When you waterproof your home, you’re doing more than protecting it from rain and snow. You’re also taking steps to keep it stable in the midst of a drought. In some cases, you may even be lowering your utility bills.
How does all of this work? Dive into the benefits of home waterproofing and see for yourself why this initial commitment could be a boon in the long run.
Protecting Your Belongings
First and foremost, waterproofing your basement keeps any belongings you have in storage safe from invasive rainwater. While you can often come back from water damage with the help of a shop vac and time, you’ll just as quickly lose paper documents and other important nostalgic belongings if you don’t make an effort to keep these things safe.
Internal drainage systems and sump pumps can redirect water away from your belongings and safely remove it from your home.
Prevent Flooding
There’s a difference between a basement leak and consistent basement flooding. While leaks have the capacity to damage your belongings, flooding can cause long-term irreversible damage to the structural supports throughout your home. If you find yourself frequently dealing with flooding, you’ll want to consider investing not only in internal waterproofing measures but also an external drainage system. You should also consider discussing regrading efforts with the professional basement and foundation repair professionals working in the Grand Junction, CO, area.
Eliminate Mold
Mold loves little more than a dark and damp space to grow. Unfortunately, if you don’t act quickly to waterproof your home, mold particles can take root. These particles can start to sprout mold clusters within 48 hours of your basement springing a leak. If left unattended, they can not only cause your basement to smell musty, but they can also cause health problems including asthma.
Getting Ahead of Infestations and Smells
If water can get into your home, it’s likely that critters and insects can as well. You don’t want to deal with an infestation on top of a basement leak. As such, consider encapsulating your basement or investing in a vapor barrier. These barriers are often dense enough to keep even most gases out of your basement, making them the perfect deterrent against animals and insects as well.
Re-Supporting Your Home
Long-term exposure to hydrostatic pressure does more than open up cracks in your basement’s walls and floor. If you let that pressure continue to build outside of your home, your foundation may begin to slip.
Your structural supports may no longer be able to support the weight of your home.
Waterproofing your basement protects the entire home. If you think hydrostatic pressure may have compromised the structural integrity of the supports in your basement, consider discussing foundation repair options like piering efforts with your local contractors. Piers can lift your foundation back into place and give your basement’s structural supports the boost they need.
Leveling Your Floor
The more time hydrostatic pressure has to disrupt the stability of your home, the more signs of damage you’re going to see throughout your home. A basement that hasn’t been waterproofed is likely to develop an uneven floor. While this is great for anyone learning how to skateboard at home, it’s terrible for the resale value of your estate and for your safety.
Retaining Your Home’s Value
Speaking of value: Waterproofing your home may cost a bit up front, but it’s a strong financial investment for your future. Homes that suffer from water damage that goes untreated can lose up to 30 percent of their retail value. As such, you can earn money you spend on early waterproofing measures back in avoided repairs and market value.
Prevent Unnecessary Insurance Claims
Bringing water damage to your insurance provider is a complicated process. Most of the time, insurance providers will only give you the compensation you need to repair your home if that damage can be traced to a failure within your basement. Alternatively, appliance-based failures are frequently covered.
That means that most environmental leaks will be dismissed out of hand. If you want to avoid filing complicated claims and potentially being denied for damages endured, you’ll want to explore your waterproofing options early in the home-owning process.
Lower Your Bills
Water damage in your home does more than threaten your structural stability and the safety of your belongings. The more moisture your pipes are exposed to, the more likely it is that you’ll eventually have to deal with an internal leak. In the same vein, your HVAC system will have to work all the harder to control the temperature in a basement that’s excessively humid.
If you want to lower your utility bills, talk with a professional about the waterproofing measures that may suit your home best. After a home inspection, you’ll benefit from a free quote on waterproofing services. With this information at hand, you’ll be able to begin establishing a repairs budget to help you in times of crisis.
Protect Your Repair Budget
Speaking of a repair budget: There’s no better way to prevent future repair costs than to waterproof your home before damage sets in. In taking preventative steps, you ensure that you have more financial flexibility in the future to further improve your home.
Want to start discussing your waterproofing options? Grand Junction, CO, is home to waterproofing experts who can help you determine what measures will suit you best, whether you’re facing torrential rains or a summer drought.
