It's not difficult to add a huge amount of living space to your home by finishing your basement. But, if your basement isn't dry, and doesn't stay dry, then your finished basement could be the source of ongoing repair headaches.

Even if your basement seems dry, there might still be a moisture problem and it could affect your whole house. The smallest amount of dampness could become a home for mold and mildew, which can aggravate allergies and cause breathing problems, so keeping your basement dry is not just about damage to your drywall.

The problem is that there are a number of sources of moisture and you need to make sure they are all in check if you want o keep your basement dry.

The biggest enemy of a dry basement is water that leaks in through cracks in the basement walls and floors. It is the nature of concrete to crack over time and even your new basement walls and floors will crack eventually.

If you have not yet suffered a water leak from a cracked wall, it doesn't mean your basement will stay dry. When the warmer air in your home contacts cold basement walls, condensation forms and you have moisture in your basement.

So, what if you manage to seal and insulate walls so you don't have to worry about leaks or condensation ? then would you have a dry basement? Maybe for a while, but, as inevitably as cracks will form in concrete, the plumbing in your home will leak. A plumbing leak anywhere in your house can affect your basement.

Fortunately, while it seems that it might be impossible to keep your basement dry, there is a solution. Waterproofing your basement will stop water from entering your basement and it will drain away any water from condensation and plumbing leaks. Using a combination of sealants, drainage and pumps, waterproofing can keep even the wettest basement dry.

The basement waterproofing experts at Clarke basement Systems know how to keep your basement dry.