1)  Poor backfilling practices after construction. Using heavy equipment near a basement wall can cause an underground, lateral & horizontal spring-like pressure which can cause cracks or cause a wall to bow inward.

2) Type of backfill is very important.  Poor soil (heavy soil/clay; especially marine clay) against a basement wall can cause cracks and/or cause a wall to bow in because clay swells when wet.

3) Settling of the backfilled-soil certainly is a factor.  Cracks often occur within 12-18 months of backfilling as soil settles tightly against the outside of the basement wall and increases pressure.

4) Your basement floor provides a bit of stability for the walls.  Construction activities and landscaping activities performed close to the house, without having the basement floor in place, is not a good idea.  Also, having insufficient or no reinforcement bars (rebar) in the floor or walls can invite cracks.

5) Poor construction practices.  Pouring of footings on wet soil is asking for problems.  Also, cutting corners including a thinner or shallower footing can cause problems.  Finally, pouring a floor that is thin, or not consistently 4+ inches thick, can allow wall shifting problems.

Fact:  Most basement walls are NOT waterproofed.  Most are also not backfilled with sufficient gravel.

Fact:  Most basement walls are ONLY damproofed. While damproofing may meet the local building code, the code only states the minimum requirements.  Damproofing basement walls is usually done by painting the walls with a thin asphalt coating.  When covered with dirt, it will dry out and crack. When dry, it is not flexible, and when backfilled soil settles downward, the tar/asphalt coating will be pulled down with the dirt.

Systems installed on the floor of your basement just inside the walls simply redirect the water that is already coming through the wall.  Coatings painted on the inside of the wall usually fail at some point due to the hydrostatic pressure of water inside the wall.  Using epoxy/urethane injections on the inside of the wall may work in certain situations, but about 50% of all injected cracks will re-leak.  Contrary to what some believe, injections do not hold a wall together.

Cracks in basement walls allow water to enter from the outside of the wall.  Just like a leaky boat, you fix the leak on the outside where any remaining hydrostatic pressure helps seal the crack.

When the water is stopped on the outside of the wall of your home, an efficient and effective drainage system is an absolute necessity because relieving the hydrostatic pressure will ensure no further cracks.

Water coming through your basement wall is only a symptom of what is going on inside the wall.  Water seeping through the wall will slowly but surely cause deterioration of the wall.  Fix this problem with Barrier-P and the Barrier Dual Drainage Waterproofing System today by contacting NOVA BARRIER WATERPROOFING SYSTEMS (NVBWS)!

VISIT US AT THE SPRING WINCHESTER HOME GARDEN and ENERGY EXPO,  SATURDAY, MARCH 10, 2012 – APPLE BLOSSOM MALL, WINCHESTER VA

One thing I hear most often is (and it is great advice)… to keep water from leaking into your basement you need to clean your gutters, make sure they are draining away from the house, and make sure your soil is graded properly so that water doesn’t puddle up near the house. All of that is true; it’s a good idea to check these things regularly. However, these acts alone are not what will keep your basement from leaking. One excerpt I read stated, “I have cleaned my gutters, repaired any leaks in them and built my soil up so that it was sloping more away from my house. I can honestly say it’s been 2 weeks and my walls are currently not seeping and it has been raining. Great tips!” I am so glad for this guy that he’s not seeing the water come into his basement now. Unfortunately, if he had water leaking in before, that means there is a hole or crack in the basement wall that allowed the water to get inside in the first place. Chances are pretty good that it won’t be long before water finds its way back to that same area and starts leaking again. It’s just a matter of time.

Another approach I know of being used quite a bit is not even considered waterproofing. One company I know of (I’ll call them Mid-Pacific so as not to give any names away) is a firm believer in the interior methods. I recently arrived at a home In Richmond only to be greeted at the door by one of their salesmen who was leaving. Later, the lady that owned the home told me what this guy specifically said about his work, “What we’re doing is not waterproofing; it is what we call water management”.  It brought joy to my heart to hear such a true statement from this representative. For years people have thought of the interior methods as waterproofing when, in fact, it is nothing at all like waterproofing. The homeowner then told me that she was really concerned because the salesman had said they would be cutting back 15 inches around the perimeter of the interior walls which included cutting back hardwood floors, carpet, and anything else in the way. When I spoke to her about the proper way to waterproof her house my description included digging down to the footer along a section of wall where their sunroom was. She told me that the salesman told her NOBODY would dig under it and for anyone to dig along that wall they would have to remove the sunroom from the house. I couldn’t believe my ears. The sunroom is about 2 feet off of the ground and the depth of the dirt down to the footer is less than 6 feet on the top end and around 4 feet at the low end. The sunroom is probably about 12 feet wide. It can be done easily. I digress… interior methods simply hide the water and channel the water away after it has entered your home; they manage the water instead of stopping it.

Another highly mentioned approach was the use of sump pumps. Many homes have them these days and most new homes are built with sump pumps in them. I can agree that there is a purpose and need for sump pumps. However, what I can’t agree on is how some folks recommend sump pumps to solve every type of water intrusion issue. The main problem I have with sump pumps is that they can fail. They are mechanical and they rely on electricity to work properly. If the pump fails or the power goes out you have a hole in your floor where the pump sits and nothing to stop the water from coming in this hole. Sump pumps are used when the interior methods are installed so the water can be pumped outside after it has entered your home. Like I said earlier, sump pumps can be used sometimes but generally will not solve your water intrusion issues… only cover them up.

I’m going to read through some other site’s information over the next few days and try to see what other conflicts they might be putting into people’s minds. I’ll do my best to offer a logical explanation as to why any given treatment will or will not work and why. In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at Jon@NVBWS.com or check out our website at www.NVBWS.com . Thanks and have a dry day!

Some of the veterans have battle plans and contingencies because it has become routine.  Some have sump pumps with battery backups, dehumidifiers and turbo fans.  Some have spent small fortunes having their basements jack hammered up, the walls injected and covered with dimpled plastic. None of which solves the problem or provides peace of mind; because when those methods fail, the warrantees only cover the materials that didn’t work, but you still end up getting charged for the labor to replace what didn’t work.

Common sense would tell you that if the water gets into the walls, then your house isn’t waterproof.  If you think of your house as a house boat and the basement as the hull, would you accept putting another pump in as the best means of stopping a leak?  If your house boat sits high and dry at low tide, would you doubt that the next time the tide came in it would leak?  If you paint the inside of your boat with waterproof paint, would it stop a leak?  If you put a plug on the hole inside the boat, is the leak really fixed?

If you had a house boat you would take it out of the water, then find the hole and patch it on the outside, where it would have some chance of working long term.  By that logic, you have to conclude that the only way to make your basement waterproof is from the outside.  The next thing you have to consider is using something that will work.  I only know of one product that was designed for exterior application on a basement wall that has been previously buried in the ground.  That product is Barrier-P Membrane^TM and is exclusively sold by licensed distributors.  NVBWS is licensed for most of Virginia.

The next thing to know is that if you overload the boat, the bottom will begin to break.  If we put Barrier-P Membrane ^TM on your walls making them waterproof, but didn’t find somewhere for the water to go, pressure would build until it cracked open the walls and they would eventually collapse from the pressure.  The Barrier Dual Drainage Waterproofing System ^TM is our means to make sure that water pressure is no longer added to the weight of the dirt against the wall by providing a path to take the water away below the floor level of the basement.

You would think that our method would be true waterproofing because common sense says so, and you would be right.  So what is everything else being sold as waterproofing?  It is one of two things, water management or fraud.  I want to caution you on one other quick fix that could result in disaster.  If your walls are leaking and someone wants to inject a chemical designed to turn into a waterproof gel in the ground outside your basement walls, that gel adds considerable pressure to a wall under a lot of strain that could cause a foundation failure, and might cost triple in repairs to have it done correctly.  Our recent experience has shown us that repairing a broken wall can add 20 to 30 thousand dollars to a basement waterproofing job.

At NVBWS we do basement waterproofing. It isn’t easy, but it is done right.  Look at what we do and common sense will tell you we do it right. www.NVBWS.com.  NoVa Barrier Waterproofing Systems LLC,

We just finished a big project in Burke, VA on a home with a cracked foundation wall, and now we’re moving on to our next job in Winchester, VA. This week alone we have talked to homeowners with wet basements in Charlottesville, Luray, Berryville, Front Royal and Lorton Virginia. Since we are the only authorized licensee of the Barrier Dual Drainage Waterproofing System(TM) serving 47 counties in Northern, Northwestern and Southeastern VA, providing a 25-year guarantee that treated walls will remain dry, it’s no wonder that we’re so busy! We have a proven, proprietary system that works and homeowners with wet basements all over Virginia are calling us to make their wet basements dry.

Interior waterproofing systems only treat the symptoms temporarily. Our exterior waterproofing systems prevents water from even entering your home; keeping your home dry… guaranteed! For more information and to schedule a free, no obligation estimate, please visit our website at www.nvbws.com or call us at (703) 866-0535 in Northern VA, (540) 974-2755 in the Winchester/Front Royal area or (804) 859-2544 in the Richmond and Southeastern VA areas.

This method of waterproofing is like putting a bucket under your leaky roof to catch the water. When your roof leaks, you want to repair the roof to prevent water from entering your home altogether, don’t you?

Your goal with a wet basement should be to prevent water from entering your home… period. Why would you want to purposely bring water into your home to have to be pumped out? How do you think this method will work during a storm that knocks out your power? If your power fails and your sump pump doesn’t work, you are going to end up with a flooded basement!

At NVBWS we make wet basements and crawl spaces dry by stopping the water from entering your home with our proprietary waterproofing product and EXTERIOR waterproofing system. Learn more about how this system is the only method guaranteed to solve your water intrusion problem.

For more information on why exterior waterproofing is the only solution, please visit www.nvbws.com. If you have a waterproofing need, please contact NoVa Barrier Waterproofing Systems at 703-866-0535.

Water not properly dispersed and kept out of your home is the most damaging element to your home after fire. Fire damage is obvious with the smoke, flames, and heat and is a sure sign your home is in need of repair. Water on the other hand can be much more difficult to detect.

We did a little research online and are appalled at the misinformation that is put out by laymen on this subject. First off, damage to your home is not just restricted to the concrete… but let’s begin there. Water will normally pass through most concrete. Basements are built to be like dams but… dams are very thick and built out of super dense, high-strength concrete. Basement walls, however, are not so thick and the amount of water and the speed of travel is much faster through standard concrete block than through specially built dams. One of the properties of water is that it will travel through porous materials from the wet to the dry side. Another is that water will follow gravity and will always flow downhill. If the ground outside your basement wall is saturated and you do not have a proper seal on your wall, even with proper grading and other drainage fixes, water can and will migrate into to your basement by any path available.

You are probably familiar with Air Wick scent bottles. Concrete will wick water the same way in which the scent dispensers wick the sweet-smelling liquid in the bottom of the bottle. And, water will evaporate the same way into your basement; you may never see a drop of water but your basement walls will feel moist, the air will feel damp, and the air will smell musty. What are the dampness, odor and musty smell telling you? You feel dampness because the humidity is high, caused by the evaporation into the air. The odor is from mold and mildew spores growing in cracks and crevices, on wood products and on other porous materials. Mold needs 3 things to grow: high humidity, an organic food source (materials in your home) and air. You cannot eliminate the house and the air but, depriving it of the high humidity will prevent mold growth.

The last item to discuss is the white powder seen on saturated concrete. This is known as efflorescence. Think of that powder as powdered glue used to make concrete. That isn’t the exact description of it, but it is one of the items that make concrete harden. As the water travels through the concrete, it picks up small amounts of calcium chloride, which it deposits on the outside of the concrete as the water evaporates. Does the appearance of white powder mean your wall is about to fail? No. The white powder is a symptom like a fever. Having a fever doesn’t mean you are going to die, but a bad enough fever might. White powder is a sign that your walls are losing strength and becoming brittle. A properly waterproofed wall can last almost indefinitely, so….

Look us up on the web at NVBWS.com, email us at info@NVBWS.com or Call 703-866-0535 to learn about the exclusive Barrier Dual Drainage Waterproofing System^TM with Barrier P Membrane,^TM a product only available through licensees of DR Inc. of the US.  NVBWS is the licensed distributor for these products from Winchester to Norfolk along the I-66 and I-95 corridors in VA.  If you are outside that area, feel free to contact us to locate a distributor near you.  If you are interested in becoming a distributor, we would be happy to tell you about our experiences and put you in contact with DR Inc. of the US.

We have found that the option of moving to a larger home is not possible, and maintaining the value or improving the value of our current home is the new bottom line.  That space in the basement is no longer just reserved for storage of the stuff you forgot you owned and will later throw away because of the mildew smell, the mold and the rot.

Now you need the space for a TV room, playroom, bedroom or other living space; and a cold, damp, unhealthy basement with a makeover is just like putting lipstick on a pig.  Now it is a nice new looking cold, damp, unhealthy basement with good lighting.  It adds little to the value of your home and provides places for mold to grow and rot to happen where you cannot see it.

Let’s compare your basement to your roof. If you want to use your attic space, but it’s cold and wet, you would repair the leaks in the roof.  Well your basement is no different.  Before you build that room in the basement you have to address where that cold, musty, damp feeling comes from.

On your roof you have some form of wood sheeting.  Wood is strong and supports the weight of snow or wind and keeps it from falling in, but it is not any good at stopping water. It actually soaks up water, and water will ruin it in no time. So we cover the plywood with felt paper, which helps to keep the water and dust off the plywood; but it is not very durable, so we cover that with shingles or metal that is more waterproof and much more durable.

If your roof leaks you have it fixed. You wouldn’t dream of having a roof repair person go into the attic to install a bucket, a dehumidifier, a pump and some pipe to run the water back onto the roof.  Understand that the walls of your basement are a lot like the plywood of your roof.  The concrete is there to keep the dirt around it from crushing the walls, but concrete like plywood, absorbs water and that water damages the walls and makes the home unhealthy.

When the home was new, the contractor likely was required to put something on the walls to meet code restrictions to damp proof the walls.  Unfortunately that damp proofing is about like the felt paper on the roof and not very durable. After 2 to 5 years, homes have lost much, if not all, of the value of the damp proofing. You often begin to see dark splotches and stains on the walls, the basement walls feel cool and the basement feels damp and smells musty, but there is no water on the floor.

How can that be?  Well the walls feel cool and looked stained because the water is soaking through the walls and evaporating into the room, making the humidity higher and dropping the temperature.  That creates ideal conditions for growing mold, which makes your basement smell musty and makes the air unhealthy.  Most homes with central air and heat have their units in the basements, and the bad air in the basement is pumped throughout the home.

As I stated above, the damp proofing is not durable enough to keep the water out, but the answer is not to put a dehumidifier in the basement.  That only acts as a straw, sucking more and more water through the walls.  Just like the plywood that water ruins, the strength of the concrete and the stains you see on the walls are from the minerals the water is taking out of the concrete as it passes through.  That makes your walls more brittle and more susceptible to water passing through.

Once the water begins to puddle on the floor, the solution most often used is putting in a sump pump.  Now, if you wouldn’t put in a sump pump in the attic, why would you put in one in your basement?  The way to fix both is on the outside. A roof may only need one section repaired, or the entire old roof may need to be replaced, and the same with basements. Sometimes the entire basement needs waterproofed, sometimes the problem is just in a small area, but the repair has to do several things.

If you put a swimming pool on your house, the weight of the water would crush the house.  That is why we have slanted roofs and gutters, so that the water has someplace to go. Your basement is a dam, keeping the water out of your house. If it is completely waterproofed, the pressure can build up to where it can begin to crush the walls.  So like the slant on the roof and the gutters, we have to provide somewhere for that water to go.

Hail can damage a roof, as can rocks, roots and debris left in back fill, so you need an extra durable layer like the sand in shingles to protect against penetration by hard object.  There is a waterproofing system that was engineered for homes with leaky basements that does all the things we talked about.

#1 it is done on the outside of the walls, where it must be in order to protect the strength and health of your home.

#2 it is durable and guaranteed to last until the kids graduate from college; 25 years, transferable if you sell your home.

#3 it has two separate drain systems to ensure pressure doesn’t build up on the outside wall, and

#4 there is a barrier between the waterproofing and the hard objects that can put holes through it.

And an added bonus there is added insulation make your home warmer and more efficient.

Our bottom line only works when we have protected your bottom line, and a house with a wet basement sells for much less than one with a warm, dry basement.

Look us up on the web at NVBWS.com, email us at info@NVBWS.com or Call 703-866-0535 to learn about the exclusive Barrier Dual Drainage Waterproofing System^TM with Barrier P Membrane,^TM a product only available through licensees of DR Inc. of the US.  NVBWS is the licensed distributor for these products from Winchester to Norfolk along the I-66 and I-95 corridors in VA.  If you are outside that area, feel free to contact us to locate a distributor near you.  If you are interested in becoming a distributor, we would be happy to tell you about our experiences and put you in contact with DR Inc. of the US.

You NEED to remodel your kitchen because the appliances are broken and the tile is cracked and loose.

You WANT to redesign your landscaping because the bushes are getting too big and you want fresh plants.

You NEED to redesign your landscaping because a tree has fallen and all of your bushes have died.

You WANT to re-shingle your roof because the house is getting old and you see some loose pieces.

You NEED to re-shingle your roof because half of your shingles are laying in the neighbor’s yard.

Nobody ever calls and says they WANT to have us come out and work on waterproofing their basement just because. It’s always a NEED and usually an immediate need. Sometimes folks decide to put off making the repairs because they don’t see the importance of it and don’t see the problems that could be caused by water intrusion if left alone. Nobody WANTS to spend money on basement waterproofing because the finished product is not something you can see, like a bathroom remodel or new carpet would be. Basement waterproofing is an absolute necessity and needs to be repaired to avoid further problems such as structural decay, mold, etc.

For more information on why exterior waterproofing is the only solution, please visit www.nvbws.com. If you have a waterproofing need, please contact NoVa Barrier Waterproofing Systems at 703-866-0535.

Wet basements, crawlspaces and damp spots on your basement walls and floors can be a homeowner’s worst nightmare. Water leaking into your basement is silently undermining the structural integrity of your home, creating health risks from mold, mildew and high humidity, and drastically lowering the resale value of your home.

There are two kinds of waterproofing, real and pretend. The real method cures the problem at its source; pretend waterproofing only treats the symptoms.

NoVa Barrier Waterproofing Systems is a Virginia Basement waterproofing contractor who has a direct advantage over most of our competition. We are home remodelers. We have owned and operated a residential remodeling company in Northern Virginia for many years. Understanding and knowing how the components of a home go together is necessary and critical to being able to pinpoint the cause of a leaky basement or crawlspace and to determine the best way to permanently and thoroughly fix it. One size fits all concepts do not work with basement waterproofing.

Using innovative technology and common sense, we are the only waterproofing contractor in Northern, Northwestern and Southeastern Virginia that offers a 20 year, 100% non-prorated guarantee on a system that is applied to the outside of basement walls.

Don’t be fooled by other companies’ lifetime guarantees. Read the fine print, you’ll see what they don’t cover. Most of them aren’t worth much or anything really and are written to protect themselves, and not you the homeowner.

We proudly serve Virginia from the Shenandoah Valley, east to Northern Virginia, and south through Richmond, down to the Tidewater area. Visit our website at www.nvbws.com for a complete listing of our Virginia service area.

NoVa Barrier Waterproofing Systems, PO Box 164, Springfield, VA 22150.
Email: jon@nvbws.com
Winchester Area: 540-974-2755
Fairfax/Arlington Area: 703-866-0535
Richmond Area: 804-859-2544

If you have a home with a water leak, contact NVBWS immediately for a free, no obligation consultation. A small water leak can turn into a very serious problem quickly! Just as with many other small household maintenance tasks, if you procrastinate it will only get worse.

NVBWS offers the only true waterproofing solution! Our Barrier Dual Drainage Waterproofing System™ is guaranteed to stop water from intruding your home for 25 years. Visit our website at http://www.nvbws.com to find out how NoVa Barrier Waterproofing Systems can stop your water intrusion problem at the source, or call us at 703-866-0535 to get on our schedule.

In fact, a leaking foundation can silently destroy your home, facilitate health risks, and lead to poor resale value…or even worse, no resale at all. NoVa Barrier Waterproofing Systems is your local waterproofing company. We’ve been satisfying customers’ construction and remodeling needs in the Northern, Northwestern Virginia, and Richmond areas for many years and found we needed a better way to waterproof. The exclusive “Barrier Dual Drainage System” installed at a structure provides a 100% non-prorated Guarantee that water will not penetrate those foundation walls in any area where the system has been installed. If the walls are wet or “discolored” due to moisture you should be extremely concerned. A foundation wall is like a sponge and it will hold moisture. This can lead to BIGGER PROBLEMS! STRUCTURAL DECAY, HEALTH RISKS, AND POOR RESALE VALUE. Building materials and water don’t mix and MOLD begins growing within 24 to 36 hours of a water leak. We aren’t “professional salespeople” and we don’t play those games. We are simply hard working contractors and waterproofing professionals and will inspect your problem, show you what we do, and render our opinion. After all it’s your home and your decision, not ours. Contact us today at Jon@NVBWS.com or visit our website at www.NVBWS.com .

Do you have a wet basement or crawlspace that you want to keep dry? Have you had mold remediation work done only to have more water enter at a later time? Do you want to maximize the space in your home and use the basement as a living space or as storage without water ruining your things? If you answered yes to any of these, you need to give me a call today. I can show you what the problem is and I can offer a solution. As always… free estimates.

NoVa Barrier Waterproofing Systems. 540-974-2755 or 703-866-0535 or 804-859-2544. Look us up on the web at www.NVBWS.com .

Wet-Basement-Waterproofing

“I’m extremely happy with the way the site turned out.”, says Damion Rutherford, Owner of the website. “But, I honestly did expect that. We got our ideas for the new sections and layout from the homeowners who were already using the site.”.

Wet Basements are found in 3 out of 4 homes in America. While a wet basement is common, many homeowners are unaware of the damage being done to the structure and integrity of the home.

“Basement Waterproofing certainly isn’t the most exciting home improvement that someone can invest into. But it certainly tops the charts on being money well spent. This is especially true considering the cost of additional repairs that become needed from the water damage.”; added Rutherford.

Contact:
Damion Rutherford
Damion@wet-basement-waterproofing.com
3964 Charity Neck Road
Virginia Beach, VA 23457
Ph – 757-717-7600

Wet-Basement-Waterproofing.com is a free online resource serving 40,000 homeowners per year with information on basement waterproofing problems and solutions. ]]> http://waterproofer.wordpress.com/2008/12/22/81/ Tue, 23 Dec 2008 03:40:50 +0000 jnrdava http://waterproofer.wordpress.com/2008/12/22/81/ I know when I am planning a trip the first thing I do is look to see what it is going to cost me if I book right now.  In the current market chances are good if I can wait awhile, prices will go down as airlines struggle to fill those seats. It makes sense to wait and see but, if I wait and the airline goes out of business right after I buy my ticket or just before my return trip home I really have waited too long and now it will cost me even more to get where I need to go. Let’s say that they didn’t go out of business but in an effort to save money to give me that cheap fare they skipped some maintenance or safety issue and the plane crashes with me on board then the cheap fare wasn’t any help at all.

Now the reason I bring this up is because it is just the way we are wired… to try to get the best deal.  Sometimes waiting for the best deal is a disaster in the making.  When you have a wet or damp basement or crawlspace you have everything time needs to create a disaster. Generally because of the slow nature of the way water destroys a foundation there would seem to be plenty of time to care for it. So, instead of getting it truly waterproofed, we tend to put other projects first relegating the basement to cool, damp, or wet storage.  The occasional flood is only cause to make a dump run or two and to place everything left on stilts or on a shelf. You better make that a steel or plastic shelf.  One of my clients built a nice set of shelves to keep the tools and paint cans on and found that the wooden legs and shelves had soaked the water by wicking it up all the way to the 3^rd shelf. The floor appeared only damp… not wet to the touch!

That should make you think. One of the common remodeling issues I run into is rot of the rim joist and sill plate behind a flashing where there was a deck attached to the house.  The thought is that the flashing failed when in reality the flashing traps moisture that wicked into the wood from the concrete foundation, which caused the rot.

Water can be wicked up in a house built with good vapor barriers and a tight envelope and can rise from a foundation or basement wall to the attic 20 feet up.  Cold spots in the corners of the room will draw moisture and start producing mold behind the walls and it may be months or years before it is visible but can release toxins into the air making your home unhealthy.

When you have discovered that your basement or crawl space is damp then the process has been occurring for some time now and the sooner it is stopped the better because the health of the house is dependent on the good health of the foundation.  A wet or damp foundation can cause all of these issues and as home inspectors are increasingly aware of, the risk posed by those conditions make buyers more reluctant (if not dead set) against buying a home with all the potential problems or hazards associated with them.

That is where a truly dry basement with a written transferable guarantee becomes piece of mind… while you are still living in your home and in the future when you wish to sell it. Time is working with water to destroy your home’s value and in every case, the sooner it is fixed the less it costs.  Pay now or pay more later, it is up to you.

Would you like a 25-year guarantee that your basement won’t leak?  Allow me to introduce NoVa Barrier Waterproofing Systems. Our unique system completely envelops the foundation walls so water does not enter the foundation or enter your home! Please read our actual warranty statement:

The exclusive “Barrier Dual Drainage” waterproofing system installed at this structure provides a Twenty-Five Year 100% non-prorated Guarantee that water will not penetrate those foundation walls in any area where the system has been installed.

Period…that’s it. NoVa Barrier Waterproofing Systems is a true waterproofing company. Recognizing opportunities presented by the recent awareness of foundation water intrusion and its many adverse effects, various new waterproofing companies have sprouted up all over the country. Regrettably, most of these new, as well as most of the tenured companies, are anything but true waterproofers.  While good intentions may exist, their processes usually treat the symptoms and not the cause.  Their products are designed to redirect the water after it gets inside rather than making sure it never enters the foundation walls in the first place.

Look at some of the other warranties and read about all the things they do not cover. You might be surprised. We service both residential and commercial customers as well as new construction and retrofit jobs. Based in Fairfax County and also having an office in Frederick County, VA, we serve Arlington, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick, Loudoun, Prince William, Rappahannock, Stafford, and Warren Counties. Give us a call or drop me an email. I’d be glad to come by and explain our system and perform a FREE INSPECTION.

Respectfully,            

Jon Bridgan

It was great to meet you. Thank you for making this a pleasant experience. Thank you also for staying within the estimate you gave us, a much different experience from the last contractor who did some work for us. Your approach and staying within your estimate go a long way towards future referrals and requests. Thanks again Jon.

Scott & Anne L.

This is obviously the short version of what we do…First we determine where the leak is and if, in fact, it is something we can or will repair. We are giving a 100% guarantee that the walls we treat will not leak again so we are particular about the work we will do.

If our team agrees on the repair, we will dig a 2-3 foot wide ditch all the way down to the footer on all the walls to be treated. We will clean the walls and repair cracks with hydraulic cement. Next we spray a rubberized membrane (made by Owens-Corning and only available to us) on the wall from the footer up to grade. The membrane is sprayed on at 80 mils and dries at 40 mils thick. This alone would be sufficient for waterproofing the home but there’s more.

We then add a 2 & 3/8” fiberboard (also made by Owens-Corning and only available to us) that protects the membrane, adds an R-10 insulating value to the walls it covers, and gives the water a way to escape the area as it will drain up to 237 gallons per linear foot per hour. This again is more than enough to protect and waterproof the walls but we’re not done yet.

Next we add our exclusive Barrier Drainage Board that is another avenue for the water to escape the damaged section and be re-directed around the house to a safe drainage area. This board sits flat against the house near the base of the wall at the footer. We then install a 4 inch perforated pipe below the edge of the footer and this is what helps in the case of any rising water table. All of this is connected on down the line and drained away from the home. Also, before the trench is filled back in we protect the materials in the bottom of the ditch by covering them with gravel and silt cloth by hand. We don’t use machinery to dump the gravel in the hole because we don’t want to crush any of the drainage materials and we want to keep them in place while we backfill later.

We do not tamp or compact the dirt around the home. One reason is that we do not want to cause any damage or cracking to the foundation walls and another reason is to protect the system we have buried and any lines, pipes, etc running underground. Mother Nature will put the level of dirt back to where it needs to be within a few weeks.

Our jobs take 2-3 days to complete, on average, and when completed the homeowner can rest assured that they will never have a wet basement again…period! No water coming in to a drain, no water coming in to a sump pump, absolutely no water.

We have also recently found that our system helps to lower radon levels in basements. We have no conclusive numbers yet so that’s all I can say is that it does help to lower radon levels significantly.

If you are in Arlington County, Clarke County, Culpeper County, Fairfax County, Fauquier County, Frederick County, Loudoun County, Prince William, Rappahannock County, Stafford County, or Warren County, Virginia,  I’d be glad to talk to you about any issues you may be having. Our website is here. 

As you may or may not know, typical construction of houses and other buildings consist of block or poured walls setting on top of a footer several feet below the ground. A finished basement floor consists of concrete over gravel with each of those being approximately 4 inches thick. The “top” of the floor (the part you stand on) is generally level with the top of the first block in the wall. The first block is open to the outside earth and buried on the inside.

Rainwater enters the earth and is slowly pulled downward by gravity. “Pockets” of water accumulate during this process. The water table is generally level but it is forced to rise on the “upper” side of the house. As rainwater is trying to seek level it is building up on the outside of your foundation walls. This is where we get the term “Hydrostatic Pressure“. Continued rainfall will saturate the earth and cause the water table to rise. As this water is attempting to seek level it is creating an enormous amount of pressure against your foundation walls. The deeper the water, the heavier. Subsequently, the lowest man-made area to be put under pressure is at the bottom mortar joint where the wall and footer meet. Water will enter at this point and will begin to be soaked up into the walls. There are quick-fixes and band-aids for this but look for “Why baseboard and interior trench drains don’t work”. Also, water will fill the area of gravel underneath the basement floor. This is where folks believe sump pumps handle things. I’ll talk more about that later as well. Look for “Why sump pumps aren’t the best answer”. Next the inevitable… water will begin to seep up through the joint between the concrete slab and the walls and will flood the floors.

Why baseboard and interior trench drains don’t work! This method is popular with many companies but, this method does not stop water from entering the foundation walls. It is usually done by drilling holes on the inside of your foundation walls. PVC tubes are inserted into these holes and connected in-line to remove excess water that your block cannot hold. These tubes are covered with a hollow metal baseboard. This system is easily overrun by major storms. The interior trench method consists of cutting the interior floor (very messy) and installing drain tile. Usually sump pumps are used to pump water out.

Why sump pumps aren’t the best answer! Sump pumps are common in construction these days. I have a sump pump in my own home. They’re everywhere. However, there are still some problems with depending on sump pumps to solve your water problems. To install a sump pump, a hole is cut through your concrete floor into which a sump well is installed. A sump pump is then placed into the well. Sump pumps do not eliminate the problem at the source. Walls as well as floors will remain wet. The pump well is always wet and can breed mold.

What about interior sealants…do they work! When walls are painted with an interior sealant product they appear to be dry until the product fails. This method actually helps worsen the problem by helping water reach higher levels within your foundation walls very quickly because it will create a temporary dam. Read the label carefully on these “waterproofing paints”. They come with a very poor product replacement guarantee only!

Want more information? Check out my website.

Impervious means not permitting penetration or passage; impenetrable.

So let me ask you this. Is cutting a trench around the inside of the room and pumping water back outside true waterproofing? Is installing a hollow baseboard with tubes drilled into the block for the purpose of draining water out of the blocks and pumping it away considered true waterproofing? How about installing a sump pump? Water has already penetrated the foundation and is under the slab before the sump pump can remove it. What about… French drains, back-up sump systems, sheet membranes, downspout drainage systems,  and/or re-grading. Is this true waterproofing?

The answer is a very positive NO. Remember, to waterproof is to render impervious to water by some special process.

Sometimes people may ask, “Why can’t I just install larger/longer downspouts to solve the problem”?  Larger gutter and downspouts, re-grading, burying downspouts, french drains, and even concrete patios have all been tried and failed. 9 times out of 10 the problem is not topical, it’s subsurface. That’s where TRUE waterproofing comes into play.

Want to learn more about TRUE waterproofing? Stay tuned for the next entry when we go into the process of waterproofing… the right way! If you can’t wait that long, go to my basement waterproofing website and learn all about it.