Home Owner Tips by Dana-- keeping water out of your basement

 This Home owner blog tip: Working for a dry basement.

 There are many ways water/moisture can get into your basement. This is a blog with helpful tips and is not meant to be a blueprint to having a perfectly dry basement. (There are some successful local companies that take care of existing or new wet basement problems) (disclaimer)

1.)    Keep you gutters cleaned out. If you don’t have them it is a good investment

2.)   Surface water must be directed away from the basement walls.

3.)  Most builders have the soil next to the house higher than the surrounding land and direct the water into a swale that flows away from the house.

This works well until the soil next to the house compresses where it was excavated for the foundation (loose soil) you then lose the high ground near the house and the water can puddle then drain near the foundation.

Fill near house if needed.

4.) Even if properly installed perimeter drains could become plugged by sod growing in or around opening. Clear opening. If not screened install landscape fabric (wire mesh) near opening. See photo.

This will keep rodents from building a nest during dry months or storing stuff in there. If a cool basement has high humidity (read dew point) objects will sweat and items will be damp/dank and musty from mildew.

Extreme cases will grow lots of mold. Yuk!  Dehumidifier that drains directly into waste so you don’t have to empty bucket every couple days in the summer.      

Stay Dry and enjoy this wonderful sunny weather.

For any real estate related questions in Northwestern Vermont give me call!

802-238-3939   DanaB