How to achieve a watertight house foundation

Keeping your house foundation dry is an important task you should think of. A lot of water or dampness can ruin the foundation as well as the soil underneath it, resulting in structural damage to your house. Additionally, other problems such as growth of mold and mildew and flooding can also arise. The responsibility of waterproofing membrane is to prevent any of the above-mentioned conditions from happening. Read on for more insight.

Your concrete is not watertight

Most house foundations are made using concrete blocks or poured concrete. Though these building blocks appear strong, durable and impermeable, concrete is rather very porous. Moisture can still infiltrate a whole concrete block through the pores and condense on the wall's inner side. For homes with cracked concrete foundation, water penetration inside your foundation is even easier. Cracks are quite common when the ground shifts or the weight on the foundation sways, particularly in regions that experience varied temperature fluctuations across the year.

Waterproofing membrane

Filling in fissures in concrete is simply a short-term solution at best. Ideally, the cracks should be filled from the outside, which is an expensive process which you will have to do again if another crack crops up. Even then, this does not rectify the problem of permeable concrete. As a result, a membrane can come to your rescue. Your home builder will apply it to the outer side of your concrete foundation. Basically, the membrane creates a watertight seal that even moisture cannot pass through. Any fissures or openings are filled in to prevent water entry.

So how is the membrane installed?

Ideally, waterproofing membrane should be installed during the construction of a new home; however, it can also be set up after construction is finished. This is because the setting up does not actually disturb your foundation. Here are the steps used by home builders to install the membrane.

  1. At first, the contractor excavates a hole or trench adjacent to your house foundation that goes all the way down to the soil level.
  2. The external side of the foundation is dressed and fixed as needed.
  3. Next, the waterproof membrane is installed on the outer side of the foundation. Often, the membrane is in liquid form and it's rolled on or painted. Once it cures, it creates a continuous barrier.
  4. Any extra systems, including drainage systems, are set up.
  5. The trench or hole is filled in. In the end, your foundation becomes waterproof without altering its appearance.

Homeowners should hire the best home builders for the installation of waterproofing membrane to keep their house foundation free of moisture.


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