Waterproofing a basement and finishing it in Anjou!

Tuesday, March 5th, 2019 by Pamela Sabella

Challenge

This couple contacted us in November 2017 to get help with their renovation project. They planned to buy the house of the grandmother of one of the spouses and needed to know what would happen if they destroyed the entire basement interior and remake it in the near future. They were confused and did not really know what kind of renovation they needed to do.

It was obvious that they wanted to do waterproofing work because there was water seepage through the floor joists under the stairs, into a cold room and the nearby corridor.

To finish their basement without waterproofing it would have been a bad idea since the risk would have always been present. The water would have infiltrated and damaged the basement again, which would have cost extra and exorbitant to redo everything. The decision to waterproof the basement is the choice to make to finish the basement once and for all.

Solution

To advise this couple so that the entire renovation process won’t become an additional headache, we sent our specialist Michael Costello. He took the time to explain the importance of basement waterproofing and demonstrating how to deal with this problem at its source.

In such a way, our customers have been able to understand where the water came from and how an indoor drain system connected to a sump pump is the best solution to block water infiltration permanently.

Actually, the WaterGuard drain has been installed under the perimeter of the affected regions. This drain is specially designed to drain the water flowing from the walls, the wall-to-floor, and under-floor joints and redirects it to the pump. There is no risk for clogging because it is designed to be installed on the base of the foundation and not on the ground.

The TripleSafe sump pump is the most efficient on the market. It contains three pumps: the first operates during normal conditions, the second embarks in the case where the flow and the amount of water increase and the first is not enough, and the third will work thanks to the UltraSump system which is a battery backup pump.

For these worried owners, this system is the best solution against water infiltration.

To complete this system, since we live in Quebec, IceGuard accessories and LawnScape have been added to the discharge pipe. The first allows the water to drain even if the pipe freezes in winter and the second lets the water out of the foundation by hiding itself in the grass.