If you’re looking to ensure that your home is as sturdy and stable as ever, you should invest in your foundation at the time that your home is built. For instance, it is not uncommon at all for up to 15% of the budget for any given home building project to be spent on the proper construction of the foundation alone. At the very least, at least 8% of the total budget should be spent on such matters.
Choosing the right KIND of foundation is hugely important as well, just as important as investing enough money into said foundation. For instance, a slab foundation has become hugely popular in many parts of this country. As a matter of fact, slab foundations are sometimes even the only types of foundation that works in certain areas, thanks to the type of soil that can be found in these areas. In other cases, crawlspace foundations will be utilized. And still in more places, basement foundations are popular.
For Midwest homes, basement foundations have long been the norm. After all, basements provide essential shelter for those living in areas that are prone to severe weather instances such as tornadoes. Tornadoes can occur in many parts of the Midwest states, and can be deadly if certain precautions are not taken. Seeking shelter in a basement is one great way to stay safe during even the most severe of tornadoes, even if the house above the basement sustains a great deal of damage – or is even totally demolished.
In addition to this, constructing a basement foundation for your home is something that can be largely beneficial for a number of other reasons as well. For instance, basements can provide the extra living space that is needed in many a smaller scale home. In some cases, people will even choose to rent out their basements to those who are in need of a room to rent. If a basement is large enough to turn into a separate apartment, it can be a great source of income if it is able to be rented out. For a great many people, this serves as a lucrative opportunity for basement usage. Of course, turning your basement into something like a rec room or even a movie theater or game room. For a great many people, even just using a basement for storage can prove to be largely beneficial at the end of the day. Ultimately, it is something that serves a variety of purposes for a great many people all throughout the United States (or at least among those who are lucky enough to live in places where homes with basements are more commonplace than not).
But having a basement means having to deal with flooding more often than it does not. After all, more than 95% of all basements will flood at some point or another. In some cases, this flooding is relatively minor and easy to deal with. In other cases, this does not hold true. Unfortunately, well over one third of all people who have homes with basements have experienced some level of property damage or loss in direct relation to water damage at some point in time. In fact, up to 14,000 people will deal with some water (and water damage) related incident over the course of just one single hour here in the United States.
Fortunately, there are options to help mitigate damages for related instances and events. For instance, basement waterproofing services are quite widely common and frequently utilized in areas where basements are popular. Basement waterproofing is something that can prevent flooding damage and everything that comes with it, from property damage to mold growth. In addition to this, basement waterproofing can help to reduce the need for something like foundation repair, as any foundation repair contractor will attest to the fact that basement waterproofing can help to keep the overall foundation in good condition as well.
Basement waterproofing is therefore something that is worth investing in at the end of the day, something that any foundation contractor will attest to. After all, the cost of basement waterproofing is something that is more than likely to pay off at the end of the day, as it matters greatly indeed.
