Imagine you build this beautiful new home. Everything is perfect, everything is new. Which also means that everything is in mint condition, top value. It’s all personalized to be you and maybe your family. There’s just one problem: The basement is leaking. Above ground, everything is beautiful and fresh and perfect. But downstairs, it’s damp, musty, and it looks like mold is starting to grow. Already, a threat to your brand new home’s structure is beginning to develop. After all that time and money spent on this new construction, this can be a total nightmare.
Because it is so often performed as a renovation service, it is easy to forget that waterproofing can be done as part of new construction. You don’t have to wait until there is actually a leaking or flooding problem. You can avoid ever having to spend money on repairs and replacing damaged materials by having the basement waterproofed when it is constructed. That way your home comes with built-in waterproofing. It is easier and faster for basement contractors to waterproof the area as it is being built than it is to do after the fact. Professional basement waterproofers like Charles Pellaton’s Quality Dry Basements can perform waterproofing as a renovation years later, or they can perform waterproofing as part of new construction.
If you are trying to decide whether to waterproof during construction or not, perhaps you are already over budget, find out what the climate and environment is like. Do a little research. Is the area damp? Is there a lot of rainfall? Is a lot of humidity in the air? Ask neighbors what they have decided. If you have a lot of neighbors who have waterproofed basements, that’s a good indicator that you should have one, too. If you have neighbors telling you they’ve had water damage or flooded basements, make sure that never has to happen to you by having the waterproofing done now, and then never having to worry about it again.
You should also consider the fact that waterproofing the basement increases a home’s value, which can mean a lot when you’re spending the money to have a new home built. Your home will already have a high value because it’s new, but the value of a dry basement that will not flood or grow mold should not be underestimated. If you do decide to sell your home at some point, you want to make sure you get the full value you and your home deserve. You can boost that value, and your asking price, up with a dry basement that promises to stay that way. Buyers love to know that they will never have to spend money repairing the basement. It’s one more burden taken off of their shoulders.
Talk to your basement contractors about what they can do with your new home. They may be able to offer different services, so you can cross several to-do items off your list. You can waterproof your basement and have concrete pads made for your central air conditioning unit, and have this done under one, time-sensitive plan that coordinates with the construction.
