While many homeowners have had a bad experience dealing with contractors at some point, you can avoid being included among them by reading this blog. In the article we shed light on the realities associated with basement leak repair quotes and arm you with information on how to best protect yourself as a consumer thereby ensuring that fixing a basement leak in your home doesn’t become a living nightmare.
Contents:
For Basement Leak Repairs – Buyer Beware!
Evaluating Basement Leak Repair Proposals
How You Can Confirm That There is Actually a Basement Leak to Repair
Leaks in Finished Basements
What is The Most Appropriate Basement Leak Repair
For Basement Leak Repairs it’s ‘Buyer Beware’!
The term “caveat emptor” (Buyer Beware) has been in use for thousands of years and it’s as relevant today as it has ever been. Typically, homeowners have little or no experience dealing with waterproofing contractors because basement waterproofing services are, fortunately, required on an infrequent basis. In the interest of financial due diligence, as well as self-protection, homeowners typically contact three waterproofers to obtain quotes for repairing their basement leaks. However, the million-dollar question is: “How exactly do you choose which contractor to hire?” Do you go with your gut, or is there a more objective way to sift through the different opinions and waterproofing repair proposals?
Evaluating Basement Leak Repair Proposals
When you call a waterproofing company for an assessment or quote concerning the leak in your basement it is natural to assume that you will speak to an “expert.” Regrettably, we can confirm that this assumption is regularly wrong. We say this because we routinely participate in this “three-quote” evaluation system and often debunk nonsensical theories presented to homeowners by other waterproofing contractors that have visited their home prior to our arrival.
After having conducted thousands of basement leak inspections we know for a fact that basement leaks can originate from many sources: from beneath the basement floor to roofing and even plumbing leaks. When a waterproofing contractor (in many cases a high pressure commission based salesperson) visits, as a homeowner, how do you know that their proposed leak repair solution is right for your problem, or that they are even certain of what the exact cause of your basement leak is? This is a dilemma because the average homeowner is not the expert in resolving basement leaks.
Over the years, what homeowners have repeatedly told us is that the majority of contractors recommend excavating and waterproofing their foundations. Accordingly, we have deduced that this clearly appears to be the “industry standard” basement leak repair proposal. Happily, homeowners are increasing balking at having their home excavated and their hesitation is a good thing because it affords them the opportunity to get another opinion from someone who really knows what they are talking about.
Having routinely identified plumbing leaks, landscape related leaks and building envelope leaks on many occasions we know that the presence of water in your basement doesn’t necessarily mean that your basement is leaking. As far as we are concerned, and I’m sure you’d agree, in light of the cost of excavation and waterproofing, as a homeowner you need to be absolutely certain that the source of the basement leak has been conclusively established and that the basement leak repair solution is the most appropriate repair for your specific circumstances.
Check out this link to learn about the typical sources of basement leaks.
Food for Thought: When looking for a company to repair a basement leak, should your sole objective be getting a free estimate? Given the importance of identifying the cause of the water in your basement, shouldn’t your priority be to seek out the company most likely to correctly diagnose what is truly going on in your basement?
How You Can Confirm That There is Actually a Basement Leak to Repair
It is indeed simply enough for the average homeowner to confirm by themselves that they have a bona fide basement leak and, by this, we mean water entering your basement through the foundation walls or from beneath the basement floor, or from a non-draining window well.
It is very easy to confirm whether or not your basement walls are leaking; here are the two best ways:
- By conducting a water test (placing your garden hose on the ground against the foundation walls and soaking the soil); and
- By visually examining bare foundation walls from the inside.
Note: If a water test doesn’t result in a basement leak, it is likely that the source of your wet basement is from somewhere in the building envelope (above the foundation). Leaks in building envelopes are quite common, particularly during abnormally heavy rains, and are not remedied by having your basement waterproofed. Most of these leaks are inexpensively and quickly repaired by caulking replacement and/or tuck pointing.
Leaks in Finished Basements
Determining the exact source of a basement leak in a finished basement is another matter entirely. Whereas on a bare foundation wall you can see staining, which helps to pinpoint the source of a leak, in a finished basement all you really know is where the water pooled on the floor. In this situation, unless diagnostic equipment is being used or the wall is cut open, there is no way to be certain as to the source of water in the basement.
Many people don’t want to cut open their basement walls so they often agree to excavating their foundations even though they have no visual evidence of the exact cause of the leak in their basement. One client in Markham spent over $20,000 to waterproof around her 10 year old home when she could have had a basement crack repaired for less than $500.
What is The Most Appropriate Basement Leak Repair?
Given the potential high cost of waterproofing your basement we think it is important to avoid a “one size fits all” approach to repairing basement leaks. Furthermore, as there are usually at least two repair options for the majority of basement leaks, understanding the pros and cons of the available basement leak repair options is vital for the health of your pocket book and the longevity of the repair.
Click the hyperlink to check out the table of available basement waterproofing methods.