Renovating your home or adding on an addition is an exciting time for many homeowners. While renovations and additions can be an excellent way to add value to your home, if done improperly, your basement can be placed at risk. At Tom’s Basement Waterproofing, we’ve seen firsthand how renovations and additions can lead to expensive damages to basements in homes and businesses and are here to help you ensure your renovations go smoothly and safely. We’ll take a closer look at how you can ensure your basement is protected during your renovation or addition, including how common home construction projects can affect below ground structural stability.
How Renovation Projects Can Put Your Basement at Risk
Certain types of renovation projects and additions can put strain on your foundation, modify soil drainage patterns, and expose foundation walls to increased moisture and weather elements. In older homes, for example, adding on an addition or renovating parts of your home can create new pressure points and weak areas in your basement, particularly if the home has settled unevenly over the years. This can accelerate uneven settling, leading to structural issues, including:
- Foundation cracks
- Wall bowing
- Floor movement
- Water intrusion
Projects that involve excavation of soil around your property can also come with basement concerns, as the drainage and grading away from your home’s foundation may no longer be adequate to keep water from pooling around the foundation. This is particularly concerning if construction is going to expose foundation walls for an extended period of time. Luckily, with proper planning, inspections, and necessary foundation repairs, you can greatly reduce the risk that these issues threaten the structural integrity and safety of your basement. We’ll take a closer look at some of the higher risk renovations to basements and how our team can help you mitigate these risks.
Renovation Projects That Commonly Cause Basement and Foundation Issues
At Tom’s Basement Waterproofing, some of the more common home renovation projects we’ve seen contribute to basement problems include room additions, garage conversions, and basement finishing projects. We’ll address the concerns that arise with each of these projects.
Room Additions
The main concerns with room addition projects arise from excavation of existing footings and changes to grading and water runoff patterns. Basements that are already dealing with minor foundation damage may also be at risk of further damage both during construction and after, as the house continues to settle. Ensuring that any necessary repairs are carried out before renovations begin and that proper grading is used after construction has finished are key to preventing future basement issues.
Garage Conversions
Garage conversions are another common renovation project that can be risky for a basement. The main concerns we have with these projects are moisture problems from slab conversions and drainage changes. Our team can help inspect for these foundation issues before and after a garage conversion and remedy any minor problems before they become more extensive.
Basement Conversions
As you might expect, basement conversions are also a common cause of basement damage. What we’ve seen most often is covering up sources of moisture like cracks in basement walls, without properly sealing water entry points. This can cause water to accumulate behind new walls, leading to mold growth and accelerated water damage. Our team can inspect and properly seal the cracks before you convert your basement, ensuring you’re not dealing with a challenging mold issue after the conversion.
Protect Your Renovations and Your Basement With Help From Tom’s Basement Waterproofing
Protecting your home’s basement during a renovation doesn’t have to be a challenge when you get help from our team at Tom’s Basement Waterproofing. Our team can inspect, repair, and prevent many of the common basement issues that arise after a renovation or addition to your home. To schedule an inspection or repair of your basement, give our team a call today at (586) 949-7826.
