Read about the Top 6 Most common Basement Mistakes.
He sent me the images through email and it was pretty fair to say that the basement had a very clear history of water damage. This was the first image that put up my "basement waterproofing inspection alarm!"
Now you might ask yourself "why such the fuss? It’s a water heater and a furnace. So what? I've marked the key factors in this next image to give you an idea of what I saw:
Noteable Basement Water FactorsThis basement had some glaring issues the majority of them can be summed up in this one image.
Thin Yellow: Floor discoloration, efflorescence
Pink: Water run off marks from the chimney ash box, possible cause of regional floor markings.
Green: The entire basement (as you'll see in the next post) has this 2-3 foot painted section along the base of the concrete block foundation. Drylock doesn't typically come in white (all I’ve seen has been the retro florescent 70's green color), and most people who use drylock typically cover the whole of the walls with it, not just small sections. My initial reaction was that this was a cosmetic fix to hide past water damage levels on the walls.
The rest of the basement has an oil tank and a small "finished" room, done with dry wall and wood. And as you all know by now, wood and dry wall aren't good things to have in your basement because they're mold food! yum. The weight room even has a rug in it...seriously?
Basement Gym Room:
Red circle-upper left: They seemed the drywall ceiling with duct tape..different. Looking on the floor there is also indications that the ceilings and walls have been "played" with recently..aka drywall dust.
Red Rectangle, back wall - two holes in the foundation with evidence of water run off.
Green Rectangle- Paint is pealing off the bottom row of concrete block, evidence of direct moisture/water contact.
Green Squiggly and Red Squiggly: Discoloration in the rugs at various points. The red has more of a darker tone to it, which might indicate it as being soaked/recent; the Green area has a definite square pattern, which might indicate floor cracks. However, that question of "floor cracks or not" is answered by this next photo taken of the corner to the left of the camera.
Underbelly of the Basement Gym Floor
So...loe and behold! The underside of that rug is PLYWOOD! It explains the pattern found on the rug and we also find the possible source of the problem. Why? How? Well we'd have to lift that wood up to see what's going on underneath, but $10 says that there is a mold film or colonies living under that wood.Visual discoloration at the bottom 1"-1.5" on the bottom of the wood pannels covering the walls.
Next blog will be the responce to my friend in an email form.
Related Reading and Links
Read about the Top 6 Basement Mistakes that contractors and homeowners make.
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1 comment:
If you've had water damage in your basement in the past, you'll know how important it is to waterproof your foundation. By using products that were designed to keep water from getting into your basement, you can prevent condensation in walls where it will turn into mold and cause health problems for your family. Making the effort to thoroughly waterproof your basement can provide a lifetime of benefits.
http://www.waterproofingpa.com/
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