Plywood flooring in a Crawlspace or Basement – the possible dirt floor area cover-up.

As I mentioned before in a post about Fixing Plywood Flooring in a Basement, the existence of a plywood floor could simply be because of an uneven floor during construction. The other ugly truth is that this could be an easy and cost effective cover up for what the floor actually is.

DIRT

Dirt floors in basements and crawlspaces across America are covered up every day with plywood to finally have a solid flat surface for storage. The problem with having a dirt floor is now moisture has a direct path into the basement, not to mention Soil Gases like Radon, Insects and other nasty business.

With open dirt floors in a tight space like a crawl space or basement the levels of moisture can sky-rocket and eventually cause large issues.

The wood that would keep your things steady and dry could become the food for mold and mildew and turn against the homeowner.

If a crawlspace has a dirt floor the best solution would be to encapsulate the crawlspace. This not only keeps the moisture out, it also improves the air quality and protects the insulation underneath the 1st floor of the home.


Related Reading and Links

Read about the Top 6 Basement Mistakes that contractors and homeowners make.

Ask Jacob A question Directly on Pioneer Basement's Help Forums!

40% of the Air you breathe, YES, comes from the basement!

Percentages range, but studies all over the world support the fact that yes indeed air moves from your basement up to the rest of the home. 40% or more of the air you breathe on a regular basis comes from the basement.

That link is another one of my articles, recently published, on stack effect, and air quality in the home. Your basement's current state effects the rest of your home more than you know. And if you're looking for a good investment and project to do during these times to not only better the air in your home, but protect your basement, family, and foundation then this is a good article to read.

If you want to browse more in my blog here:

Air quality, affected by basement
Stoping water coming through your Foundation Walls

Basement Finishing and Remodeling Design Tip

http://www.pioneerbasement.com/forum/showthread.php?t=769

I'm planning on adding many more tips and tricks for thinking differently in the basement.

It's important to realize that the moisture levels in the basement are higher and therefore you have to use different materials to build in a basement.

If you think different, build different, you change your basement and still have a healthy and successful area.

Water coming through walls in the basement

Oddly enough this is a very common problem. Having water come through the foundation walls in your basement is something that can happen to anyone, even with someone with great landscaping outside of their homes and proper backfill around their home.

The main issue here is that concrete is a porous material. It has the ability to absorb water. So when water comes into contact with dry concrete it gets absorbed into it and eventually fills up the pores inside of the concrete. These tiny pores are left behind from the water evaporating out of the concrete during the curing or drying process. Affectionately called microcosms, they have very thin separations of concrete between them. As the water is absorbs, the water molecules build up and create pressure. This pressure helps to break through these pore separations.

Eventually all basements leak. Once the pressure builds up enough, or the water works its way through the series of pores, it can break through and enter your basement from your wall.

Another, more obvious and easy, way for water to enter your basement is through foundation issues such as cracks or separations.

These cracks and separations occur for a number of reasons, but the problem comes from the water on your floor.

Waterproofing and Foundation repair are two ways to remedy these two situations that can allow for water to start piling up in your basement.

If you’re looking for foundation repair or waterproofing in your area:
www.nawsrc.org (national association for waterproofing and structural repair contractors)
www.pioneerbasement.com (MA, CT, RI, waterproofing and structural repair)
www.basementdepot.com (diy waterproofing supplies and crack repair products)
www.GrateProducts.com (a national waterproofing product and supply company; highly recommended for contractors)

Basement Blogs: Why I write my blog, basements and all

I’m rather disappointed, personally, on the lack of answers that I find while surfing the web about basements. Everyone has an opinion about what company you should be going with or how to pick a contractor (which in the end always feels slanted towards the company that suggested the “check list”) but it doesn’t seem like many companies are making an effort to really talk about the problems, causes, and the solutions.

Over the past few months I’ve been making a direct effort to answer questions posed to me through email, through talks with homeowners and (the more tricky way) through the Google Search questions people have found my blog with.

People come to my blog for many reason: Finding DIY Tips about how to finish or waterproof a basement, ideas about finishing, design tips, waterproofing questions, price shopping, or just a place to come and read about someone who’s obviously obsessed with everyone else’s basements.

Along the way I’ve met some interesting people and hopefully some good friends.

I look forward to the next year in writing and communicating news and information about basements, foundations, waterproofing, and finishing in hopes that you can walk away confident that you know whom to call, what the answer to your personal question was, or possibly a suggestion for your own design project.

I’m not the DIY network or Bob Villa, so my expertise is pretty limited in that "home repair god" regards, but I’m confident that I can answer your questions about basements, foundations, waterproofing, crack repair, and basement finishing.

The basement isn’t the same as the 1st and 2nd floors and by now I hope you understand that. It needs special attention to handle the moisture and special attention to the products and techniques in installing a finished product.

If you have any questions you can leave them in a comment, email me directly, or link to me somewhere on the web. I also Moderate the Pioneer Basement Waterproofing Forums as well as the hang out around the NAWSRC.org and BasementDepot.com forums as well.

Follow me on Twitter: BasementGods
Follow me on Wordpress: PioneerBasement

Any question, any time, I have your back when it comes to your basement.

Basement Waterproofing is insurance for Basement Finishing

You might wonder, “What does waterproofing have to do with finishing your basement?” however, waterproofing your basement protects your remodeling investment.

Home improvements of all shapes and sizes cost money and the last thing you want to do is to jeopardize the longevity of that project. Not waterproofing your basement and installing moisture control can have serious long-term effects on your finished product.

A typical basement finishing project can run anywhere from $25,000 to well over $100,000 depending on floor plan, details, amenities, and difficulty. There are many different “finishing systems” out there that claim to be “waterproof” or “removable in case of flooding” but what’s the point of spending money on walls in a basement if you have to remove them in order to keep them dry?

Lets say you choose do have wood studs and regular styled drywall in the basement. Both are organic materials that easily soak up moisture and water. Mold and rotting wood are the next logical steps if a flood happens or a small leak gets out of control. You spent $25,000 on that project and you’re going to have to spend at least 1/4th of it just to repair it. Bringing your total project cost to now $30,000.

You wouldn’t buy a car and not protect it, don’t finish your basement without defending against moisture and flooding.

What if you could spend $25,000 to not only have moisture control, dehumidification, air circulation, water and flooding protection, have it all warranted, and have your basement finished? Wouldn’t that be smarter? Having it all done with mold and moisture resistant materials with the look and feel of your first floor is easier than you think.

You would actually be buying a finishing system that has your basement’s health in mind. You would actually be truly finishing your basement. You’d be transforming your basement from a moisture zone to a controllable, healthy, comfortable environment.

With waterproofing your walls, your floor, your whole finished area would be protected. With the proper finishing materials and design your finished space will be exactly what you dreamed it could be, and it’ll all be well protected from flooding and moisture.

Call Pioneer Home Basement Finishing today: 1-800-439-0788
Or visit us online: www.homebasementfinishing.com

The Perfect Basement Finishing System.

There are so many systems out there that transform your basement into livable space. The sad thing is that not many actually protect the space too.

Pioneer Home Basement Finishing’s BasementShield system is the combination of both the waterproofing industry and the basement finishing industry. With both focused on protecting the investment and the family, the products and style of construction are more in tune with the cry for healthier construction practices in your homes.

The perfect combination of materials for finishing a basement weren’t hard to put together. It was the drive, the need and the desire of our customers that helped us to find the right path. The key to a successful finishing project with long-term protection is to first waterproof the space properly, provide air circulation and to build the finishing elements, walls, floor, and ceiling, with non-organic and mold resistant materials.

By installing solid fixtures, insulated walls, anti-sag ceilings, recessed lighting, and other amenities, you have a durable, decorate-able, paint ready area in which to enjoy. These non-organic materials help to resist mold, mildew, and are designed with the waterproofing system in mind. As it works to protect your space against the moisture and water of the outside, the dehumidifier is circulating and filtering the air on the inside. Protecting the walls from moisture damage drastically minimizes the possibility of mold and mildew while providing an amazing finished surface to hang shelves and paintings.

Your whole basement will be treated, not just covered over. The idea is to keep the walls up, allow the system to work for you to protect your space, so you don’t have too. At Pioneer Home Basement Finishing we want to provide you with your dream space while protecting and promoting a healthy basement environment.

Call us today to set up an appointment with one of our Project Managers who can walk you through the design phase. : 1-800-439-0788

If you’d like to see more options of what our BasementShield system can become, please visit our web site and browse the gallery of images of some of the completed projects.
www.homebasementfinishing.com

Do you need to get your basement storm ready?

If you have a waterproofing system, thinking about getting one or just need something to give you a little bit of an edge in the next big storm, consider investing in a Battery Back-Up Sump Pump.

Battery Back-Up Sump Pumps are not just batteries that can be connected to an existing pump. They are typically whole separate units that require separate discharge lines as well. The higher quality units will also give you an alternator box to help recharge these batteries using AC power.

The nice thing is that these pumps don’t just come in handy during a power outage. They can be tailored to help out in any situation, using AC power or battery power. By simply placing the switch at a level that allows for the Battery Back up to kick in at a particular water level under your basement floor, you’ll set yourself up to add in pump redundancy. If the normal pump can’t handle the flow, the battery back up will turn on and jump in to “lend a hand.” BBU Sump pumps are essentially adding another two pumps to your line of defense against basement flooding. 1 pump that works when the power is on and another pump that works when the power is off.

With the massive storms blowing through over the next few weeks because of Hurricane season don’t forget to have a solid waterproofing company in your phone book in case you need an emergency pump out.

One such company is Pioneer Basement. Serving as far west in Massachusetts as Berkshire county, as far west in Connecticut as Hartford, all the way to the shore lines of southern Rhode Island, and well back up into Boston.

If you need an emergency pump out, if you want to stop the water from ever coming in again after this big storm, or you just want to get pumps to keep you well defended, get in touch with Pioneer Basement: the Basement Experts.

Where I get my Drive.

Often people ask me why I'm so obsessed with basements and home improvement. I do work for Pioneer Basement (if you haven't already guessed from my endless ranting about how amazing we are:-) )

Steve Andres recently wrote a piece stating in the hopes of getting accross how important actually addressing the basement is.

He's the inspiration for the majority of my writing and research. In time I also hope to be an internet version of him, spreading the word and pressing the basement waterproofing industry to change, the technology to grow and change, for the minds of millions of people to finally see that by changing the environment in their basement they can drastically affect the living standard that they want to improve.

My other blogs on various networks are listed, as well as Steve's small collection. Out hope is really to educate you to understanding how important your basement is to the total health of your home. Education is the first step towards changing your reality.

Standing water in Basements: What should I do?

Standing water is a common term for any body of water that is at rest on any surface. Commonly seen on the floor of basements (since that’s the lowest point in many homes), this is a clear indicator of flooding, leaks, or pipe damage.

If the level of water is unsafe and possibly coming into contact with electrical outlets DO NOT attempt to come in contact with this water. At this point it would be to your benefit to call your local Emergency Clean up professionals and ask them about the course of action that you should take.

If met with a small puddle or a small leak, this is something that many people can handle. Blotting (with sponge and bucket) can help you to get up the majority, if not all, of the water. Make sure to move any of the objects that were affected by this puddle away to a safe, dry place to evenly dry out. Do not place objects with die such as books, magazines, oriental rugs, or clothing on wall-to-wall carpeting to dry as this will typically end in staining. If the damage feels like it’s more than you can handle call your area Emergency Clean up Professionals.

As I mentioned before, standing water is normally a result of some sort of flooding, leak or pipe burst. Have an inspection done by a basement specialist to determine the entry point of the water. From here you can properly fix and clean your situation.

Updating copper piping for plumbing fixtures to PAX, patching or hydro-sealing cracks in the foundation, and waterproofing the basement can help to protect your space in the future. Water coming from the outside through your sill plate and over your foundation walls is typically caused by major disasters and or improper land gradation near your foundation. All soil around your house should be no higher than 6”-12” from the top of your foundation.

When major disasters occur such as flash flooding, hurricanes, typhoons or other acts of nature much of the flooding get in touch with your town or state to see what the plan is for emergency action in your area. Always make sure to follow the instructions provided to you and always keep your safety in mind

SeattlePI.com : Dangers of Basement Living Overlooked

Dangers of basement living often overlooked
Don't ignore safety when converting space, experts say

By KATHY MULADY AND AUBREY COHEN
P-I REPORTERS

When a massive storm hit Seattle last month, a sudden flood trapped Kate Fleming in the basement of her 1907 Madison Valley home and, unable to escape, she drowned in the fast-rising water.

Her death was a shocking eye-opener for basement-happy Seattleites who fill the lowest level of their houses with entertainment centers, recording studios, home businesses and family rooms.....

for full article: click here

Radon: What have you done to protect yourself?

As we all know, Radon supposedly isn’t active everywhere. However, because the gas is caused by the decay of radium, it could eventually happen everywhere.

The EPA has suggested that every house in the USA get their house checked for their Radon levels every 2 years. Have you done that?
What does that number you get mean?
What are your ideas of your basement space?
Why does it matter what I do in the basement?


What does that number you get mean?
Firstly, it’s just a good plane idea to get tested. Radon can then rise with the air content and actually travel through your house, not just affecting the basement environment.

Once you get the test results back, you’ll be faced with a number. For air Radon, a number of 4 or higher is a “not so good” sign. Treatment systems tend to be highly recommended if not demanded upon you at that number. Results from 2-4 are dependent on what you want to do with the space, and anything below a 2 is minimal.

For water Radon levels (such as getting your well water treated, it’s much the same scale). If Radon located in your water supply is higher then 10,000 pCi/L (picocuries per liter) then treatment will be heavily suggested. 4,000-9,999 can have other plans for treatment in mind, and anything fewer than 4,000 is considered safe and for you to retest in 3-5 years.

Radon has only recently received the press it rightly deserves. 21,000 people in the United States die from over exposure to the Gas every year. It’s highly toxic and it’s very important to get tested and to take the results seriously.


What are your ideas of your basement space?

This question has much to do with how acceptable a Radon result number you have. If you’re planning on expanding and adding a living space, or an area you’ll spend a lot of time in, then anything over a 2 really isn’t acceptable. The only thing you could do with a 2 or higher is to use it as a storage space that you spent little to no time in.

Regardless of your plans, levels above a 4 can be costly to your health on the 1st and 2nd floors as well.


Why does it matter what I do in the basement?

As of right now you might not be doing anything in your basement. But if you’re like me, I work down there on house projects, new cabinet doors, painting trim; I also store all my tools and other house maintenance equipment down there. So, I end up spending a great deal of time, not only in the basement but coming and going.
Radon only needs a small amount of exposure time to start doing the damage it’s known for on the human body. With all the combined time you spend interacting with the space, it’d be a better idea for you to make sure that you’re also not interacting with Radon by mistake.


Further reading:
Radon: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radon
Radium: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radium
Osha.gov: http://www.osha.gov/dts/chemicalsampling/data/CH_265469.html
EPA.gov http://www.epa.gov/radon/pubs/physic.html

Dealing with Water coming in over your Foundation Wall: At the Sill Plate.

The Sill Plate is the boarder beam that is directly connected to the rest of the Cross Beams and rests on the tops of the foundation. Sometimes it is built flush with the outside of the foundation wall, and sometimes it can be centered. Like the side boards of a deck it’s meant to help square up the cross support beams and distribute part of the weight down the foundations directly. The rest of the distribution of weight is taken by the massive house support beams (normally found in the center of the basement ceiling) which can then have 1 to many support columns which are metal poll that support at possible weak spots in the house support beam.

Now that you have an idea of what you’re looking at above you lets get to the bottom of this.

If water is coming in through the top of the foundation, ether through an opening in the sill plate, over the sill plate, or under the sill plate, it typically means one of two things.

1.) That the land graded to the foundation is too high and coming into direct contact with the sill plate. Sometimes allowing water to collect and drain into the basement.

Or

2.) That the whole area has experienced major flooding where the water level has risen to meet the sill plate directly or risen above it.


Now the typical rule for grading land is so that when the back-fill is placed after the formation of the foundation walls, that the grade of the land doesn’t meat the foundation any higher than 6”-12” down from the sill plate. This isn’t just for water.

The main reason that this rule was placed was because of insect and animal access. It’s harder for termites to gain access to the sill plate so far from the soil.
If you are experiencing this problem outside drainage can help, however it won’t solve this issue (especially in the cases of massive exterior flooding.) The first thing that I would recommend would be to get in contact with the builder of the home and discuss solutions to your property. If you can’t a hold of the builder, don’t know them, or live in a much older house then contacting a landscaping company to help you with the land grading would be your best first star in solving this issue.

Note:
This type of jump is most typical in these conditions listed above. People who live in houses with no basements, their houses being placed on slab, will also see direct correlation into their “first floor” living space. If you don’t know what type of foundation that you have and would like to find out you can go to your town hall and request the plans for your house, they’ll be able to direct you to exactly where you need to go for this information.

That time of year again

With all the snow that's come and quickly gone due to our strange weather lately, more and more of this is happening. In CT during the 40's and 50's there was a HUGE housing boom. Most of those post war houses are still very much in use and very much out of date. It was standard practice back then to install wooden framed windows on hinges to allow the homeowner to open them and get some cross ventilation in the basement (back then it wasn't thought to be a bad thing to have air flowing freely through the basement and up into your home.)




Before you get too sad and upset about your situation there are a few things that you do in deed have control over. I do implore everyone to get a moisture control system installed in their basements anyway, but there are definitely things that you can do before the installation.

1.) Extend all your rain gutter spouts at least 3 feet from the house. You can get parts for this at home depot. Don't be afraid to really get the parts together. You can rivet, bolt, screw, or heck, even duct tape the parts together. If you duct tape though, put some white spray paint on it, to cover it up...no sense in showing off your handy work to the neighbors ;-)

2.) Make sure that the flashing above your bulkhead door is flush against the house and is indeed keeping water from leaking back. These things do tend to rust and must be changed every so often. So keep your eye on that, and if in desperate need on the inside, run a bead of caulking down the seams of the bulkhead to the basement wall.

3.) Get your windows in your basement fixed and or updated. New windows have been designed to help with keeping your house energy effective and warm, so why not extend that benefit to your basement as well? PLUS having a new threshold for the window will give you a tighter seal which won't allow the picture above to happen until many many years from now.

4.) During a rain storm, take a walk outside. Map out the trouble areas of pooling and basement contact with water. This way you'll know more about the slope of your land, where it needs to go, and have more detailed information for the professional coming to help you install a Moisture control system.

there are some forums on Pioneer Basement that you can ask questions about other things you can do before an install to get your house ready.

HVAC issue in CT 1

I had a client not too long ago that has a type 1 (or level 1) mold issue in the basement. There's a secure bulkhead and an open stair well to the stairs up to the apartments.

The problem is tha the duct to the window for the ventalation is open. There's a grate on the outside. One vent coming stright down out of the window to about 2 feet from the floor. The second comes straight out at window/ceiling level. The idea is for the warm air to escape through the top vent and colder air from the outside is to come through the bottom vent opening closer to the floor in order to then travel, stir up air away from the furnace and then heat, and escape out the top. Simple right?

Yes, simple, however creating some complications. Apparently there are large piles of leaves and other outside material that has found it's way through the grate into the basement. Which leaves me to beleve that the moist air is coming in through the vents as well. Trying to do research has lead me to noting. Most vents on the furnace are carried through normal ducts to the outside, keeping the circulation in a close ciruit between the ouside and the furnace....right?

Besides having a water issue which will be corrected by installing the Grate Products System I can't see where else the moisture could be coming from. Even having a Santa Fe working full tilt couldn't eleminate an endless stream of moisture from the outside.

I'm vexed by the idea. I don't want them to install and then still experience mold because of the outside. I'll have pictures and I'll have information before anything happens..That's for sure.

Things to Look For 1

So I've gotten many questions in my travels, especially from people selling their houses, but also from people in the market to buy: "What should I be looking for in the basement?"

I've taken some pictures recently of some friends basements, and I'll post some images from other people's basements hopefully later tonight. Hopefully as I go I can explain the good and the bad.