WASHINGTON — Next week could bring heavy rain into the region. And if rain makes your basement soggy, a consumer’s group advises trying easy do-it-yourself solutions before hiring a contractor.
“Check to make sure your gutters have been cleaned out. Check to make sure that downspouts from your gutters are spilling far away from your home,” said Kevin Brasler, executive editor at Checkbook.org.
Also, hiring a drainage consultant might reveal additional quick fixes, or determine that grading performed when the home was new has diminished. Grading of soil near a home prevents water from flowing toward walls.
“It’s a pretty inexpensive thing to do, especially compared to what these companies will propose,” Brasler said.
You should examine all options, Brasler added, before hiring a basement waterproofing contractor.
“If you are going to hire a company to solve your problem inside your basement, make sure you talk to several companies,” Brasler advised. “I would talk to five or six companies that do this type of work.”
Beware: You might be offered services you don’t need. If there’s a problem involving one small area, for example, Brasler warns you might be wrongly informed work needs to be done on the home’s entire perimeter.