Way too several homeowners are below the erroneous belief their home-owner insurance covers flooding. This simply isn’t true. If you live in an area susceptible to hurricanes, tropical kind storms, serious rains and different watery climatic conditions, flood insurance would be a wise investment.

This one has been sitting for over 2 years.  Luckily the water was stabilized to one area and didn’t require the whole thing torn out. He originally called because he thought we only needed to fix a couple of leaky rod holes. It turned out that there were two cracks leaking that had been fixed before by someone else using hydraulic cement.  Hydraulic cement is the worse thing to use.

So we did the cracks in our usual excellent repair technique. The carpet was dangerously moldy along with all the carpet tack. One decorative wall was in front of one of the repairs so the mirrors and such had to be removed. Several inspection holes had to be drilled in drywall areas to check whole walls for other leaks. I can safely say all the demolition damage is done. Now we have to repair the drywall and put the trim back on. The owner will handle the paint and carpet.

This is a goodly expense. The owner bought this house because it was a cheap repo. It was on a golf course and at a discount of 50% so he won’t lose any money on the deal. It was just a big surprise. So if you are in the market for a repo, and it has a basement, you should figure the carpet has to go automatically. If it has a finished basement then certain waterproofing issues will need addressing along with drywall work. We can get this done in just a few days. Remember speed is the thing. If your family is living in the place, don’t waste any time.

Bob - 248 341 3900

It is only the middle of April and we have torn out several flooded finished basements. Most of the water that caused these was from waterproofing issues.  An underlying theme however was the time factor. People are just letting things go for a long time. One flood has set wet on and off for 4 years at least according to the owner. This caused the drywall to turn black with mold along the bottom edge. and all the molding and doors too. The carpet had a thousand mushrooms growing on it.

I think the biggest loss was from some antique books from the late 1800′s and early 1900′s. They were destroyed. The owner went through all this themselves. We took care of the finished basement demolition and clean-up and sanitation. All the water was coming in from the outside from under the floor.  So we installed a full perimeter drainage system. The place is high and dry now.

I think because of the economy, people are putting this important work off for as long as possible.  Afraid to fix this stuff for fear of overspending. Too bad you couldn’t see what I have seen. If this was my house I wouldn’t wait five minutes.

If you get a basement flood it is too late to do anything about it. The time is now before something something happens. Get metal or plastic shelves to store stuff on. Get a battery back up sump pump installed. Don’t store any cardboard. Keep everything in those plastic boxes. Replace the hoses to your washing machine. Fix your waterproofing issues. Raise everything off the floor. Never assume it won’t happen to you.