Welcome to Basement Guide
Texas Foundation Repair Article
. For a permanent link to this article, or to bookmark it for further reading, click here.
The First Steps to Remodelling a Basement
from:Okay, so you’ve decided to remodel your basement; how do you get started? Step one, check out how the basement looks now, how it is laid out. The single most important issue to consider is this: are there any load-bearing walls or members in your basement? If so, you have to take great care not to remove, damage or undermine them. One slip, and you could bring you entire house down! The smartest thing to do in this situation is call in an architect or civil engineer to assess the situation. There are also home inspection companies in some communities, and they can help you as well.
Next, look at the outside walls of your house. If your home is on a slope – whether it be a gentle one or a steep one – you need to know how deep your footings go into the ground. Does you house have stem walls with footers going down several feet? If so, you can make changes to the flooring of your basement without any worries. On the other hand, if one of your outside walls is very weak – if it needs the soil of your front, side or backyard to help hold it up – you can not go re-grading your yard, taking that soil away and put in a door or window to the outside. If you do that, you could end up collapsing the outside wall!
This is yet another issue for the architect or engineer to look at and advise you on.
Now, once you’re sure about the structural aspects of the house, you can then decide on how you want to improve the basement. If you want to create several rooms, you can throw in some wood frame walls in the interior. Typically, the outside wall will be concrete, cinder block, or some other heavy duty construction. To create a nice looking wall, you can attach wood studs and then drywall over that. This thus gives you a space to install a vapour barrier, insulation, and all of the utilities.
Another thing that the architect and engineer can advise you on is the moisture in the basement. If you live in an area with an especially high water table, you may need to install a dehumidifier or even a sump pump. The one real negative about basements is that they tend to collect water, and standing water is a prime growth medium for mould. So, working to keep your basement dry is key to keeping it a viable living space.
Texas Foundation Repair News
Foundation Problems Don't Wash Away With Rain, Says Perma-Pier - EON: Enhanced Online News (press release)
Foundation Problems Don't Wash Away With Rain, Says Perma-Pier EON: Enhanced Online News (press release) Even as spring showers begin to pour, rain is potentially as destructive to the already fragile Texas soils as the drought, says Perma-Pier Foundation Repair of Texas. The vertisol clay soil which runs through the regions of the Dallas-Fort Worth ... |
Pro-Tech Foundation Repair Alerts Texas Homeowners to Signs of Foundation Failure - SBWire (press release)
Pro-Tech Foundation Repair Alerts Texas Homeowners to Signs of Foundation Failure SBWire (press release) Mesquite, TX -- (SBWIRE) -- 05/01/2012 -- Pro-Tech Foundation Repair is once again alerting Dallas homeowners to be on the lookout for foundation failure as the heat of summer approaches. Pro-Tech Foundation Repair is based in Mesquite, Texas and ... |
Troubleshooters; On The Level Foundation Repair - KZTV Action 10 News
Troubleshooters; On The Level Foundation Repair KZTV Action 10 News ALICE, Texas - Diana Moya got down on her stomach and crawled in the dirt underneath her home to take pictures of the foundation of her home. This was after she had hired On The Level Foundation Repair, in March 2010, to make repairs. |
Latest Virginia news, sports, business and entertainment - WJTV
Latest Virginia news, sports, business and entertainment WJTV (AP) A foundation working to repair earthquake damage at a historic home in Culpeper County is getting help from the federal government. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has agreed to provide nearly $750000 to help pay for repairs to Salubria. |
ASU gets regents' OK for Freshman College - San Angelo Standard-Times
ASU gets regents' OK for Freshman College San Angelo Standard-Times By Staff Report SAN ANGELO, Texas — The regents of the Texas Tech University System, meeting in Lubbock Thursday and Friday, approved Angelo State University's request to create a Freshman College, combining existing programs under the leadership of ... Local briefs |