Block Basements: My Pick for a Foundation

There is no perfect foundation, older homes and stone foundations had their good and bad points and they were the only real choice for hundreds of years.

Planning a Basement Renovation?

9 Steps to Consider When Renovating Your Basement. If there is one sentence I heard during my contractor days it was “Damn, I wished I had planned for that!” and

 Block Basements: Grade & Sump Pump

In part five we got the block foundation walls cleaned, covered in a waterproof coating and reset the drainage tiles, then

Basements!!!

I have often been asked, why do we even have basements? The largest single reason: frost. If our homes are not based upon a solid frost-resistant foundation they will shift, crack, settle and move in wondrous ways, demanding repairs at often great expense. The other benefit from earlier times, the cold cellar was necessary for preserves and other food storage to get through the winter.

 Block Basements: The Dig Begins

Last week we listed off the procedures that are needed to properly prepare a site for excavation around a block basement, in previous weeks we discussed waterproofing methods and reasons why block basements are known for water issues.

Haze-Free Haven

It’s no secret that summer and wildfires have become two words that are connected in conversations today. An area as big as New Brunswick has burned so far this year in Canada,

 Block Basements: We Excavate

In part 3 we looked at the different kinds of coatings and membranes that are used on block basements to correct dampness and outright water invasion. This week we look at what should happen when it comes time to dig up a basement

Climate Proofing Basics

I have an admission here.  I am old enough to remember when climate change was called “Spring . . . Summer . . .  Fall . . . Winter.”  My how times have changed!

 Block Basements: Waterproofing

This is the third in my series on block foundations and we now look at the numerous kinds of materials, coatings and membranes on the market that are used to rectifying a wet block basement.

Speaking Contractor

Speak Contractor – Learn the Lingo Contractors Use Before Starting Your Renovation – is this week’s column on Reno-Green.