Without the foundation – the base on which your house stands – nothing else would have any chance of staying up. It keeps the floors and walls in place and is built of a strong material such as concrete, to ensure it can take the load of the building. 

The three main purposes of a foundation are:

● To take the weight of the rest of the building

● To keep the home connected and anchored to the ground – protecting it from natural disasters and bad weather

● To protect the building from moisture that comes up through the ground

Here in Lancaster, we mostly have basements in our homes. While this is great, the extra walls in a foundation with a basement mean that more repair work might be needed, and there are more surfaces through which moisture can emerge. 

Concrete foundations are very strong, but like other parts of a building they can be susceptible to damage and may need occasional repair. We see a lot of different foundational problems working in this area, but these are some of the most common: 

● Cracks, fractures or walls buckling – these problems are not at all uncommon, but they can be serious. The space that these cracks open up can allow water to seep inside your home and mold and other damage can result. If you see a tiny crack it’s still a good idea to get it looked at. 

● Upheaval of foundations – this is when the ground around a foundation makes it move upwards. As you can imagine, this can cause serious problems for the rest of the house and can cost thousands of dollars to fix if left unattended. 

Alternatively to this, a foundation can sink – this is not uncommon in new homes, but for houses more than three years old a few inches of sinking can be a sign of a much greater problem with the foundation. If you see this don’t hesitate to call us for assured and effective help. 

Problems that require extensive repair to foundations in the Lancaster PA area, are nearly always caused by cold and wet weather. Ground conditions can change quite rapidly with excess water pooling around a building. The pressure that this puts on a foundation can cause damage despite their hard-wearing build. When this kind of compromise to a foundation does occur it very frequently leads to mold, mildew and other types of problems. 

If your home has foundational problems it’s quite easy to tell. Problems with this part of the structure of the building have knock-on effects to the rest of the dwelling so it’s quite easy to spot when there might be a more serious problem that you need to call in the experts for. 

Here are some of the main signs to look out for: 

● Cabinets that separate from the wall

● Gaps around windows

● Stuck doors

● Cracks to basement walls

● Moisture and standing water, mold or a moldy smell

● Chimneys that have broken

It gets quite wet in the Lancaster, PA area from the rain and snow we experience here, and this can cause quite a lot of upset in the ground surrounding your home. If you have a house in the vicinity then it’s important you get the basement waterproofed to stop moisture from entering and causing mold or mildew. These troublesome things can come about when expanded earth around your house causes cracks to appear in the walls. It’s never good to have damp in your basement, both from a useage perspective as well as for health reasons – so you should always look to be waterproof. 

Keeping water from accumulating near your house should always be a number one priority to prevent damp in the basement. Even with Lancaster’s wet weather this is perfectly possible by ensuring basic maintenance like gutter cleaning is done on a regular basis. You should always get cracks and wall damage repaired right away to ensure they don’t become more serious problems, and when in doubt, call us for a consultation about your basement waterproofing needs. 

When we waterproof a person’s home we will carry out work on the exterior or the interior of the property, depending on the needs, and sometimes both will be required. Waterproofing on the outside of a building usually involves pumping the water away from the walls so that it doesn’t collect in the ground directly touching the home. We can also landscape to ensure drainage works in your favour. 

On the interior, waterproofing might involve installing a vapor barrier that keeps your home well ventilated, but most of the time interior work involves getting water that has made its way inside back where it belongs.

Strategies to waterproof basements in Lancaster often include work on both the inside and the outside of the house due to the wet weather we experience here. On a long term basis, however, this is the best option as it is an investment in the continued health of your home.