Basement Ideas
Most DC Basement Moisture Problems Start in These 5 Places
By All Purpose Anytime Services LLC
You can put $30,000 of finish into a basement and lose it to one clogged drain. In a DC row house, the water almost always comes from the same five places. Check them before anything gets built.
1. The areaway drain
The drain at the bottom of the basement stairwell. When leaves clog it, water heads straight for your wall.
2. Downspouts at the foundation
A downspout that empties against the house puts the whole roof's rain at your basement wall.
3. A backyard that slopes in
If rain runs toward the house instead of away, the basement is where it ends up.
4. Cracks and the wall-floor joint
Where the wall meets the slab is where water under pressure finds its way in.
5. Summer air on cold masonry
Humid air hits the cool wall and turns to water. It looks like a leak but isn't one.
The 2-day test
Tape a two-foot square of clear plastic to the wall. Water under it is coming through the wall. Water on top of it is condensation from the room. Fix the cause, then finish the room.
Planning to Finish the Basement?
We check where the water comes from before we price the finish.