If you own or operate a business, there’s a good chance that you’ve tried to think of every conceivable thing you can to protect that business so it can grow and make more money each year. You’ve thought of all the marketing and budgeting concerns, you know how to attract customers and hire the best employees… but did you think about protecting the building itself?
If your business has a basement that you are responsible for then you should really consider making sure that it’s waterproofed. Water damage can cost a lot of money and may even force you to move if it’s not taken care of quickly. Here are a few reasons you should want to waterproof your business’s basement to protect your future.
Possible Structural Problems
The basement is the foundation of the building: if the basement floor or walls start to suffer, then there’s a good chance that the problems will spread to the rest of the building.
If you live in an area surrounded by moist soil, there’s a good possibility that water will seep into your basement. This can cause wooden beams to swell and crack and can also cause the concrete flooring to crack. Both possibilities are dangerous as they lead to structural damage that is expensive to repair. If you ignore the problem for too long, you face the risk of the walls beginning to bow and the flooring and walls becoming unstable.
Waterproofing will prevent this. Simple waterproofing will block constant water seepage from the ground into the basement, sparing you the problems of repair in the future.
Infestations
There are two major types of infestations that you should be aware of if your business has a basement: mould and small critters like insects and small animals.
Basements, by nature, are dark places, so when you allow water to enter the room, you are giving infestations a chance to get a foothold and become a problem. Moulds love dark, damp areas and will thrive in wet environments that are not waterproofed. Besides having a bad smell and looking unsightly, moulds others can be dangerous to your health. If mould continues to grow it can get into the ventilation system, making you and your employees sick.
Rats, mice, cockroaches and other pests also love dark, damp areas, so you may also experience infestations of that variety. This can be a problem – especially rats and mice – because they can get into the walls and chew on electrical wiring, forcing you to do some expensive electrical maintenance.
Natural Disasters
If you live in an area that is prone to flooding or hurricanes, then you shouldn’t hesitate to waterproof your basement. Even a small storm can cause extensive damage to a basement that isn’t ready for it.
Hurricanes dump a large amount of water over a long period of time, saturating the soil and causing flooding. If your basement isn’t waterproofed, you can be certain that the water will find it’s way in and cause problems. If your basement is flooded after a storm, then you can expect to see mould and other infestations in a short period of time. It’s better to prevent basement flooding altogether by waterproofing it as soon as possible. Of course, there are some storms that you just can fight, but having the waterproofing will let you last a lot longer than if you went without it and it may even save you money because the flooding won’t be as bad as it could’ve been.
Protect Personal Property
If you have a basement, there’s a good chance that you use it for storage. And if your business has a basement, then you probably store important documents or other pieces of property that you can’t afford to lose.
Waterproofing your basement will help protect these pieces of property. Not only will waterproofing help prevent flooding, it will keep your basement drier overall, which will help fight off mould and insects that can destroy your property. If you store anything that is made of wood or paper in your basement, then waterproofing is a must for protection.
Waterproofing your business’s basement is an important step in protecting your future and your money. For more information, check out Helitech.
About the author
Emma Mellor works for a small construction company. She enjoys sharing her insights with others by posting on various commercial and business blogs.
