How to Prepare and Protect Your Basement from Flooding
There’s nothing worse than trying to walk into your basement, only to find your basement has flooded. Whether there is just enough water to make the floor wet or you are dealing with several inches of water, you could be facing high repair costs. Knowing how to protect your basement from flooding by working with experienced basement remodeling contractors will help you protect your home and your basement from costly damage.
Why Do Basements Flood?
Before you start your basement finishing project, it’s important to understand why basements flood so you can find ways to prevent the damage. In most cases, basement flooding occurs when rain water doesn’t divert away from the house and seeps through the foundation. Some of the biggest reasons this happens is if your downspouts are too close to the house, the land doesn’t slope away from your home or your gutters are clogged. Your basement remodeling contractors can evaluate the state of your foundation and basement walls to detect any possible problems so they can be fixed before moving forward with your basement remodeling project.
What Can You Do?
In addition to talking to your remodeling contractors about how to protect your basement from flooding, there are steps you can take to reduce your risks. Every spring and fall, it’s important to clean out your gutters so water can flow freely through the system instead of overflowing under your roofing material or directly next to your home. If your downspouts are too close to your home, you can purchase extensions to channel water further from your home. Check your yard during heavy storms to identify where water pools. If you have large puddles close to your home, you may need help from a professional to resolve the issue.
Another important element in any basement finishing project is a sump pump. If your home doesn’t already have one, talk to basement remodeling contractors about adding one. These pumps draw excess moisture out of the ground immediately surrounding your home and funnels it through a pipe, depositing it a safe distance from your home. Some homeowners feel more secure when installing a backup sump pump in case the main pump fails. It can also be helpful to install a generator large enough to operate the sump pump if you lose electricity.
When you undertake a basement finishing project, you need to know how to protect your basement from flooding to further protect your investment. Many basement remodeling contractors are aware of best ways to reduce the risks of flooding so you can enjoy your basement to its fullest without concern over whether the items you store there may be damaged due to flooding.
If you are concerned about basement flooding, contact us. Our experienced Massachusetts contractors can complete a basement finishing project that can protect you from flood damage.