Water seems harmless when flowing out of a faucet or falling from the sky, but when it finds its way into your basement, it can lead to mould growth and structural damage.
Water intrusion is one of the most expensive and frustrating problems homeowners face, making basement waterproofing a necessary investment in the long-term health of your home. Whether you are dealing with visible leaks or just musty smells after a storm, addressing moisture at the source saves a lot of heartache.
People often take two approaches to basement waterproofing: exterior waterproofing and interior waterproofing.
- Exterior Waterproofing: This method involves excavating the exterior of your foundation in order to place a protective barrier, typically along with a drainage system that directs water away from the house.
- Interior Waterproofing: Interior waterproofing entails sealing cracks in your basement walls and insulating them to protect against moisture damage, in addition to installing a sump pump and drainage system to prevent rising groundwater from entering your house.
Crucial Factors to Consider When Deciding Between Waterproofing Methods
Investing in basement waterproofing is non-negotiable if you truly want to safeguard your home from costly water damage. Since there are two main paths you can take, it is essential to understand the details of both.
If you are trying to figure out which of these paths is best to safeguard your basement from water damage, weighing the advantages and disadvantages of each can help you make a good decision.
Benefits of Exterior Waterproofing
Exterior basement waterproofing gets right to the source of the issue by reinforcing the protection of your home’s foundation and preventing foundation leaks. After excavating around the foundation, it can be cleaned, cracks can be addressed, and aqua-bloc sealer, as well as fibre mesh, can be applied. Each measure helps ensure your foundation is impenetrable.
By protecting one of the most critical components of your house (the foundation), exterior waterproofing helps ensure that the structure of your home remains strong. By preventing water from seeping into your home, this approach to basement waterproofing keeps your walls and floors from losing their structural integrity.
Exterior waterproofing can be done relatively quickly and efficiently. Of course, the total time of this process can vary based on the size of your house and the extent of the waterproofing. Most of the time, however, it can be completed in anywhere from one to three days.
Disadvantages of Exterior Waterproofing
Exterior basement waterproofing is more costly than the interior alternative. Since digging up the area around your home’s foundation takes time and is labour-intensive, this results in a higher price point. The costs of this type of waterproofing project can vary based on the scale of the job and how complex it is.
To access the foundation of your home so that exterior waterproofing can be performed, you must remove everything that surrounds the home, making for a rather invasive and inconvenient process. This removal can include everything from porches and walkways to AC units and part of your driveway.
Unfortunately, once your home’s foundation is buried back under soil again, it becomes difficult to service your exterior waterproofing. Thus, if you find any issues with its effectiveness, the only way to rectify those issues is to go through all the work of digging up the foundation once more. This makes it especially important to hire a professional waterproofing company that offers a long-term warranty.
Benefits of Interior Waterproofing
Unlike exterior waterproofing, interior basement waterproofing does not involve much disruption to your property. If you live in close proximity to your neighbours or have restricted space around your home, it can be difficult to engage in the excavation process for exterior waterproofing. The whole area around your home will be turned into a construction zone for some time. Without massive trenches being dug, the interior waterproofing process will feel much less intense.
Interior waterproofing is much more cost-effective than exterior waterproofing. So, if you have a tighter budget, this may be the preferable path to take. In most cases, you can expect to spend anywhere from $75 to $250 per foot.
Although it is harder to do exterior waterproofing during certain times of the year, such as winter, when the ground is frozen, there is more flexibility with interior waterproofing. Since no excavation work is required, this approach to basement waterproofing is equally easy to perform, no matter what the weather is like outside.
Disadvantages of Interior Waterproofing
Whereas exterior waterproofing is more proactive, preventing water from getting inside your home in the first place, interior waterproofing is more of a reactive measure because it deals with water once it has already entered your home.
In order to maintain the performance of sump pumps and French drains, which are part of interior waterproofing, regular maintenance is often necessary.
Since water can still penetrate the foundation of your home, interior waterproofing does not provide structural protection, which means your house can still be susceptible to long-term water damage.
Rooter-Man GTA: The GTA’s Most Trustworthy Provider of Basement Waterproofing Services
Regardless of whether you decide on exterior waterproofing or interior waterproofing, you can count on Rooter-Man GTA to perform a thorough basement waterproofing process that results in a safe and dry basement for the long term.
As award-winning, fully licensed and insured professionals in basement waterproofing with over 54 years of experience, we have the skills and professional equipment to get the job done right, helping ensure your home is protected against costly and inconvenient water damage.
We use top-of-the-line products and state-of-the-art professional equipment to perform all waterproofing jobs, which helps ensure quality results. We also offer a 25-year warranty on our work, and the warranty is transferable to future homeowners, which can increase property value.
Unsure of whether to go the interior or exterior route for basement waterproofing? One of our team members would be happy to discuss it and help you decide.
Unsure about whether to go with interior or exterior waterproofing? One of our team members would be happy to help you decide.
In addition, if you have already experienced water damage in your basement, we are equipped to repair your cracked foundation and resolve issues pertaining to your leaky basement to prevent mould and mildew from taking root.
For more information about our basement waterproofing options and to schedule a waterproofing appointment today, call Rooter-Man GTA at (888) 470-7990 or contact us here.
The post Is Exterior Waterproofing or Interior Waterproofing Better for Your Home? appeared first on Rooter-Man GTA Drain Service - Trusted Name | Plumbing & Waterproofing Company.