Basements are great areas to set up a playroom or an office. However you might delay because your basement is uncomfortable. This humid, a little cold, and poorly lit wet basement, could become a space as comfortable as any other in the house. Let's look at the possibilities.
Humidity is the primary problem in basements, whether it is caused by infiltration from the outside or by the activities of people living in the house a wet basement serves little purpose to the owner.
Walls that make up the foundation of your house can retain a large quantity of water and humidity that can seep into the basement. Water can penetrate by gravity pull, come in through a very small crack (often barely visible) or through a joint that is improperly sealed. Water can also enter by soaking through like a wick.
If your house is less than 15 years old, the concrete was probably laid on a sheet of polyethylene for protection against moisture rising from the ground. In older houses, this protection is not even there at all. To bring the level of comfort that you seek, this type of concrete floor will need a wooden subfloor before you can consider using the space.
Signs of humidy in a basement
Most recent houses have better insulation from moisture, and do not normally need additional protection. However, if your basement shows signs of humidity (water seepage on the walls, near the floor after a rain) you should resolve these problems before doing any insulation and renovation of the basement.
While it is easy to seal small cracks with an epoxy, it is harder to fix a more generalized water seepage. It could be caused by poor waterproofing of the basement walls or poor drainage near the foundation. Fixing this problem, once and for all, means digging, drying out and improving drainage conditions around the foundation. A waterproof barrier must be installed before you consider doing any renovations to the basement.Failing to do this will lead to new work inside being damaged quickly. It is often a difficult work, specially if you have landscaping, but specialists in basement waterproofing have the right equipment to do the job.
Sometimes the problem is cause by the slope of the ground, which directs water flow to your basement. In this case, it is sufficient to fill in the ground and redirect the flow of rain water away from the house.
Once you have fettered out the problems of humidity in the basement then you can consider remodeling and decorating your basement for the purpose you intended.
