When you’ve got foundation problems, normally they will present themselves as stair stepping cracks in the brickwork, horizontal cracks that run the length of the foundation or across basement walls. You may also notice that the windows and doors will get stuck or even cracks at the corners of them. There may also be a problem where the basement walls are bowing inward. While these issues may not seem serious when you notice them, each of them are indicative of a sinking or settling foundation and they should be evaluated by an expert for problems and determine what type of a repair needs to be in place.
It is good that the most common foundation problems have very similar causes and our professionals are very good at tracking down these issues. We can offer a repair product that is for your specific problem to permanently repair and stabilize the foundation. If there is a sinking foundation, we can install a system of foundation piers to stabilize the foundation. We will install either push piers or helical piers, depending on where and how bad the sinking is. Both types are very strong and can stabilize your foundation. If you’ve got bowing basement walls, depending on how much the wall is buckling, there are some possible options. We can install a series of wall anchors, these are 2 large plates and these are connected by a long, steel rod, or c shaped braces that sit directly against the problem area to force the section back in line and prevent further bowing, we also can apply carbon fiber staples to strengthen weak spots and prevent the wall from bowing. When properly used, these products can straighten the bowed wall and stop it from coming out of alignment again.
Crawl Space Solutions
In the greater Chicagoland area, many of the homes are built with crawl spaces instead of basements. For a long time, these were created with vents which was intended to increase air flow through the area and keep it dry. Unfortunately, the opposite is usually what happens. The vents allow water to get in during rain and snow storms and then it never leaves which causes the humidity levels to stay high which will eventually harbor the growth of mildew. Up to 50% of the air in your home can come up through the crawl space so ensuring this area is closed off from the outside and keeping the humidity levels low can improve the overall air quality in your home.
We have been dealing with crawl spaces since we opened our doors and we know the proper way to seal them off and control the humidity. This is done using a process called encapsulation which is the installation of a heavy duty liner, occasionally installed with insulation products, and are sturdy plastic and vinyl sheets as well as covers to close off existing vents and a sturdy door that can close off the area completely and stop any excess moisture from entering. This will also stop critters and animals from getting in the crawl space which will keep any equipment there safe and allow you to use it for storage. Once the 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 in addition to removing pollutants from the air.
Additional Services
We also offer a variety of services to improve the basement and crawl space areas of your home. We can upgrade, replace, or install new basement windows to improve the air flow or increase the amount of light in the area. After we install a waterproofing system, we can install a wall system that is waterproof as well as resistant to the growth of mildew. When you are building a new home, we can install a system of new construction waterproofing systems to stop 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 so you know it will continue to work at peak efficiency.
Contact Us
If you are interested in any of the products above, feel free to fill out the form on our contact us page, visit our FAQ page or call us directly at 630-206-1177 and organize a meeting with a member of our team.