Install a Dry Well to Prevent Window Well Flooding TAGS: Adding egress windows | basement remodel ideas | damp basement | Egress windows

One concern residents in flood-zones have about their basement window wells is that they could leak water into their finished basements. Here’s some advice. We’ve already blogged about the importance of where you install your basement window well to prevent flooding. But that’s not the only thing you can do to help ensure water stays out of your basement during the rainy season. If you’re in an area prone to flooding, there’s more you can do too.When installing a window well, it’s very important to backfill it with pea gravel or other rock material to help with drainage – especially …Continue reading →

Smart Moves to Keep Your Basement Dry TAGS: Adding egress windows | basement remodel ideas | Basement Windows | bringing fresh air in a basement | damp basement | Egress windows | finishing a basement | prevent mold in basements | Refinishing your basement | Sunlight into a basement

Basements get damp. It’s one of the natural laws of the universe – like how when you drop a piece of toast, it always lands butter-side down. But there are things you can do to keep your finished basement dry, fresh and welcoming. For many homeowners, adding egress windows helped eliminate their damp problem – as it gave a free-flowing source of fresh air that helped expel lingering moisture. But if you’re deciding to finish your basement, there are some other tips and techniques you can use to minimize or eliminate the risk of dampness. The first is to consider …Continue reading →

Tips for Installing Tile Flooring in Your Basement TAGS: basement remodel ideas | damp basement | finishing a basement | prevent mold in basements | Refinishing your basement

Finishing your basement is a big step towards adding extra living space – and resale value – to your home. But some smart choices now can really pay off in the long run – like installing tile flooring. Many homeowners take years to work up the courage to finish their basement. There are a lot of concerns for them – not least of which is the purely mental block which makes them think it’s impossible that their cold, dank, unwelcoming basement could ever become a warm and welcoming part of their family home. But when they finally do make that …Continue reading →

Don’t Turn Your Window Well into a Wishing Well: Prevent Basement Flooding TAGS: Adding egress windows | damp basement | Egress windows

When you’re adding an egress window well to your finished basement, make sure you take the water table into consideration. Water can make or break a basement refurbishment, as any homeowner will tell you – and adding a means of egress can play an important part in that. Sump pumps and drainage can help prevent basement flooding; but heavy rain and storms can still have devastating consequences if you don’t take precautions. So when you’re considering adding an egress well to your finished basement, make sure you give some thought to how that might impact the way water moves around …Continue reading →

Better Basement Ventilation: A Second Egress Window Brings a Breath of Fresh Air TAGS: basement | Basement Windows | bringing fresh air in a basement | damp basement | fixing smelly basements | prevent mold in basements

National building code requires all furnished basements to have a means of egress – but adding egress window wells can have other benefits as well; as one New Jersey homeowner discovered. “Sometimes I used to wonder why they even built a basement in this house,” admits Lambertville resident Rick. “We lived far enough away from the river that the house never flooded, but for as long as I lived here there was a funky, damp smell downstairs and it just wouldn’t go away.” Rick’s beautiful Victorian home is just blocks from the Delaware river; and his basement is an important …Continue reading →