Blogs by Basement Systems Dealers

Employees Celebrate Halloween by Connecticut Basement Systems

Basement Systems always knows how to celebrate holidays! Each year on Halloween, the employees go all out coming to work dressed in costumes. At the end of the day we have a big Halloween party with lots of food, sweets, a costume contest and prizes.

This year saw employees dressed as the Cat in the Hat, pirates, and the zombies and Michael Jackson from the Thriller video!

A great time was had by everyone. Hope you all had a fun and safe Halloween!

Peak Basement Systems waiting for good news about the new baby! by Peak Basement Systems

Just wanted to give you a heads up on some fabulous news that we have had here in the office of Peak Basement Systems. Mike Sullivan and his wife has been expecting their first child for a while now and we received news from Mike this morning that his wife is going to be induced right now. So, they are currently at the hospital waiting the birth of their baby boy, their first child. Mike said their bouncing boy will be the first boy for the Sullivan family and everyone's thrilled. The company is very excited and is just waiting to hear all the great details of the baby's birth.

Piers versus other methods by Peak Basement Systems

Piers vs. Other Methods

Push Piers WILL:

â�¡ Allow the deepest penetration of any steel pier type.

â�¡ Allow for the possibility of low impact interior installations (typically, with far less collateral damage than the exterior approach)

â�¡ Provide a lifetime warranty, transferable for the first 25 years, that vertical movement in the piered areas will not occur

â�¡ Perform it's job in most soil conditions for a designed life in excess of 100 years

Replace the Foundation:

â�¡ Destroys yard and takes several weeks to complete

â�¡ No warranty against the same problem reoccuring (expect same result)

â�¡ Footings are still in the Active Zone

â�¡ VERY EXPENSIVEï¿½$50,000 PLUS

Concrete Underpinning/Spread Footings:

â�¡ Can take weeks/months

â�¡ Added weight of the concrete can make problem worse

â�¡ Structure cannot be lifted

â�¡ Footings are still in the Active Zone

Concrete Piers:

â�¡ Concrete cylinders can break during installation and CANNOT be retrieved due to depths

â�¡ Cylinders create too much skin friction to get through the Active Zone

â�¡ May require additional shims in the future

â�¡ Even if shimming is included in the warranty, the damage from re-settlement and re-excavation is not covered

Square Shaft Helicals Piers:

â�¡ Originally designed to provide resistance to guy wires on electrical towers during high winds.

â�¡ Not designed to hold up weight through soils

â�¡ Square shafts experience bending and folding when a foundation's weight resting on it.

Concrete Piers with Cable Reinforcement:

â�¡ Engineered for specific soil conditions that are not present in Colorado.

â�¡ Cylinders create too much skin friction to get through the Active Zone

â�¡ Cabling in center of pier stretches over time, allowing for moment after piers in place.

â�¡ Additional cabling on exterior of cylinders can increase skin friction of cylinder.

This information courtesy of Foundation Technology, A Guide to What Go on Beneath Your Feet

Innovative Basement Systems & Egress Windows of ND & MN adds to their Team! by Innovative Basement Systems

On November 2, 2009, Innovative Basement Systems & Egress Windows added another asset to their Team!!

Charlie Adams, originally from Lansford, North Dakota, will head up the Foundation Supportworks Division of Innovative Basement Systems and Egress Windows.

Charlie is a 2000 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point. He served as an infantry officer in the Army for 5 years that included a year-long deployment to Iraq. After leaving the military in 2005, Charlie was the construction manager for Brand Services LLC in Denver, Colorado. In 2007, Charlie accepted a position as the Program Director for 5 state board programs that included the Colorado State Board of Architects, Professional Engineers, and Professional Land Surveyors, the State Electrical and Plumbing Boards, and the Colorado Passenger Tramway Safety Board. After enjoying Colorado for the past 8 years, Charlie is excited to return to North Dakota.

Innovative Basement Systems & Egress Windows is glad to have Charlie as a part of their team!

Nova Basement Systems Helps in Museum Expansion by Nova Basement Systems

Nova Basement Systems Donates to Historical Society Expansion

LA PORTE, IN â�� Nova Basement Systems recently lent a hand to the Marshall County Historical Society and Museumâ��s expansion. Nova, along with several other local businesses, contributed time and services to the effort to open a transportation museum at the historical society. A ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the million-dollar project was held last month to honor the volunteers.

The project began in 2005 when the historical society received a grant for $800,000 to open a transportation museum. Local community members were able to raise an additional $300,000 and volunteered around 445 hours to complete the project. Boy Scout troops, remodeling contractors, and architects all worked to help the historical society complete the renovation.

Jim Nova, who has a construction and mechanical background, founded Nova Basement Systems, Inc. in 1977. Today, Nova Basement Systems is one of the largest basement waterproofing and foundation repair contractors in northern Indiana and southern Michigan, offering solutions for wet basements, flooding, mold, foundation cracks, damp crawl spaces, and more. Nova is based in La Porte, IN, and offers free basement and crawl space repair estimates and inspections for homeowners throughout Indiana and Michigan.

Nova is a member of the Basement Systems international network of basement waterproofing contractors throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. This network consists of trained professional basement waterproofers, crawl space repair contractors and foundation repair contractors. Basement Systems has been in business for more than 21 years.

Dan and Heather Thrasher welcome baby girl! by Thrasher Basement Systems, Inc.

Thrasher Basement Systems / FSI welcomes a new baby to the team! Congratulations to Director of Operations, Dan Thrasher, his wife, Heather and big brother, Jack. Alayna Grace Thrasher was born on Saturday, October 31st at 5:15 PM. She weighs 7 lbs. 11 oz. and is 20 inches long.

What is Basement Waterproofing all About by Healthy Spaces

What is Waterproofing a Basement All About?

The basement waterproofing systems and how they work.

Let's take a look at the time and tested waterproofing of basement and how it works.

If you imagine how a basement is first built, when the house it is sited in was first conceived, then basically the following happens. A big hole in the ground is dug, the footer or foundations are laid, the walls of the basement are built and then the rest of the house follows.

The important point to note is the first one in the list above -- that big hole in the ground.

The construction of basement walls invariably leaves a void on the exterior which requires backfilling. Loose backfill is used to fill in the gap. The problem here is that water looks for the path of least resistance, and you've just given it just that with a huge pile of loose backfill, no matter utilize water drainage pipes that often become silted. The water is naturally bringing all sorts of silt, sand,and dirt no matter how well it's been compacted.

Water will constantly ooze into this area. The system can overload if the pipes get over-filled and then the pressure of the built up water would be concentrated on the outer basement walls. Water will work its way through even the smallest gaps, even though basement walls are waterproofed in some way.

This type of problem doesn't usually go away because the pipes that are supposed to take away the excess water gradually worsen over time.

A lot of the time a huge mistake is made by not providing access to these pipes. To keep water out of a basement waterproofing is also applied to the external walls.

The WaterGuard system is a better system that works by getting rid of water pressure in the walls. Water is controlled, collected and allowed to flow through drainage channels either to natural drainage or to a sump pump where the water is removed away from the property.

Waterproofing a basement is when they are installed internally, have easy access ports for removing silt, and can be installed in basements where other methods have failed.

So to summarize, a good basement waterproofing system will:

usually be a permanent or long-term solution
stop both ways by which water can enter through the walls and up from the floor
not disturb landscaping, decks, patios, driveways, etc
usually be an approved waterproofing method for home loans
often be substantially cheaper than other waterproofing methods

Choose a reputable basement waterproofer when protecting your home, remember it is economically foolish not to waterproof, because the increased value from waterproofing will definitely exceed the cost of the waterproofing.

In conclusion, you want a basement waterproofing system that will deliver:

a permanent or long term fix
stop water through the floor and walls
not disturb the exterior appearance of your home
an approved method by home loan lenders
more affordable than other methods

Waterproofing your home is an investment.

Concrete and Crack Repairs by Peak Basement Systems

One of the advantages of building with structural concrete is its repairability. The appearance of unexpected cracking, or other deterioration of the concrete is often the first sign that repairs are needed. In reinforced concrete such cracking is caused most often by the expansive forces created as rebar corrodes. Typically this is the result of inadequate cover, cracking construction joints, or permeable concrete. Other types of concrete deterioration can be the result of exposure to severe weather or chemicals, impact, overloading, or under design. In other cases, there are underlying soil conditions or ground water issues that can be contributing to the concrete problems.

The first step in developing a concrete repair plan is determining why the repair is necessary. Repairs may be needed to improve appearance of the concrete member or structure, to provide better protection of the embedded reinforcement, to meet load carrying requirements, or all three.

Some concrete repairs are primarily structural while others are primarily cosmetic. A structural repair, as defined in ACI 564R-04, �Concrete Repair Guide,� is one that �reestablishes or enhances the structural capacity of a member.� Other repairs that are deemed nonstructural often are made for aesthetic reasons. But these also may affect long-term structural integrity, such as when surface repairs are made to replace or renew the concrete cover protecting steel reinforcement.

For anything more than minor repairs, the contractor needs to work with engineering support. This will ensure that the proper cause of the concrete deficiency is identified and that the repair plan will have the intended effect. Additionally, ACI 564R-04 outlines general considerations for undertaking concrete repair as well as specific information about methods and materials.

Clues for the trained eye

An experienced investigator can learn a great deal about what's going on with various structural elements by observation. Telltale crack patterns, such as what may be observed on the upper surface of a parking deck around a column, can indicate potential punching shear failure or reinforcement that is too low. On columns, beams, or other vertical surfaces, diagonal cracks may be the result of shrinkage. However, they also may indicate excessive shear loads.

Excessive deflection, such as sagging cantilevers, should raise a red flag. Remember that relieving the load�both live and dead loads�must occur before any repairs are made. Repairs made without transferring those loads to temporary support while the work is done and the concrete hardens do not restore the member's load-carrying capacity.

Cracks that are curved typically indicate some underlying problem, such as differential settlement under a slab on grade. Basically any strange type of crack should raise a red flag and be investigated further.

When concrete spalls, it happens for a reason. Most often spalling indicates rebar corrosion, but may come also from aggregate problems such as alkali silica reaction. In either case, simply patching the surface will not provide a long-term solution.

Understand the repair

Most repairs involve several components, each of which must be treated appropriately for the repair to be successful.

Rebar. Expose all corroded surfaces. Clean and coat before placing new concrete. Then remember that the concrete cover that is placed over the rebar is what will provide protection for the future against water penetration and further corrosion.

Again, note that just patching up the concrete over rusty rebar makes the situation worse. The new patch may eliminate drainage paths that previously allowed the concrete to dry and the corrosion to slow.

Concrete. Proper surface preparation is absolutely essential. All unsound material must be removed without introducing additional cracking in the remaining substrate. ACI 564R-04 provides a good discussion of various demolition methods falling under the general categories of blasting, cutting, impacting, milling, and hydrodemolition.

Form-and-pour cementitious formulations provide the most predictably successful concrete repair materials. Unless some specific performance is necessary�such as exceptionally fast setting or placement without forms�experienced repair contractors generally try to match the existing concrete and tend to use simple, cementitious-based materials in lieu of more exotic repair materials.

Surface treatment. Remember that if you seal up a concrete surface that moisture has been flowing through, the pressure remains. For example, if you seal a retaining wall to eliminate seepage, the pressure that builds up is either going to have to be relieved in some other fashion or the lateral load will have to be supported. In colder regions, it also can lead to freeze/thaw damage and a failure of repairs.

Source: CONCRETE CONSTRUCTION MAGAZINE
Publication date: February 1, 2008 By Tom Klemens

Northern and Eastern Colorado Power Outages by Peak Basement Systems

Today in Colorado Springs there is a winter weather advisory that remains in effect until 6 PM this evening. This advisory is for southern El Paso County and includes the city of Colorado Springs.

Snow will be noted at times across portions of El Paso County and the total snowfall accumulation by late Thursday should be 2 to 4 inches in the south and east of Colorado Springs and 4 to 8 inches in the north and west of the city. High winds are expected to continue. Currently, weather conditions in the northern portions of Colorado Springs, Monument Hill, and Lone Tree are are experiencing 10 mile per hour wind and extremely low visibility. GUSTY NORTH WINDS OF 20 TO 30 MPH WITH GUSTS UP TO 40 MPH WILL CAUSE AREAS OF BLOWING AND DRIFTING SNOW THROUGHOUT THE REST OF TODAY.

Due to the snow and increased wind velocity, a number of our clients in Northern and Eastern Colorado have experienced power outages. This has resulted in a higher than average number of water watch alarms going off because sump pumps have also lost power. In the event that your home is powerless and you are concerned that your basement will be without a functional sump pump, please contact us immediately. We have several battery backup units available for immediate installation. Michelle, a homeowner in the Rockrimmon area, has requested the battery backup installation for this morning, so a crew is currently in the 80919 and 80918 area.

Rainy Weekend in Southern Wisconsin by Badger Basement Systems

2 Rounds of rain affected southern Wisconsin this past weekend on October 24-25. Rain spreading over southern Wisconsin Friday night and persisted into Saturday afternoon.

Several locations received over 2 inches, Black River Falls received over 5 inches, and portions of Southern Milwaukee in Northern Racine Counties and inch an hour occurred in several hours at a of time. Rain fell overnight into saturday and 1 to 2.5 inches across all of southern Wisconsin from Madison to Milwaukee and even south into the Illinois border.

A lot of people are calling us saying that now the basement leaks that were once gone are back again so we are busy on the phones and everybody is trying to prepare for the next rainfall that's coming in from Denver and that falling anytime tonight into tomorrow in they say accumulation may reach 2 inches there too.