Is Your Basement Safe to Finish?

Everyone would like to have the additional living space that a home’s basement offers as potential added finished square footage. It can significantly increase the value of the home and change the entire dynamic of a home. The problem with this is sometimes people put the cart before the horse and finish their basement without first ensuring their investment in the new space is not wasted by a flooded basement or foundation issues.

We see it all the time where home owners’ put thousands of dollars into finishing their basement space only to have it ruined in a heavy rain or with damage to drywall, ceilings, and flooring due to foundation issues. The homeowner then has to rip out finished walls, floor and ceiling to correct the problem before finishing it again, costing them thousands more or even worse refinishing it again without fixing the issue.

If you have had a water issue, even just once, finishing your basement without addressing it is putting more of your time and money in jeopardy.  If it happened once there is a good chance it will happen again. The majority of water issues are caused by clogged tile drains or wall cracks. These drains will only clog more and more over time and crack seals break as foundations shift, so the issue usually gets worse not better. It only takes one more time to ruin the finished basement you spent thousands on.

Only having small water issues in the past may give a false sense of confidence that it is okay to finish without correcting the problem but even if the basement never floods, allowing a water issue to go unaddressed is asking for mold growth and rot of your drywall, not to mention an unhealthy living environment.

Finishing over basement walls with signs of bowing or settlement is asking for trouble. A wall that is tipping or bowing in will cause the drywall to do the same. It will eventually damage the drywall and ceiling with the inward pressure causing cracking, buckling and other damages in the finished area. Settlement causes the same issues but not only in the basement, rather all over the house.

If you see cracks in your basement walls the last thing you should do is put drywall over the top of them. Not only is the drywall going to see damage from this but it also removes the ability to access needed to install a solution to the problem. You are no longer able to see the progression of the issue and you are now heading in the direction of a surprise wall collapse because you can no longer monitor the wall’s condition.

Sometimes people will try to boost appeal of a home they are putting on the market by finishing the basement that has ugly walls and flooring. Trying to sell a house by finishing or covering these areas without addressing them is not only immoral it is illegal unless you disclose the issues to the buyer. A court case is certainly not worth making a few shortcuts for.

The moral of the story is no matter what reason for wanting to finish your basement, first make sure that your foundation walls are in good condition and your basement is not susceptible to flooding. The headache of ripping out carpet and drywall, not to mention the loss of thousands of dollars is simply not worth it. Preparing your basement to be finished by addressing these issues beforehand not only ensures you will never have to deal with a ruined basement it adds a peace of mind that our customers have found it hard to put a number on.

We are proud to serve Des Moines, Ames, Waterloo, Ankeny, Urbandale, West Des Moines, Marshalltown, Ottumwa, Fort Dodge, Cedar Falls, and nearby. Contact Midwest Foundation Repair today to schedule your free estimate!