The exterior of your home, its foundation, and the interior basement are exposed to a great variety of water threats from the soil and water table and nearby natural water sources, but also from excessive precipitation and poor exterior home drainage systems. When you discover an interior moisture problem from outside sources, you realize the need for superb waterproofing solutions to protect your home and its investment. Here are some recommendations for you to waterproof the outside of your home from the elements and soil moisture.
Install Waterproof Barrier
One of the first and direct ways you can protect your home's foundation from exterior moisture, no matter its source, is to apply a waterproof barrier directly onto your home's foundation after the soil has been excavated away. A waterproof treatment can be applied with a roller or sprayer to seal out cracks, holes, and seams in your foundation.
You can also opt for a waterproof sheeting layer that is professionally installed onto the outside of your foundation. These treatments block out exterior moisture so you don't have to deal with collecting or blocking moisture on the inside of your home, and you don't have to alter or replace existing home interior finishes, like walls, flooring, and fixtures.
Add Drainage Protection
Another exterior way you can boost your home's exterior protection against water problems and damage is to install a drainage collection system that protects your home's interior by removing excessive water from the soil and diverting it elsewhere. You can do this type of solution with a professionally installed drain pipe that is installed within the soil around your home. This option also requires excavation of the soil down to your home's foundation footers where the drainage collection system is set up.
A drainage pipe needs a layer of gravel installed below and above it, so the water can collect and seep into the drain pipe and a barrier of landscape fabric to keep soil from infiltrating and clogging the drainage pipe. Because this system sits right at your home's exterior foundation where water tends to collect and seep into your home, it catches the water at the source of the problem. The water flows into the drainage pipe and down the system where it exits into a water collection reservoir, such as a dry well, or drains into nearby vegetation, or into a storm drain.
Also, be sure you check and maintain your roof's gutter and downspout system to make sure it diverts water away from your home. A downspout diverter should drain water onto a drainage area of rocks, concrete, vegetation, or public drainage area so the moisture does not get into the soil around your home foundation.
For more information about exterior waterproofing, contact a local waterproofing service.