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What Are The Benefits of Basement Sealing in East Brunswick, NJ 08816

Posted by Jerome Fokas on

When you think of a home, the basement is the last thing that comes to mind. However, it is one of the most important spaces in the home. It is the foundation of the home. It is what gives the home its structural integrity.

Water is the worst enemy of basements. It can cause great damage to a basement and the rest of the structure of the home as a result. It is therefore important to ensure that your basement is made waterproof.

There are many benefits to basement sealing in East Brunswick, NJ 08816. These include:

  1. Increasing the value of your home

If you’re thinking of selling your home in the near future, sealing your basement will contribute a great deal to its value. Ensuring that your basement is sealed will increase the usable space within your home. This means that the square footage of your home increases since your basement will count as a floor as well. Remember that for many people, the basement space makes up about 1/3 of the total space of the home.

  1. Increased usable space

As mentioned earlier, having your basement sealed will ensure that you have more usable space available to you. You can do just about anything with a waterproofed basement. You can turn it into an office, a guest room, a music studio or an extra living room. You can greatly improve your family’s quality of life with extra space to work around.

  1. Protect your family’s health

A humid or damp basement provides the ideal environment for the growth of mold. Mold such as toxic black mold can develop into fully grown mold within 48 hours or less. Although most molds are harmless, some produce toxic chemicals that can result in infections and poisoning.

Molds also produce spores. Exposure to a high spore count can result in allergic reactions including difficulty in breathing and skin irritation.

  1. Preserves the integrity of your home

Basement sealing protects the integrity of your home. Molds and moisture can not only destroy furniture and the beauty of your home’s walls and floors, but also affect the structural integrity of the home. Ensuring that your basement is made waterproof will protect your home from mold and moisture. It will save you a lot of money in repairs for the long term.

Lastly, basement sealing in East Brunswick, NJ 08816 gives you peace of mind. You never have to worry about a flooded basement when you hear claps of thunder in the distance.

Foundation Repair | Trenton, NJ | Select Basement Waterproofing

Are you in Need of Foundation Repair New Jersey?

Posted by Jerome Fokas on

As a homeowner, maintenance and repair of your home is an expected expense. Your home’s foundation is the most important part of your home. Ensuring that you carry out foundation repair New Jersey in good time will ensure that you avoid serious problems that can result in your using thousands of dollars to fix an even worse situation. It is therefore important to learn how to identify these problems as soon as possible.

Warning signs

Houses are designed to be dynamic. They move and settle over a period of time. This is natural. However, when the settling occurs unevenly, then there is need for concern. It is therefore important to stay alert and keep track of any dramatic changes or early warning signs including:

  • A door in your house begins to ham or the latch fails to fit. This may be a sign that the foundation is shifting.
  • The appearance of cracks on the walls. Cracks on walls when there is a foundation problem cracks usually occur over windows, doorways and where the wall meets the ceiling.
  • The appearance of cracks in your floor tiles or on your concrete floors
  • When windows in your home that used to open or close easily begin sticking or can’t close completely. 

Checking for foundation problems

Foundation repair New Jersey can cost you thousands of dollars if the problems are not identified early enough and are allowed to develop into serious problems. It is therefore important to develop a routine of checking your home for signs of foundation problems.

It is important to retain the services of a professional contractor to carry out maintenance and repair on your foundation at least once a year. However, it is also important to carry out your own personal checks every so often. This will ensure that any problems with your foundation are identified early. 

Here’s how to check foundation problems:

  • Check the perimeter

Carry out a visual check of the outside of your foundation. Walk along the length of the foundation and check the walls from corner to corner. The walls should be straight from side to side as well as from up to down.

If there is any sign of leaning, bulging or curving then the foundation may have shifted. It may be that the soil around your foundation is expanding, contracting or placing some pressure on the walls of your foundation.

  • Check the concrete

If you have a poured concrete foundation, check to see if there is chipping of flaking. You can do this by poking it with a study screwdriver. A good concrete foundation should be very hard. It shouldn’t get damaged when poked by the screwdriver.

If you manage to break of chip at the surface, then the concrete may be deteriorating. It may have been mixed with too much water, salty or dirty sand. Contact a contractor as soon as possible to fix this problem.

  • Check the structure

There are various aspects of the foundation aside from the perimeter wall. If you have a crawl space of basement, be sure to check the concrete supports, posts or piers used to support the home. These should be standing firmly and straight. They should be firmly planted on the concrete piers beneath.

Cracks in foundations

Foundational cracks are the most important sign of a problem with the foundation. It is therefore important to identify what type of crack you’re dealing with.  Different types of cracks include:

  • Hairline cracks indicate minor problems and shouldn’t be a cause for worry
  • Stair step cracks occurring in masonry joints indicate bulging of walls or moisture problems
  • Horizontal cracks are the most serious. They are indicative of serious damage to the foundation. You may need a completely new foundation.