With spring showers come the dreaded floods, and if you have a basement problem the consequences can be costly. If you have a leak in your basement, the problem can persist or get bigger as time goes by, your foundation can get damage and deteriorate if the problem is not fixed. Preventing flooding in your basement can help ensure that headaches later on won’t cost you as much nor give you respiratory problems because of the mold accumulation in your basement.
Read more about this topic by following the links below.
Strategies for Keeping Your Basement Flood-Free
When protecting your basement from flooding, you should start with cleaning your gutters to ensure water is flowing freely.
This is the season of basement dread. If you live in certain parts of the country, and if your basement is prone to flooding, you may be reading this waist-deep in water right now. Melting snow followed by spring rains often translate into having a lot of extra water. And maybe you’ve heard – there was a lot of snow this winter.
But year-round, any number of missteps can flood a homeowner’s basement. If the power goes out, say, in the middle of the night during a lightning storm, and the sump pump stops pumping out excess groundwater – by morning, you may find your finished basement looking decidedly unfinished. If your gutters are clogged or loose, and the water isn’t draining out properly, that, too, can result in leaking into your basement. There are seemingly innumerable ways your basement might flood – you might simply have bad plumbing – which can wreck the foundations of both your house and budget.
So don’t be a drip. To keep your basement drop-free, here are some things to consider.
It doesn’t take much water to cost a lot. Will Southcombe is the director of training and technical services for PuroClean, a national property damage restoration company, and he has seen basements flooded to the ceiling – and then some. But he has also seen plenty of basements ruined by the aforementioned sump pump example, in which even two inches of water can destroy carpet, ruin the base of furniture and make any toys, books or boxes scattered on the floor obsolete.
Recover from and prevent basement flooding
Weekly rain storms and melting snow can cause basement flooding, even if you don’t live near the water.
Todd Lutinski owner of Todd Lutinski’s Dry Zone Basement Systems joined the Rhode Show Tuesday and provided some great tips regarding basement flooding maintenance and prevention.
He covered everything from the importance of waterproofing your basement to common mistakes DIY homeowners make while trying to correct basement issues.
For more information, visit their website, and watch their appearance on The Rhode Show by clicking the video above.
The insurance risks of a basement man cave
Adding a man cave in your basement might be one of the more expensive financial liabilities of home ownership.
Understanding why comes down to two figures and the details of your homeowners’ insurance policy.
- Homeowners spend an average $62,834 on a basement remodel, according to Remodeling Magazine‘s 2014 Cost vs. Value Report.
- Floods are the most damaging natural disaster in the U.S., with Allstate putting the average homeowner’s losses around $48,000.
And the kicker: Many of your personal possessions in a basement may not be covered in the event of a flood, even if you have flood insurance.
Of course, it’s not fair to single out the man cave. For Marcia and Jim Rafte in Oneida, N.Y., it was a basement workshop, sewing room, a kitchenette, guest bedroom, half-bath and storage room, all submerged after rains caused a nearby creek to overflow in June, 2013.
“Everything in the basement went, and we were within a couple steps of being wet on the first floor,” said Marcia Rafte, 67.
