Lots of water and no where for it to go. Water tables this time of year are at their capacity leaving water to seep into undesired areas. These areas usually consist of your homes basement. With improper drainage water cannot be diverted away from your home.

Tips for removing water away and out of your home:

• Install a sump pump inside your basement. It is installed in the concrete floor to relieve aquastatic pressure before it can enter into your home.
• Install french drains inside your basement. Drains are installed in the corner of the wall and floor. Usually installed due to failing footing drains.
• All homes are installed with footing drains unless built on a slab. Over time, older footing drains fail due to products used years ago or poor installation. Footing drains are the number one factor for relieving water away from your home.
• Install a curtain drain. Curtain drains help relieve water before it reaches your footing drains. Also good for wet areas of your property.
• Divert gutter downspouts away from home.

 The key to good drainage is a good installation. Most systems fail due to poor installation and a misunderstanding of how the system works. Water is one of natures greatest forces and costs homeowners and insurance companies trillions of dollars a year.

Key factors when installing footing drains:

• Make sure before you dig, call! Have a markout done so you don't hit any underground lines.
• Use a minimum 4" corrugated pipe.
• Use more gravel than necessary. Gravel is natural drainage.
• Install filter fabric around gravel.
• Install filter fabric around corrugated pipe.
• Use a good quality foundation coating.

 Curtain drains are a perfect way to relieve water away from your home or property. It works the same way as a footing drain and a lot of the time they are installed together. With both systems installed it cuts down your risk of water penetrating your home.

Why you might need a curtain drain:

• Areas of your property are consistently wet
• Water problems in your basement
• Your soil has bad perculation

Sump pumps are an excellent way of keeping unwanted water out of your basement. Installed in your basement floor, sump pumps relieve water from aquastatic pressure. In some areas, water tables are always high. As the pressure builds, water will always go where there is the least resistance. This will be in the cracks of your floor or walls. A sump pump catches any unwanted water before it can penetrate  into your home.

 Removing water away from your home is always a good idea. Gutter downspouts drain a massive amount of water from your roof. Installing a 4" pipe in the ground to divert the water elsewhere is an excellent investment.

What you gain by diverting water from your downspouts:

• Less water to worry about penetrating your foundation.
• Less mold and mildew issues next to your home.
• Much cleaner appearance.

 Water problems are always an issue. Fixing the problem is another issue. In the picture above you can easily see the high water table before we installed the curtain drain. Contact WMB Construction today for your next water issue.

Basements are always prone to mold and mildew. This is due to the fact that basements are below grade level leaving your basement subject to water and moisture that enter through your porous foundation. When your foundation was first constructed a foundation coating was applied to the exterior wall of your foundation to prevent any penetration of water to enter. Over time your foundation coating will deteriorate allowing water through the foundation. Concrete is a porous material that welcomes water and moisture if not treated correctly. Especially if you have a block foundation compared to a poured foudation.

Most of us with homes have basements and most of us with basements have no outside access doors. This holds true in many cases especially if your basement is fully below grade. With Bilco basement door systems it is possible to create outside access to your basement. 

Bilco doors allow you to easily access your basement like never before. Moving furniture and appliances are a tremendous task to maneuver through the house. With basement doors installed you cut down on possible damage to walls and doors and easily move furniture and appliances in half the time.

Many of us with homes already have basement doors. We've replaced many in the past due to their age and failure in keeping water out. The older basement doors were constructed of wood. While they served the purpose they always leaked, warped and rotted.

Wood doors have no channels built in for catching and diverting water. Bilco doors are fabricated of all steel construction and applied is a baked on primer from the factory. Bilco is by far the leader in basement door construction.

If you have always dreamed of having Bilco basement doors, now is the time. The added convience alone will make you realize how you ever lived without them. It is also an excellent fire escape in case of an emergency. 

When you think of the word basement it may come to mind of that dark gloomy area of your home. It is the area of your home you most likely dread going to do laundry, store some can goods, or maybe change the filter in your furnace once or twice a year. Open ceilings, exposed electrical wires, hanging insulation, exposed plumbing lines, etc......... Doesn't really sound like a fun place to be in your home.

Just imagine that area of your home remodeled with heat, lighting, and walls and ceilings. It is easily converted into usable living area and will most likely be the biggest room of your home. Most basements are the same square footage as your entire first floor. When you start thinking of remodeling your basement, the ideas become endless. You can go from a standard open floor plan to adding bathrooms, wet bars, bedrooms, closets, sauna room, weight room, kitchen; the ideas become endless.

Five key factors for remodeling your basement:

• Substantial amount of added living area.

• Added value to your home.

• By finishing you basement you eliminate most of the mildew and mold common in unfinished basements. Heat and light create a more mold free atmosphere.

• Basements are the perfect area to create a mother/daughter apartment.

• Added entertaining area. Basements with an open floor plan create great entertaining areas.

What you should know before your basement conversion:

• You are required to maintain a minimum ceiling height of 7 ft from finished floor to finished ceiling.

• You are required to maintain a minimum height of 6'-8" measured from finished floor to all beams, girders,ducts or other obstructions.

• You will be require to have some form of fire escape from your basement. Exit through a garage is not a legal escape. In some cases you will be required to install a egress window with a minimum net clear opening of 5.7 sq. ft.

• Note if your electrical system is up to date and can handle added circuits.