Minneapolis St. Paul Twin Cities
Foundation Repair & Basement Water Proofing
Foundation repair is really all about water management & structural integrity. If you want the job done correctly, efficiently, and to be treated well throughout the process; then give us a call.
Foundation Repair
Minneapolis St. Paul MN
If you have water leaking in your basement, or the walls of your basement are wet, then please give us a call so that we can help assess your overall drainage and water mitigation opportunities.
If you have water in your basement and the walls are leaking, it's never just about waterproofing your basement walls, you need a comprehensive assessment of the water and drainage management of your home. Whatever you do, don't neglect the comprehensive approach to identifying the water management problems.
Poor soil conditions, faulty construction materials, or simply age can cause foundation problems. Foundations can shift over time, especially in soils with high clay content. If your house has walls and ceilings that are no longer level, bowing walls, or improperly fitting doors, that can be a sign of settling and shifting in the foundation. If your basement is damp, has walls pushing in, or has obvious cracks, you’re almost certainly dealing with foundation problems that need to be addressed. Examine cracks in your basement block before they get large. You can save a lot of money by getting it corrected and eliminating the water intrusion. You could even save having to replace the whole wall. Obviously, issues that have to do with your home’s foundation should never be overlooked. These kind of problems can pose safety concerns or, at the very least, very expensive problems down the road. Don’t wait to give us a call in circumstances like these.
Let's Solve the Problem
It all starts with a conversation and an in-home consultation about your problem.
Foundation repair, chimney renovation, drain tile & water management.
Foundation
Basement Wall Repair
When your basement starts to leak or your walls are wet like the photo to the left, often times the problems have to do with drainage. The easiest and first step we will take is to make sure that your gutters and downspouts are doing everything possible to bring water away from your foundation.
But you should never rely on waterproofing the walls of your basement if you already have moisture or a leaking basement. The soil around your foundation needs to be assessed, and we need to think of a strategy to take that water and get it away from your home. Besides the overarching drainage strategies, Christian brothers will help you understand how drain tile and sump pump's play into the overall safety of your basement. Remember, if you don't get the water away from your home and you simply waterproof the concrete, what's going to happen is that you will create higher pressure between the waterproof barrier and the external water source.
Don't just waterproof your basement walls or fill cracks, you need to get the water away from your home, otherwise, you'll just be calling us again in the future, and you'll probably have black mold problems.
Frequently
Asked
Questions
Moisture in your basement can be the beginning of some really complex and critical problems for your home. Whether you just have water seeping through the cracks in your basement wall, or there's a puddle at the foot of your basement walls, a leaking basement is actually a pretty big deal. Remember that you run the risk of damaging carpet, items in storage, walls, sheet rock, and other materials in the wet basement, but you also increase your risk of having mold and mildew problems.
The main reason why you should fix your leak in basement with basement waterproofing is that it will lead to potentially toxic black mold and it will cause your house to lose value, smell bad, and can even lead to erosion problems around your foundation.
It can be difficult to understand if your basement is leaking because if your basement is finished, you won't be able to see wet concrete or the obvious pool of water on the floor. Here are a couple of indicators that your basement is having water problems or you have a leaking basement.
You might see an increase in mildew or mold pop up right away, you will probably have a musty odor, there might be damp spots on the floor or on the wall through the concrete, you will probably see cracks in your walls concrete or sheet rock, the paint on your walls might start to bubble or peel, and you might start noticing warped paneling or wood that is starting to warp.
Another sign is that you can feel extra moisture through your carpet or flooring, not necessarily a pool, but a slight coolness when standing on it.
There are a couple of things that you need to make sure you do if you get water in your basement, and we highly recommend that you take these steps and still call us so that we can identify any other problems there might be. The first DIY solution to water in your basement is to make sure that your gutters and rain spouts are directing water away from the home. You should have a grade to your yard at a 2% slope so that water will be carried away, and you should probably avoid placing lots of plants around your foundation that will require water.
Make sure that your sump pump is removing water in a manner that will drain away from the home, and after cracks are dried or leaking sources have lost their moisture, make sure that you use a good hydraulic cement like Quikrete, which is designed to expand rapidly and be like a putty that helps block water in the cracks. Another thing that you wanna do is make sure that you address any window well leaks because those are often a weak point in terms of ceiling. In your window well, you'll want to make sure that water is not pooling up against the foundation, and sometimes you'll need to dig out the bottom and place some drainage material so that the water pools in the other direction even within the window well.
The best long-term solution to a leaking basement is to take a comprehensive water removal approach. A combination of proper gutters and drainage, along with drain tile and advance water removal techniques are the foundation of keeping your foundation dry. Beyond that, it's a very good idea to seal the basement and even install internal drainage systems in case water gets in.
Another critical part in all of this is to make sure that your sump pump system is up to par with your individual homes water management needs.
Does Christian Brothers construction help with some pump problems? Yes, not only do we help repair and replace sump pumps in basements, but that's just one small part of our overall basement leak protection approach.
Fixing a Leaking Basement
What We Do
Concrete Aprons & Garages
Driveway Aprons & Garages
Foundation Repair
Basements, Water & Foundations
Drain Tile & Yard Drainage
"Waterproof" your home
Masonry & Chimney Repair
Chimney Repair, Tuck Pointing, Restorations
Exterior Concrete Patios & Driveway
Driveways, Patios, Sidewalks and Aprons