7 Links you must see on Safe'n'Dry Basement Blog

I was challenged, as where many other people, by the writer of ProBlogger.net to come up with 7 links to other posts on my blog. Following his format, I’ve put together this post to help guide you through other parts of my blog, hopefully to things you haven’t read already.

1.) My first Post: When I first started blogging for Pioneer Basement and Grate Products, I did what any normal person might do when meeting someone for the first time: I Introduced myself in First things First! Looking at it now, wasn't the best thing I ever hit "publish" for, but at least I can laugh at it.

2.) A post I enjoyed writing the most: A post series (2 parts) that I really enjoyed doing was a review of a friend’s basement. He was in the process of buying his first home and decided to send me pictures. I reviewed what I could see and sent him the results but also shared them with you: Friends Basement Inspection. My take on the Images pt1.


3.) A post with a great discussion: As most readers simply are looking for information pertaining to basement waterproofing or foundation repair, I sadly don’t generate a ton of comments (unless they’re other companies spamming my comment section). However the post with the most comments so far was Water Coming in through Foundation of House which, after writing, I found out that many people have similar issues with water coming over the foundation.

4.) A post on someone else’s blog I wish I had written: In the time that I’ve been blogging about the basement health industry there has been one person who’s stood out in my eyes. Not only is he my boss, he’s the owner of Pioneer Basement, founder and inventor of the Grate Drain, and Pioneer of the basement waterproofing industry’s code of ethics. He wrote a post back in 2009 that I wish I had the guts to write. Entitled Basement Healthcare it brought about stark realizations to me about how I look at my health and what part my home plays in it.

5.) My most helpful post: So to take a non-biased look, I cracked open Google Analytics and took a peak at June 2010. Without a doubt my post Basement Dehumidifiers, Getting the jump on Humid Summer Weather was a hit. So looking at that I’d say it was my most helpful post for what many homeowners are dealing with now that summer is here.

6.) A post with a title I’m most proud of: Childproof Sump Pump Lids can save lives! - Difficult to open is a GOOD thing. After a tragic accident in Indiana, I needed to explain why our Grate Sumps were different and at the same time explain one of the benefits of their tricky lids.

7.) A post I wish more people read: Basement Mistakes pt 5 – Finishing a Basement with Organic Construction Materials was a post that I felt everyone needed to read. All too often homeowners let contractors install materials in their homes without a second thought. I wanted to shine light onto the topic and educate homeowners. This should be a Must Read on my site!

Hopefully you've found other posts on my blog that you had not seen/read before. Sharing information about basement waterproofing and foundation repair is something that I really enjoy doing and I hope that in the future you'll come back and recommend my blog, and my company, to your family members and friends.

Related Reading and Links
Read about the Top 6 Basement Mistakes that contractors and homeowners make. See what other readers have asked in Safe'n'Dry Basement Blog's Reader Questions Section
Ask Pioneer Basement a question Directly on Pioneer Basement's Help Forums!

Basement Mistake pt3 – Thinking that a basement is not part of the house.

Now this might sound down right silly, but many homeowners and even contractors actually treat the basement almost as if it wasn’t really part of the house. You might be saying “well that’s just silly!” and you would be right. The basement is the space created under your home by the walls of your foundation. Since it’s a closed in space, it is very much a part of your home and regularly contributes to the air quality and health of the rest of the home.


Foundation is sick, home is sick.
Movements in the soils around the foundation make the walls move, bricks buckle, or cause cracks in the basement walls. These movements also affect the home directly on top of it by causing ceiling and wall cracks, doors to stick and windows to get shifty. It’s not only connected in a physical way, but is also connected with airflow.

Air from the outside of the home finds its way into the basement through the foundation walls. The air travels up and into the first floor of the home and continues to travel until it reaches a window, roof or some other opening. If the air quality in the basement is poor, than the air quality in the rest of the home is affected and changed. Mold spores, pollutants or other VOCs that have access to your basement have access to the rest of the home.

The recent epidemic of sick-house syndrome is typically caused by problems emanating from the basement. Mold and mildew can quickly turn a home from a safe haven into a place that makes it hard to breathe and can even cause neurological disorders. Leaving the home’s foundation to it’s own devices will only allow further deterioration, cracks, moisture, and problems to occur.


Like any part of your home…
…the foundation needs to be repaired and maintained. Creating a healthy and safe environment will lend itself to creating a healthy and safe home.

Leaving problems like standing water, cracks, or mold to fix themselves will only leave you in solid disappointment.

As you would have a plumber come and tend to your pipes, have a basement health contractor come and inspect the condition of your basement. Providing a Radon Test every 2 years, correcting and foundation stability issues, and attending to moisture and water control needs will have you finally sitting pretty.


Evidence that Contractors think differently about the basement.
I was even surprised to see that many contractors (who aren’t in the basement health industry) see the basement as separate from the rest of the home. Many finishing contractors will build with the same materials as they would on a 1st or 2nd floor project. Organic material such as wood and standard dry walls can turn into hazards when met with moisture issues. This proves that many finishing contractors don’t understand the basement environment and think that the foundation is a separate part of the home.

Providing the same classical finishing methods and materials to a remodeling job in the basement shows that contractors don’t always understand the problems of their materials in the foundation area. Paper-backed dry walls and insulation can feed mold problems. Wood studs can absorb moisture and introduce mold and dry rot odors to the basement. The basement requires different types of materials to be used in the basement and by not understanding this; contractors condemn their remodeling projects to eventual disaster.

The foundation itself, yes, is a separate “piece” of the home, but the conditions within it are very much connected to the rest of the home. This is why thinking this way about the basement is one of the Top 6 Most Common Basement Mistakes.

NAWSRC Regional Meeting: Chicago, IL: Special Realtors Focus

May 22nd + 23rd, 2009! Chicago, IL
Metropolitan Industries
37 Forestwood Drive
Romeoville, IL 60446


Selling homes quickly and effectively is what makes Realtors money. For a long time Basements have been a sore spot in the home. Potential problems with the foundation, odors, and even minor/major leaks have kept homes from selling.

The NAWSRC is holding it’s regional meeting in Chicago, IL and is inviting all local realtors who want to help their clients. Registration can be done at NAWSRC Chicago Regional Meeting Registration Page and can even include web-marketing packages if you so wish to help sponsor the event.

What can a Realtor get out of Basement Waterproofing?
The fist major thing that a home gets from basement waterproofing is a safe, clean and clear basement. No water, controlled humidity, and better air quality can actually help to sell the home. A clean space that’s ready to finish leaves a blank canvas for homebuyers to start thinking about expansion before they even decide to buy. The more amenities at a competitive market value will help to showcase that home over the others.

Foundation Repair insures a good Investment
Fixing and repairing foundations can help to limit moisture, control and repair unsightly and worrisome cracks and can help to insure the foundations strength and stability. A solid foundation will show itself through better curb appeal. A level home with smoothly opening doors and windows can and will look and feel better on the first visit. A good impression is something that any Realtor needs to sell homes fast.

Our homes don’t have water, should I still come?
YES! You may not think they have water but all basements have the possibility of leaking, especially in wet areas like Chicago and Chicagoland’s metro area. If you think that water isn’t a problem, think about it as protection for your buyer.

*Automatic Warranties on the work to carry over to new homeowner ($$)
*Automatically add another 1/3 to the sell home and increase marketable floor space. ($$)
*Create a blank canvas for a buyer to think about finishing. ($$)
*Maintain pleasant air quality and make the home more pleasant to show.($$)
*Increase your network to the companies for referrals to you! ($$)
*Direct P2P and B2B networking at the Regional Meeting! ($$)

This meeting is focused to cover:A Realtor and Inspector’s Seminar
*Sell Houses Faster Without Discounting. NAWSRC Member Contractors Can help!
*Grading and Exterior Solutions. Simple Things To Do BEFORE you List That House
*Basement Drainage – Interior Solutions. Afraid to Show That Basement – We Can Help!
*Don't Let a Sinking Foundation Cause You a Lower. Commission or Worse No Sale
*Women, Plumbers, and Doctors – Air Quality Starts In The Basement
*Pre Sale Inspections Can Help You Sell A Home Faster, Build Your Reputation & Limit Your Liability
*Networking Sessions
*Product spotlights
*Question and Answers sessions
*and MORE!

Basement Waterproofing Contractors and Foundation Repair Contractors take a wrong turn with SEO

Being in the Waterproofing industry I'm constantly interacting with other companies online. Innovated designs, solutions, some fail, some don't. There are many licenses that are needed by companies to work in the Waterproofing, Foundation repair, Radon Mitigation, Asbestos removal, and other home improvement industries. Recently, I wrote a post about how improperly licensed waterproofing companies are putting the consumer at risk.

SEO, Web Site Optimization, and Getting Ethical:
Today, I'm talking about the people in the back room, doing the marketing or taking over the public distribution of the branding of these companies online.

I recently made a more personal opinion post on Ezine's Members forums about what I've been running into.

The Problem: Companies are jumping the Gun to get out ahead:
New companies, wanting a leg up, and even older companies needing to create new leads and sustainability in a down economy are taking SEO (Search Engine Optimization, a branch of Web Site Optimization) and other website optimization specialists and bringing them to work at their Headquarters. Lovingly called "In-House SEO," it became a special topic at this year SMX.

The problem comes not from the planed "currently running" SEO; it comes from the SEO and web site optimization that's implemented BEFORE the company is actually ready to do business. Some optimization and SEO companies have become so efficient, and there's so much information out there on the Internet, that even business owners are jumping in and pulling their weight. Again, the problem is that businesses are doing this in anticipation, making the sites live, and the sites rank well right off the bat, but the business is left in the dust trying to catch up.

Consumers need to step up their "Pre-Shoping" to protect themselves:
Consumers need to be aware and need to take note of this. Not all websites lead you to qualified people. Some websites are intentionally designed to fish for leads and then source them out to companies for a fee; this is the way these sites make money.

If a site is qualified, you can take the name of the company (sometimes listed in full at the bottom of a site) and actually find the license of the company listed in that state's Department of Public Safety or Department of Consumer Protection.

It is so important for consumers to be doing the right research when finding waterproofing and foundation repair contractors.

Many states are fighting large numbers of "seasonal" contractors who migrate from state to state and do work with improper licenses, and un-intentionally stealing work from local state licensed carrier contractors.

Bottom Line:
Protect yourself as a consumer: Ask for License Numbers.

Protect yourself as a consumer: Double check the name of the company or owner of the company against the databases at the Department of Public Safety or Department of Consumer Protection.

For business owners: DON'T JUMP THE GUN! Get your licenses first, operate the right way in your state, and THEN gather business from online and other referral processes. Doing business online doesn't leave you exempt from state or federal law.

Crack Repair: Not a total solution for basement waterproofing

Crack repair should never be considered the final solution to solve any wet basement problem. It should only be considered part of the final solution. Crack repair helps to heal and repair the foundation, but there are still many ways in which water can find its way into your basement besides that crack.

A total solution that would involve dedicated crack repair would be that of a crack or two in conjunction with a vapor barrier and drain solution.

The crack repair, even though most come with 10-year warranties, only typically covers the area where the crack was repaired. This doesn’t cover the basement either getting wet or experiencing another crack. The best way to insure that the crack is backed up is to have a vapor barrier and drainage system installed over it.

Repairing a crack, whether it, be by injection or some other method, only fills the void and bonds the concrete back together. Water can still find it’s way through the concrete, rod ties, the floor/wall joint, the joint between the footer and the wall, or if the pressure is enough through a newly formed crack somewhere else in the basement. Crack repair is only intended to repair the crack and stop it from expanding and causing further foundation wall damage.

By having a crack injected the crack will be repaired and the wall will be sound. A vapor barrier and drain can now help to remove, capture and redirect any moisture or liquid water that comes into your basement. If another crack forms due to stress on the foundation, soil movement or settling then the vapor barrier that is installed can and will protect your basement against any moisture that comes through those as well.

Having the combination of a full foundation repair, a crack repair and a moisture control system will ensure that your basement stays dry.

Foundation repair and Crack Repair: problems with thought

So the other day we had our crack repair specialists at Rescon Basement Solutions come out to give a short history and practice lesson on crack repair, do and don't, as well as styles and filling types. For those of you who are slightly obsessed with foundation repair I'm sure you would have enjoyed it. However, for homeowners it might have been quite boring lol.

Ether way it brought up, in conjunction with a few Pioneer Forum posts, the stigma that many homeowners have about basement wall crack repairs: "well if I fix the crack, I solve the water problem".

This is wrong. Dead wrong.

Crack repair is for repairing walls. If used in conjunction with piering or wall anchoring you have some rather robust foundation repair solutions. But by no means is filling a crack the "end all be all" solution for moisture control for a whole basement.

I write more about it on the forums and my blog at pioneer basement.

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.