The Scariest Thing That Lurks in a Basement is Not What You Would Expect

When you are buying an older home, there are several things to keep in mind. You will want to find out about when the house was built, how many owners have lived in it, and also if there are any structural problems.

The latter inquiry will be a critical part of the home’s inspection if you do go ahead with the purchase. With an older home, the roofing is one of the first things that you should have checked, as well as the basement sump pump. A sump pump can be the best way to protect a home from flooding during a heavy rainstorm, as it works to flush water in a basement from inside a house to the outside.

Perhaps the most important inspection will be of the home’s foundation. The foundation is what the home is sitting on, and if it has any fissures or breakage, you will want to ask the seller to find a cracked foundation repair company to fix it immediately.

The reason for this is that when it rains, the grass around your house will soak in the rainwater. This water then seeps through the soil, and will slowly make its way into the foundation of the house. If a house doesn’t have interior or exterior basement waterproofing, the water can easily run into the basement, creating water spots on the ground and on the walls.

A more extreme result of this leakage will be flooding, but equally as dangerous can be water damage that affects the insides of the home’s walls. The moisture can build up on the plywood underneath the drywall (if the basement is finished), and begin generating harmful mold. This mold can eat away at the wood, and also foster the circulation of unsanitary air. Even in an unfinished basement, water leaks can spur mold growth.

Cracked foundation repair can be costly too, so you will want to make sure that you get the seller to fix the damage before you buy the house. And if you don’t notice it, or the inspector doesn’t find it before you close on the home, be sure to get it fixed by foundation repair contractors pronto.

After all, you won’t want to spend thousands of dollars on water damage restoration, on top of the cost of foundation repair.