Basement Waterproofing and Crawl Space Repair in MD

Ground vapor barriers in vented crawl spaces: do they work?

Wed, 14 Jan 2009 02:35:04 -0500

Everything was done "by the book" in your crawl space.

The dirt floor was lined with a vapor barrier, overlapping 6 inches in the seams, the seams sealed with tape. The liner ran a few inches or half way up the walls and was fastened or glued it in place, following all the typical recommendations. You provided the code specified amount of vents, which were left open year round or during specific seasons, following the regional guidelines.

Yet now, after a few years, your house smells like a wet dog, your hardwood floors or plywood sub-floors are warping, your carpet is damp and you or someone in your family is always feeling miserable with allergy symptoms.

You suspect the crawl space and as you open the door to it you realize you need a mask, flash light, a bio-hazard suit, a good stomach and a dose of courage to enter the place.

Your crawl space is filthy, moldy, and full of bugs. The smell of decay ins unbearable. You can poke holes with a pen in your floor joists and the insulation, now turned into something resembling science fiction B movie monster, is falling off.

You wonder what went wrong. You and the thousands of other American homeowners who own houses with vented crawl spaces, that go through this same situation every single day.

What went wrong - and cases such as yours and the one in the picture prove - is that those crawl space venting recommendations are wrong. They make no sense from a scientific standpoint and if nothing is done to change them and educate the consumer, they will victimize more and more homeowners.

Moisture ruined crawl spaces are so common in the US, that they can be considered part of a true housing epidemic.

The only proven way to protect the crawlspace is through encapsulation and conditioning systems such as our CleanSpace System. Encapsulated crawl spaces are proven to significantly improve your home's health, indoor air quality and energy efficiency.

Contact us for a free estimate and see how easy and affordable it is to have a crawl space so dry and clean, you can safely use it for storage.

Building Permits in MD: a navigation chart

Mon, 22 Sep 2008 11:19:59 -0400

In the article, “Permit Us to Explain” written by Laura Barnhardt for the Baltimore Sun, the author compares the process of getting permits to remodel a home in that State, to navigating a foreign country.
The amount of paperwork they demand, and the long lines at the clerk’s office are only a few of the many hassles homeowners have to face when trying to get permits for remodeling projects.
Says the author: ‘Although most of the local governments in the region make forms and information available online and several have automated telephone systems for scheduling inspections, the process can be complicated, because it varies in each jurisdiction and by the type of renovations being done. In some places, homeowners creating a garden shed might just as well be building an embassy.”
However, to simplify things a bit, the article brings you the basic information you’ll need according to the region you live.
It lists types of project requiring permits, fees, where to go and where to park. A must stop for any MD resident considering a home improvement project.

The little house that would not sell

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 10:51:45 -0400

It was a charming little house, located in one of the best little neighborhoods in the county, freshly painted and fairly priced. The seller even paid for a professional home stager to spruce up the place an entice buyers.

The real state agent was so excited when he first listed it. And just about every prospective buyer would fall in love with it, at first sight. Young couples would discuss ways to decorate the rooms as they visited and their children would fight over the "coolest" or biggest bedroom.

Old couples would assign functions for each room, and comment on how they'd place a specific piece of furniture.

Judging by their initial reaction, you would think that the house would be sold in no time. But everything changed once they reached the basement. The heavy musty smell that came about as soon as the access door was opened would immediately silence even the most talkative buyer.

The small children would eventually speak up and say what the grown-ups wouldn't: "Eeeeeeeeeeeew, mommy! This place stinks!"

Fact is that the charming little house had a wet and moldy basement.

Wet basements are among the 10 things that will make buyers run away from a deal, and render your house very difficult, if not impossible to sell. Sellers will probably need to decrease the price considerably and sell the house as a "fixer-upper", even if everything else in it is in perfect conditions.

On the other hand, waterproofing and remodeling the basement prior to sale, will add that much room to your home as living area, therefore, increasing the property value.

A transferable warranty, offered by a reliable waterproofing contractor, will cover the buyer after the ownership is transferred, so that you the seller will not be held liable in the future.

Man (and Woman) Caves: reclaiming the basement as private sanctuaries

Thu, 18 Sep 2008 10:17:02 -0400

Everyone needs a space to call their own. We all at some point of our busy lives, dream of a place where we can get away from daily chores, routines and worries, and just relax or indulge in some pleasant activity, alone or with the people we love.
That is pretty much the concept behind the “Man Cave” trend: to create personal private sanctuaries in a home, where people can do things that would be difficult to do everywhere else in the house, without being interrupted or becoming a nuisance for the rest of the family.
And what better area in a house than the basement, to give a cave all the characteristics it needs? Basements are part of the building but separated from the rest of the house. They offer privacy, convenience, and room. A whole floor worth of it!
Although the “cave” concept is marketed and celebrated as a “guy thing”, women too are beginning to look at the basement as more than just the place where they do the laundry.
They are being turned into mediation rooms, ateliers, craft and sewing rooms, private gym and even private spas.
They also serve often as a private entertainment space, for that special “girl’s night in” without husband, kids, and the house pets.
Experts say that allowing yourself to retire to such private spaces where you can unwind relax and be yourself, is one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself. It helps prevent or alleviate stress.
The next time you feel like getting away, consider that the best place for that might be right downstairs.