We’ve got water in the Catskills. Lots of water. Sometimes it’s not where we’d like it. Sometimes it’s in the basement.
My old farmhouse has a concrete floor and munchkin-appropriate ceiling height thanks to a prior owner who tried to address the water by covering the ground with 8 inches of concrete.
Maybe it worked for awhile. It doesn’t work now. Twenty years later, there are minute cracks here and there, and when there’s a torrential rain, the water surfaces bubbles up.
There are better fixes.
And it does have to be dealt with, because if you don’t, you’ll be dealing with mold.
Mold loves damp conditions. And wet basements, unventilated attics, leaky roofs, can all be beautiful spots to grow a health crop of mold. Which is not good for you.
So keeping out the water, or making sure the water leaves as quickly as it enters, is important.
And then there’s radon. We’ve got that, too. It’s a colorless, odorless gas that, over time, can cause lung cancer. The test for it is easy. And the fix isn’t hard, either. But experts say just cracking a basement window won't do it; you need a radon mitigation system. It’s basically a dedicated ventilation system….a pipe that vents outside the house.
So if you’re buying a home you’ll be living in a long time, or if you have children, or if you have respiratory issues, you’re wise to test for radon. And you’ll all be healthier, and happier, if you make sure your house is snug and dry.
Water features are wonderful. Just not in your basement.