Waterproofing, as a separate construction job, is now usually handled by concrete contractors themselves. As a supplementary profit center, waterproofing is actually a good addition in their construction business.
Also, as an additional new service, it is one profitable way for the company to grow. Since concrete contractors are at the jobsite in the first days of construction, it is only logical that they stay longer and make additional money.
Waterproofing types
Basically, there are two types of waterproofing materials – sheet membranes and sprays. Typically, a contractor would use only one system and recommends it to the owner.
However, their decisions normally consider the initial cost of equipments required to do the job. The upfront costs for sheet membrane waterproofing are not prohibitive while initial cost of equipments for the spray system requires some investment cash-outs.
Equipments for sheet membranes
One special equipment needed for sheet membranes is a relatively cheap linoleum roller. This is used to firmly press the waterproofing membrane against the concrete wall.
Most other tools are those that concrete contractors already have. These equipments include the angle grinder, scrapers, roller covers, brushes, and knives.
Sprayed-on waterproofing
Compared with sheet membrane waterproofing, sprayed-on waterproofing is much costlier. There are several initial equipments needed: a van, a bulk tank with a spray rig, hoses and nozzles.
They would also need ladders for going up and down the site. The workers are also to be supplied with protective equipments that include face shields and respirators, as well as disposable coveralls to protect them from the spray materials.
Aside from the costs, there are other occupational considerations. The spray had to be heated first before being sprayed. There are temperature gauges to be controlled and another engine to circulate the spray to keep it warm enough.
Learning to waterproof
Representatives of spray manufacturers have been training workers from construction contractor companies on how to use the system and how to spray the waterproofing product properly.
The workers were also trained on right application rates and right temperatures. Some manufacturing companies send out their representatives and do a few jobs with the waterproofing companies just to make sure everything was okay. Other companies put on some seminars.
Selling the service
For waterproofing companies, selling the service is not very difficult in terms of the type of waterproofing services preferred by customers or what is deemed better. The benefits of waterproofing are the same regardless of the type used.
The basic benefits include protecting the foundation or the basement walls from moisture (or vapor) transmissions and stopping concrete efflorescence.
Return of investments
Waterproofing can be more profitable than contracting concrete foundation or basement building. Companies can earn an extra 5 to 6% profits.
Sheet membrane waterproofing system takes about a week to finish. Spray waterproofing is finished in about 3 to 4 hours, sometimes less. Some concrete contractors contend that it might not have increased the business much, but it can bring in some extra profits.
Also, a concrete contractor becomes more valuable to a homebuilder or a general contractor if it is also able to do waterproofing jobs.
Your wet basement could be a real nuisance. Every year, numerous homeowners constantly face unpleasant side effects and consequences of seasonal rainfall. Problems could range from simple dampness to flooding. Needless to say, chronic basement leakage could be a serious problem that could bring about destruction to furnishings, personal property, and appliances. It could also lead to permanent structural damage to the foundation of the building and to possible wood rot, decay, and presence of pests. Waterproofing is important. But before that, homeowners should first know about possible causes of the water leakage problem.
One possible root of basement leakage is inadequate or improper surface drainage. This could be caused by natural landscape such as a yard that is sloped toward your home. In most cases, such a problem could be alleviated by regrading your yard so that it could be sloped away from the foundation of the home. This could also divert surface water around the home. This could be a serious problem and the solution could be quite tedious and costly at the same time. However, it is important to remedy the situation as soon as possible before it gets worse over time.
It is just normal for foundations of your homes to occasionally leak over time. No foundation could effectively stay waterproof forever. There would be inevitable presence of gaps and cracks in walls that would allow passage of water. Sooner or later, water would find its way to get indoors and accumulate in the basement. You need to regularly check the walls in the basement to find for any gap or crack no matter how small they are. As an initial remedy, you may fill them in with waterproof compounds. There surely is something suitable to be found in the hardware shop in your community.
Another common culprit for basement leaking is presence of poorly or improperly positioned rain gutter downspout. It could be led as well by leaking, missing, or clogged rain gutters. Any downspout when improperly positioned so it would drain against a side of a house could allow building up of water along the foundation wall. It would do so long until the back-up reservoir finds any weak spot across the foundation wall.
Certainly, the most serious possible cause of any basement leakage is high water table. The problem concerning high water table happens when the foundation of the home is constructed very deeply into the ground. It could be built in a level where water would remain constant all year round. This problem could also be brought about by underground spring or by sustained duration of rainfall that causes rising of water table especially during wet seasons.
Moreover, the basement leaking problem could be as simple as a case of ordinary condensation. This happens when a warm and humid air gets in touch with cool basement floors, walls, and water pipes. There is not much requirement on waterproofing to solve this simple problem but for the rest, there could be a need to hire the services of professional waterproofing service providers.
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